Would you believe that your heating and cooling efforts account for about half of your entire energy costs over the course of a year? Naturally, this means that you want to be able to use your Georgetown, TX HVAC systems as efficiently as possible, to save as much money as possible. But what is the easiest way to cut energy use?
No, it’s not by ceasing to use your heating and cooling systems altogether. Rather, it is by using your thermostat the way it is meant to be used, and not making mistakes that waste energy, such as we’ve outlined below.
Switching to Temperatures Extremes Doesn’t Heat or Cool Your Home “Faster”
Tell us if this sounds familiar: this past summer there were days you got home from work and your home felt stifling hot. Your living space was at 79°F and you like it at 75°F this time of the year. So to get it to your desired temp, you set the thermostat to 72°F. It works, right?
First off, even if you thought it worked, it didn’t. Your home didn’t cool off any “faster” than it would have if you set it to 75°F when you walked in the door. Lowering the temperature setting past what you actually need just made your AC system run longer to reach the 72°F setting, and therefore ran less efficiently and in the long run cost you more.
This same concept can be applied to your heater. Coming in on a chilly night and “blasting” your heater to an unrealistic setting isn’t helping your home heat up any faster. In fact just like the case with the AC, it hurts system efficiency.
So Should You Leave Your Thermostat at the Same Setting?
Well, no. In fact, this could also be wasting money—as much as $180 a year to be exact, according to ENERGY STAR. The reasoning behind this is that when you’re home in the summer, you may be comfortable at 75°F, or maybe even 68–70°F during the winter. But setting your thermostat at these temperatures when you aren’t home is a waste of energy.
Don’t leave your systems off, as they will have to work too hard at startup to adequately cool or heat your house when you get home. Instead, take advantage of your programmable thermostat, and set the thermostat to raise or lower to your desired temperature (by a difference of about 5–8°F) 15 to 30 minutes before you arrive home.
You might even want to consider a Wi-Fi thermostat for this reason, as it will learn your temperature habits and adjust accordingly. Also, you can control it from your smartphone, even when you are miles away!
Don’t Micromanage Your Thermostat
What we mean, is that when you are home, don’t keep turning your thermostat up and down. Pick a temperature you’re most comfortable with, and keep it at that. Constantly changing the temperature setting causes both of your HVAC systems to stop and start, which creates an inefficient operation.
Contact Roznovak’s Services today for reliable HVAC services, including thermostat repairs and upgrades!
