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

For several hours a day you’re off at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning keeps working, with nobody home. This needs a lot of energy and feels like wasting money. You can dramatically reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down as you leave for work and adjusting it back to your desired temperature when you get home. But how much should the thermostat be adjusted? 

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

You can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its typical setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The smaller the variation between the both temperatures, the lower your total cooling bill should be. You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to something like 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re sleeping or away from home. In the summer, you can use the same strategy with central air conditioning by having your house warmer than normal when you are away and setting the thermostat to a setting as high as is comfortable for you when you’re home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if needed. 

You might have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth the effort because your HVAC has to work even harder to get back to your preferred temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for heating: “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 every 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 set your thermostat to automatically move to another temperature during your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can change the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is very helpful if you’ve forgotten to fix the setting before going on a long trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with heavy fur won’t be comfy with high temperatures. And pets with short fur may not be happy with cold temperatures. The same is true of tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances vary widely by breed and species, look them up for your pets. 

Other Advantages 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 generate. Saving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can cut its longevity and cause additional maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter may clog up faster, making your air less clean. 

If you have any questions about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the professionals at Peachtree Service Experts, a big company with hometown heart. We’re passionate about making the world a cozy place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfortable and satisfied. 

Experts — it’s in our name and vital to our business. We strive to help each team member become a skilled craftsman. We hire the best and supply training, opportunities and support, so everyone can learn, grow and be equipped for any challenge thrown their way. 

Our united business strength and people separate us from other service companies. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate more successfully than the rest of the industry. Our enthusiastic, family attitude fuels our cooperation and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

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

We are Peachtree Service Experts! Delivering strength, knowledge and support over every season.