Carolina summers definitely give our air conditioners a strenuous workout and the cost to beat the heat can be pretty steep. But, you might be paying more than you have to. A lot of us make the same costly mistakes when it comes to using our thermostats. Let's take a look at a few t'stat tips to keep cooling costs down in #Summer2020 and spend that extra money on vacations, water parks, and ice cream!!
KNOW THE OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE - When your thermostat is trying to control the temps inside your home, it will be battling against the temperature outside. This means the bigger the difference between the two temperatures, the harder your system will need to work - causing you to use more energy. To help lower your energy use, keep an eye on the outdoor temp. Set your thermostat as close to that number as possible while still maintaining a comfortable atmosphere within your home.
DO NOT SET THE TEMPERATURE TOO LOW - Don't try to cool your house faster by setting a lower temperature than normal - it doesn't work that way! When the Carolina heat is BLAZING, you may be tempted to crank the thermostat all the way down, hoping for instant gratification. However, the air is not colder. Your system is designed to cool continuously until it satisfies your set temp. Setting it too low will result in unnecessary expenses.
INVEST IN A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT - If you haven't already, we'd highly recommend purchasing a programmable thermostat. It will give you the ability to adjust temperatures throughout the day based on a preset schedule. The most common comfort settings to consider would be Home, Away, and Sleep. A thermostat we use and personally recommend is the ecobee smart thermostat with smart sensor.
USE THE SETBACK FEATURE - According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning back your thermostat 7-10 degrees from its normal setting for 8 hours a day.
The Data Science team at Powerley analyzed the benefits of a thermostat setback between 1-10 degrees over an 8-hour period, Monday thru Friday. Their results concluded a 2.4-16.6% energy savings!
EXPERIMENT & BE PATIENT - Getting the right thermostat settings and schedule for your home can take a while and might require a bit of trial and error. All of our homes are different, so there is no "right" recommended temperature. Stay patient - you'll figure it out.
If you need a new thermostat, are unsure how to create your cooling schedule, or need a copy of your thermostat user manual - contact the experts at Helms Heating & Air Conditioning.
We have been proudly serving families in the Charlotte area since 1979.