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

For plenty of hours a day you’re gone at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning continues to run, despite the house being empty. This uses a ton of energy and feels like wasting money. You can considerably scale back this cost by changing the thermostat up or down as you go to work and adjusting it back to your preferred temperature when you get home. But how much should you adjust the temperature? 

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

You can save as much as 10% a year on HVAC costs by simply setting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day compared to its typical setting. The percentage of savings from setback is better for buildings in milder climates than for those in more extreme climates. 

The lower the difference between the both temperatures, the more affordable your complete cooling bill can be. You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to about 68°F while you’re awake and adjusting it lower while you’re sleeping or away from home. In the summer, you can practice the same strategy with central air conditioning by having your house warmer than normal when you are away and tweaking the thermostat to a setting as high as you can manage comfortably when you’re home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if needed. 

You may have been advised that making these adjustments aren’t worth it because your HVAC has to work extra hard to go back to your favored temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for a furnace: “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 

Despite the benefits of adjusting your thermostat each time you head to work, it’s very easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one perk of programmable and smart thermostats. You can instruct your thermostat to automatically change to another temperature through your average work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) from anywhere. This is very helpful if you’ve neglected to fix the setting before going on a long trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, give consideration to their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be as happy with high temperatures. And pets with less dense fur may not be pleased with cold temperatures. The same is true of tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances differ significantly by breed and species, so review them for your pets. 

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

  • Carbon emissions – The harder you operate your HVAC system, the more carbon emissions you generate. Saving energy reduces air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
  • HVAC Longevity – Overworking your heating and cooling can reduce its life expectancy and cause increased maintenance to be needed. It also means the air filter can clog up faster, making your indoor air quality worse. 

If you have any concerns about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, contact the professionals at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, a big company with homegrown heart. We’re passionate about making the world a comfortable 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 content. 

Experts — it’s in the name and core to our business. We work hard to help each team member become a skilled craftsman. We employ the best and provide instruction, opportunities and assistance, so our teams can learn, develop and be prepared for any kind of challenge thrown their way. 

Our combined business strength and people separate us from other service companies. With over 4,000 team members collaborating on making you comfortable, we can deliver and innovate better than other companies. Our enthusiastic, family attitude energizes our cooperation and helps us get the job done in a timely manner, and right — the first time. 

Our blend of company size and personal expertise means we can accomplish more with the next big idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinvigorating the industry by harnessing each team member’s most popular ideas. That means our teams and customers can rest easy knowing we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long term, through the busier times and beyond. 

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

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