Are you always too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer? It may be because your thermostat isn’t set at the ideal temperature.
There is a fine line between being cost-effective and comfortable when setting the temperature for your thermostat.
Turning on and off your heating or air conditioning is not efficient and can cause unnecessary wear and tear on the machine.
However, there is no need for your air conditioner to stay at that breezy 65 degrees when you’re out at work all day either. Many thermostats today allow you to program the temperature depending on the time of day, allowing you the freedom to keep costs down when you’re not at home.
The best way to combat the dramatic hot and cold temperatures throughout the day and throughout each season is to set it to a comfortable temperature when you are home, and then either raise it or lower it depending on the season and whether or not you are home.
This isn’t suggesting, however, to completely turn off your air conditioner or heat while you are gone. That can cause major issues in the wintertime when your pipes are at risk of freezing.
Optimal Temperature for Your Home
To optimally utilize your thermostat, it is recommended that you keep your home at 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you are home and 60 degrees when you’re not.
In the summer, the recommended guideline for energy use and efficiency is to keep your day time temperature at about 78 degrees, and lowering it to 75 when you sleep.
Some suggest that the coolest temperature you should keep your thermostat at, is 78 degrees in the summer.
That number may seem staggeringly high, however, it is based off efficiency not necessarily personal comfort.
According to Consumer Reports, their suggestion is to keep the thermostat at 78 degrees when you’re home, 85 degrees when you’re at work, and 82 degrees when sleeping (during the summer).
However, most people tend to sleep better and find it more comfortable to sleep in a cooler home.
If you get hot easily or cold easily, increasing your preferred temperature setting 4 degrees when you’re asleep, and 7 degrees when no one is home.
The important thing to note is to not continuously turn your system on and off throughout the day, or just let it run at the same temperature all day. If you turn off your air conditioner while away and then turn it back on when you get home, the system will run continuously for an hour until it reaches that temperature.
This is very inefficient when compared to having a steady, but higher (or lower), temperature throughout the day to maintain a sense of airflow.
A fan can also help to circulate air throughout the home. Ceiling fans are useful during the winter months as well since hot air rises and fans have the ability to rotate counter-clockwise which pulls the hot air down.
If you’re unsatisfied with your heating and cooling system, don’t go another season being miserable and call the Good Guys today! We’re the professionals when it comes to all your heating and cooling needs.