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

For plenty of hours a day you’re away at work, or maybe at school. Yet your HVAC system keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This uses a good deal of energy and costs you money. You can considerably lower this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down when you head to work and adjusting it back to your favored temperature when you come 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 around 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by simply adjusting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its typical setting. The percentage of savings from setback is larger for buildings in more temperate climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The smaller the variation between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the less expensive your overall cooling bill will 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 in bed or away from home. For summer, you can follow the same plan with central air conditioning by having your house warmer than normal when you are away and adjusting the thermostat to a setting as high as you’re comfortable with when you’re home and want cooling and to secure humidity control if needed. 

You might have been advised that these kinds of adjustments won’t be worth it because your HVAC has to work harder to get back to your desired temperature, reversing your savings, but the energy department dismisses that claim, 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 

Regardless of the benefits of adjusting your thermostat any time you head to work, it’s not hard to miss in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one advantage of programmable and smart thermostats. You can adjust your thermostat to automatically move to a higher or lower temperature during your average 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 adjust the setting before leaving for a trip. 

Always Remember the Pets 

If you own pets, give consideration to their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with heavy fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with less fur might not be comfortable with cold temperatures. The same applies to tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Because temperature preferences differ universally by breed and species, look them up for your pets. 

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

• Carbon emissions – The harder you operate your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you produce. Saving energy minimizes air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC system can reduce its life span and cause additional maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter can clog up sooner, making your indoor air quality worse. 

If you have any questions about your air conditioner options, or if you require HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the professionals at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, a big company with local heart. We’re passionate about making the world a comfy place to live. Whether we’re keeping things warm, cooling things down or making the water flow, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfy and contented. 

Experts — it’s in our name and core to our work. We work tirelessly to help each team member become a skilled craftsman. We hire the best and supply education, opportunities and assistance, so our teams can learn, grow and be ready for any kind of challenge in front of them. 

Our united business strength and people make us special. With over 4,000 team members collaborating on making you comfortable, we can deliver and innovate more successfully than the rest of the industry. Our enthusiastic, neighborly attitude powers our cooperation and helps us get the job done promptly, and right — the first time. 

Our fusion of company size and individual expertise means we can accomplish more with the next big idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinventing the industry by harnessing each team member’s best ideas. That means our teams and customers can relax knowing we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long run, through the busier times and beyond. 

We are Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing! Giving strength, knowledge and support over every season.