If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to lower your heating bill. It seems like our energy costs just continue to skyrocket and there’s no end in sight. If anything, they only appear to rise unabated for the foreseeable future what with our temperatures becoming more extreme in the summer and winter months.
That means we’re going be using our hvac systems more often in a desperate bid to keep our homes comfortable. After all, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your level of comfort in order to avoid paying through the nose of the privilege. So, before you start to make any large sweeping changes to your temperature settings, first consider what comfort means to you and your family.
Comfort Levels
Think about the current comfort level of your home at the moment. Now think about how much you are spending in order to maintain that comfort level and how it affects your cost efficiency. It’s possible that you can adjust your settings at smaller increments to maintain that level of comfort that you and your family currently enjoy while keeping some more money in your pocket.
Something to think about with respect to comfort and costs, the wider the disparity that exists between the temperature outside and the temperature inside will dictate how much more money you can expect to pay for your electric bills.
But while you definitely don’t want you and your family to melt in the summer or freeze in the dead of winter, you need to walk a delicate balance for identifying the right disparity that will satisfy both comfort and cost. The good news is that you can find an ideal temperature for just about any season to keep the inside of your home comfortable without putting the squeeze on your wallet.
Energy Consumption and Conservation
If you operate your hvac charlottesville more often, you’re consuming more energy and putting more wear and tear on the system. But reducing your use of heating and cooling will obviously cut down on your costs and avoid repairs down the line. These things weigh heavily on the minds of homeowners who may think twice before switching their thermostats on to warm up the place or cool things down.
While this seems like smart, sensible energy use, you may not be comfortable in your home. So, think about how to better strategize your use of the hvac system to make your consumption less impactful on your heating and cooling and your wallet.
When you’re not home or when you’re asleep, you can keep the thermostat switched off. The average indoor temperature rises roughly 8 to 10 degrees, saving you an average of 10% on your cooling costs in the summer. During slumber, the body rests a lot more soundly when a thermal balance is achieved between your body temperature and that of the environment in which you are sleeping.
Keeping this in mind, you want to set your temperature to 86 degrees during the summer months, and 65 degrees in the winter.
Using A Programmable Thermostat to Save Energy
Part of the reason why so many of us end up spending so much of our hard-earned money on utility costs is due to our forgetfulness. We neglect to turn the heating or cooling off and so it runs for hours on end, jacking up our costs sky-high.
But there’s a better way for using your hvac system without spending too much – a programmable thermostat. Programmable are the rage these days, especially for those homeowners who want more control over their hvac system and the energy they consume. You don’t need to remember to turn your system on and off, the programmable thermostat does that all for you.
You simply set it and forget it. You can adjust the thermostat to turn on the system when the indoor temperature reaches a certain threshold. That way you only use the energy you need to get to that level of comfort you want. You’re not running the system for long periods of time.
But what temperature is best for your programmable and how can you stay comfortable all year round? For the summer, program your thermostat to 78 degrees. This means your home is still cool and comfy and helps you maintain that 8 to 10-degree differential between the inside and outside temperatures. During the winter, set it to 68 degrees when you are home and then bring it down after you leave. Just don’t let the temperature in the house fall below 55 degrees or your home’s plumbing system could freeze over.
