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

For several hours a day you’re off at work, or possibly at school. Yet your HVAC system continues to run, without anybody home. This uses a ton of energy and feels like wasting money. You can considerably reduce this cost by changing the thermostat up or down as you head to work and setting it back to your favored temperature when you return home. But how much should you adjust it? 

Here’s what the Department of Energy suggests about thermostat adjustments: 

You can save around 10% a year on HVAC costs by just adjusting 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 dynamic climates. 

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

You might have been told that doing these adjustments won’t be worth it because your HVAC has to work even harder to get back to your preferred temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department dismisses that claim, 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 setting your thermostat every time you go to work, it’s not hard to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one advantage 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 adjust the temperature (or the programming schedule) from your smartphone or similar device. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to fix the setting before leaving for a trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have a pet, consider their comfort as well. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with less fur might not be comfortable with cold temperatures. The same goes for tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Considering temperature preferences deviate significantly by breed and species, look them up for your pets. 

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

• Carbon emissions – The harder you run your HVAC system, the more carbon emissions you generate. Saving energy reduces air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overworking your HVAC unit can diminish its life expectancy and cause more maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter can clog up more quickly, making your indoor air quality worse. 

If you have any ideas about your air conditioner features, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the pros at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, a big company with local heart. We’re enthusiastic about making the world a comfortable place to live. Whether we’re keeping things warm, cooling things down or making the water flow, we have a lot of pride in keeping our customers and communities comfy and content. 

Experts — it’s in the name and core to our business. We strive to help each team member learn to be a skilled professional. We hire the best and offer instruction, opportunities and reinforcement, so our staff can learn, develop and be ready for every challenge they’re faced with. 

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 better than the rest of the industry. Our enthusiastic, family-friendly attitude energizes our teamwork and helps us get the job done in a timely manner, and right — the first time. 

Our combination of company size and unique expertise means we can offer more with the next great idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinvigorating the industry by supporting 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 term, through the busiest times and beyond. 

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