How Should I Set My Thermostat for When I’m At Work?

For several hours a day you’re off at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your HVAC system keeps working, with nobody home. This needs a lot of energy and wastes money. You can considerably reduce this cost by changing the thermostat up or down when you head to work and adjusting it back to your desired temperature when you return home. But how much should you adjust it? 

Here’s what the Department of Energy suggests about thermostat settings: 

You can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling by just setting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its usual setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The tinier the contrast between the outdoor and indoor temperatures, the lower your complete cooling bill can be. You can comfortably save energy during the winter by adjusting the thermostat to around 68°F while you’re awake and adjusting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. In the summer, you can practice the same strategy with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away and adjusting the thermostat to a setting as high as is comfortable for you when you return and want cooling and to provide humidity control if needed. 

You might have been informed that making these adjustments aren’t worth the time because your heating and cooling has to work extra hard to go back to your preferred temperature, reversing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, particularly for heating: “A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly.” 

Programmable and Smart Thermostats 

Regardless of the benefits of setting your thermostat each time you go to work, it’s easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one advantage of programmable and smart thermostats. You can set your thermostat to automatically shift to a different temperature during your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) from your smartphone or similar device. This is especially helpful if you’ve neglected to change the setting before going on vacation. 

Don’t Forget the Pets 

If you have pets at home, think about their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with heavy fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with less dense fur might not be comfortable with cold temperatures. The same applies to tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Considering temperature tolerances vary significantly by breed and species, so review them for your pets. 

More Benefits of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away 

• Carbon emissions – The more you operate your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Preserving energy minimizes air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Demanding too much from your HVAC unit can cut its life span and cause additional maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter will clog up faster, making your indoor air supply worse. 

If you have any ideas about your air conditioner settings, or if you are looking for HVAC repair or maintenance, call the professionals at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, a big company with hometown heart. We’re serious about making the world a cozy place to live. Whether we’re keeping things warm, cooling things down or making the water flow, we have a lot of pride in keeping our customers and communities cozy and satisfied. 

Experts — it’s in the name and vital to our business. We work hard to help each technician or installer learn to be a skilled professional. We work with the best and supply instruction, opportunities and reinforcement, so our teams can learn, develop and be equipped for every challenge they’re faced with. 

Our united business strength and people distinguish us from the competition. With over 4,000 team members working together, we can deliver and innovate better than the rest of the industry. Our enthusiastic, family attitude powers our teamwork and helps us get the job done in a timely manner, and right — the first time. 

Our combination of company size and individual expertise means we can offer more with the next great idea … which can come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinvigorating the industry by utilizing each team member’s greatest ideas. That means our teams and customers can rest assured we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long haul, through the busiest times and beyond. 

We are Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning! Delivering strength, knowledge and support through every season.