Heating and cooling your home makes up almost 50% of your yearly energy bills. So if you are looking for ways to cut energy use, our thermostat tips are the best place to start.
So, what’s the easiest way to cut energy use? Stop doing things with your thermostat that waste energy. Here are 3 thermostat tips to help you save money and energy…
Trying to heat or cool your home “faster”
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You get home from work and your home is hot. The home’s at 79°, and you like it at 75°F. But you set the thermostat to 72°, so that it will cool off your home more quickly.
Bad idea.
This doesn’t make your air conditioner work faster. Unless you have a two-stage AC, your air conditioner (and furnace) only works at one speed. Lowering the temperature setting past what you need just makes the air conditioner run longer to reach the 72° setting (costing you money).
Leaving your thermostat at the same setting
Do you set your thermostat at a specific temperature and never touch it? You could be wasting as much as $180/year, according to ENERGY STAR.
Instead, you should change your thermostat temperature setting whenever you leave your home for 8 hours or longer. After all, there’s no need to heat or cool your empty home to the same temperature as when you’re home, right?
Use these thermostat tips:
- When your home will be empty for 8 hours or longer, set your thermostat 5°-8° higher in the summer and 10°-15° lower in the winter.
- When you get home, set the thermostat back to your comfortable setting.
Doing so can save you 5-15% on your yearly energy costs, according to the U.S Department of Energy.
Of course, remembering to change your thermostat every time you leave your home can be difficult. That’s where a programmable thermostat comes in. Programmable thermostats can be set to your schedule so that it automatically makes these adjustments for you.
Messing with your thermostat too much
A study about the effectiveness of programmable thermostats found that people who micromanage their thermostats use more energy than those that leave them alone for long periods of time.
Why?
Because constantly changing the set temperature on your thermostat causes your heating or cooling systems to stop and start, which causes them to run inefficiently.
For example, let’s say you have your thermostat set at 68°F in the winter. Your heating system heats your home until that point then shuts off. But you realize you’re still a little chilly, so you raise the thermostat a couple degrees. The heating system must now immediately turn back on.
Your heating and cooling systems should be running for longer, steadier times to save money. (Think of it like your car’s MPG. Do you get better mileage on streets with lots of stoplights or on the highway?)
In summary
So remember these 3 thermostat tips to help you save money and energy on your heating and cooling bills:
- Don’t crank your thermostat up or down to heat or cool your home faster—it does not work.
- Change your thermostat temperature setting when you’re away from home for 8+ hours.
- Don’t constantly change the thermostat setting when you’re home—it wastes money.
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Are you in Connecticut and have more questions or interested in learning more about programmable thermostats or more efficient heating and cooling systems? Give us a call today – after all, “Your Comfort Is ALWAYS Our First Priority”!
