July 31, 2012
Although small in stature, your thermostat is responsible for the efficient heating and cooling of your Sarasota area home.
And when you learn how to use it correctly, you can save over $180 a year on your energy bills. Here are some tips for programming your thermostat to achieve maximum savings.
In order to cut your air conditioning and heating costs the most, make sure you adjust your thermostat whenever you leave your home for eight hours or longer. In the summer, set your thermostat up eight degrees. Lower it eight degrees during the winter.
This process may sound tedious, but with a programmable thermostat you can automate it. Program your thermostat to automatically adjust at the time you leave for and return from work each day. The only difference you will notice is the difference in your energy bills.
Adjusting your thermostat while you are away from home each day will give you the most energy savings, but you can increase these savings even more by adjusting the temperature of your home when you are sleeping.
Again, this is easier when done with a programmable thermostat. Set your thermostat up four degrees when you go to bed in the summer and down eight degrees in the winter. With a programmable thermostat, this can be done automatically so you still go to bed and wakeup in a comfortable home.
Following these two suggestions can save you $180 a year, according to ENERGY STAR. But you can save even more by doing one more thing.
Many Florida homeowners understand the cost benefits of programming their thermostat to adjust while they are gone at work or asleep but then forget to set their thermostat when they go on vacation.
If there is no one in your Sarasota home while you are away on your travels, it does not make any sense to keep the thermostat at the same settings. Programmable thermostats have a “hold” or “vacation” setting you can utilize that will allow you to override the normal program and maximize your energy savings.
When you are on vacation, we recommend a setting of around 85 in the summer and 60 in the winter. This will keep valuables safe while maximizing your energy savings.
Cool Today is the leading air conditioning and heating company in the Sarasota, Florida area. If you have a heating or cooling question, ask one of our experts.
Posted in: Tips