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

For several hours a day you’re gone at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your comfort system keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This needs a lot of energy and feels like wasting money. You can considerably lower this cost by changing the thermostat up or down when you go to work and setting it back to your favored temperature when you return home. But how much should the thermostat be adjusted? 

Here’s what the Department of Energy has to say about thermostat changes: 

You can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply adjusting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. The percentage of savings from setback is larger for buildings in cooler climates than for those in more extreme climates. 

The smaller the contrast between the both temperatures, the lower your complete cooling bill will be. You can easily save energy during the winter by setting the thermostat to something like 68°F while you’re awake and adjusting it down while you’re in bed or away from home. During the summer, you can use the same approach with central air conditioning by leaving your house warmer than normal when you are gone and setting the thermostat to a setting as high as you’re comfortable with when you’re home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if required. 

You may have been advised that doing these adjustments won’t be worth it because your comfort system has to work even harder to go back to your desired temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department suggests this isn’t true, particularly for heaters: “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 

Even with the benefits of changing your thermostat each time you head to work, it’s easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one benefit of programmable and smart thermostats. You can adjust your thermostat to automatically change to a different temperature during your average work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to change the setting before leaving for a trip. 

Don’t Forget the Pets 

If you have a pet, give consideration to their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfy with high temperatures. And pets with less fur won’t always be pleased with cold temperatures. The same goes for tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Considering temperature preferences deviate widely by breed and species, so it helps to verify the ideal temperature range for your pets. 

Additional Benefits of Changing Your Thermostat for When You’re Away 

• Carbon emissions – The more often you operate your heating and cooling, the more carbon emissions you generate. Preserving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Demanding too much from your HVAC unit can reduce its life expectancy and cause more 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 serious about making the world a comfy place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water flow, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfy and satisfied. 

Experts — it’s in our name and vital to our business. We work hard to help each technician or installer learn to be a skilled professional. We hire the best and supply instruction, opportunities and support, so everyone can learn, grow and be equipped for every challenge thrown their way. 

Our united business strength and people make us special. With more than 4,000 team members working together, we can deliver and innovate more successfully than other companies. Our positive, family attitude energizes our cooperation and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

Our blend of company size and unique expertise means we can do more with the next amazing idea … which may come from anywhere and anyone. We are helping transform the industry by harnessing 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.