Heating & Air Condition Tips
It seems to make sense that you don’t want to pay to heat and cool spaces that aren’t in use. But is it a good idea to adjust your thermometer during the day and night to save money on your heating bills this winter? The answer is yes! But it isn’t just about turning the temperature down. It is important to understand these three heating and air conditioning mistakes so that you don’t make them. If you are attempting to save money, these are three things that you have to know so that you aren’t inadvertently working against yourself.
1. You Can’t Heat Your Home “Faster”
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You walk in the door and think it is freezing in here, so you crank the thermometer as high as it can possibly go. Although intuitively, you might think that turning the thermometer higher than what you want it set at is a way to warm things up more quickly, it isn’t. Your heat can only work at one speed. So, turning it too high will not make things warm up any faster. In fact, overdoing it, it will only make the heater run longer to reach the desired set temperature and cost you more money.
2. Letting Your Thermostat sit at one Temperature
According to Energy Star, if you set your thermostat to a desired temperature and don’t adjust it when you are away or sleeping, you could be overpaying your energy bill by as much as $180 per year. That is a significant amount of waste, especially if you have a digital thermostat that will do all the work for you! If you change your thermostat settings for the eight hours you might not be home or at night while you sleep, you can save a lot of money! The rule of thumb for adjusting your thermostat are:
- When the house is empty for eight hours or more set your thermostat to ten to fifteen degrees lower during the winter
- When you return, set your thermostat to your desired temperature – or program your thermostat to do it for you!
If you alter your thermostat, you can save as much as 5 to 15% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
3. Don’t Mess With Your Thermostat Too Much!
A study of programmable thermostats and how much you can save using them showed that if you vary the temperature too much, you can actually end up using more energy. Constantly fluctuating the temperature of your home makes your furnace and air conditioner stop and start more frequently. And that will result in them working inefficiently. Your HVAC units should be running steadier and longer if you want to save money on energy costs.
So adjusting the temperature of your home is an excellent idea to cut down on heating bills this winter, but only if you keep these three heating and air conditioning tips in mind. If you do, then you can save a significant amount over the year.
To get the most savings from your HVAC, have Carney and Son evaluate how well your HVAC system is running by scheduling your regular maintenance today.