The Comprehensive Guide to Home Thermostat Settings
It’s important to have your home thermostat settings adjusted to the most optimal temperature for both energy savings and comfort. One way to manage your own cooling and heating system is to adjust the thermostat temperature according to your needs, wants, and the temperature outside.
Keep in mind, the closer you have your thermostat set compared to the outside temperature, the more money you will save on energy. Keep reading to learn about the optimal home thermostat settings:
1. Recommended Thermostat Settings in Summer
Where you adjust your home thermostat settings will depend on the season, of course. For summer, the recommended setting for your cooling system is 78ºF or 25.5ºC. When you’re out of the house for four hours or more, increase the setting to 88ºF or 31.1ºC. See below for information on using a programmable thermostat to more easily manage the temperature of your home throughout the day.
According to Energy Star, for every degree above 25.5ºC you have your thermostat set in the summer months, your A/C will save between six and eight percent from your home energy bill.
2. Recommended Thermostat Settings in Winter
In the winter, your home thermostat settings should be adjusted lower by 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours each day will help you save between five and 15 percent on your yearly energy costs.
To do this, you might consider lowering the temperature at night while your family sleeps. If you’re like most people, you could actually sleep better in cooler temperatures since you can more easily regulate your body’s temperature with blankets when the ambient environment is cooler.
3. Programmable Thermostats
If you install and use a programmable thermostat in your home, you can set a scheduled cooling and heating program without having to manually adjust the settings throughout your day.
Most programmable thermostats are capable of adjusting the temperature of your home six or more times each day. It’s also possible to manually override those settings if at any point through the day you need to change the temperature inside your home, without interfering with the normal daily or weekly programming.
A programmable thermostat offers the convenience and comfort to set the temperature of your home lower when you’re out during the day or at night while you sleep, thus saving you money on your energy bills.
To program your thermostat, you will need to consider your family’s needs and schedule. If you prefer your house cooler at nighttime to sleep, adjust the home thermostat settings to lower an hour before you go to bed. Set it to warm up approximately two hours before you have to get up, which will ensure your house is warm.
If your house is going to be vacant for four or more hours a day, adjust the temperature setting up or down five to eight degrees to help save energy.
4. WiFi-Enabled Thermostats
You’ve probably got a smartphone or tablet, but did you know you can also get smart thermostats, too? This is a special thermostat that you can control through a home hub or through an app on your smartphone or tablet.
When you’ve installed a smart thermostat, you can control the temperature of your air conditioner via your connected device. With WiFi-enabled thermostats, it has the ability to send a message to your phone or tablet if your house gets too cold or too hot. Your Wifi-enabled thermostat will also message your phone if the temperature drops below the setting you specify, which can help you act to prevent frozen pipes. If you prefer, you can set it up to manage the settings and to warm up or cool down the house as needed. And you can also control the thermostat from your device.
Some WiFi-enabled thermostats will even sense the outdoor temperature and humidity levels, which allows you to more accurately program your thermostat for the day, whether you will be home or not. One more benefit of a WiFi-enabled thermostat is that you will know when your power is out since you won’t be able to communicate with the thermostat.
5. Smart Thermostats
With a smart thermostat, not only can it give you tons of info on how you use energy, and how you can use less. Some models have apps that will tell you how much you use every month, how much you spend per month on cooling and heating, and how the current month compares against the same month in prior years, or against other months.
Just as an aside, remember that smart thermostats and Wi-Fi enabled thermostat are technology, and technology evolves very quickly. Make sure when you are going to choose one for your home, you get one with the most features you want, and compare it to other models first. And always make sure to carry out any recommended app updates for your smart devices and thermostat.
