How Should I Set My Thermostat for When I’m At Work?

For many hours a day you’re away at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This uses up a lot of energy and costs you money. You can significantly reduce this cost by changing the thermostat up or down before you leave for work and resetting it back to your favored temperature when you get home. But how much should you adjust it? 

Here’s what the Department of Energy has to say about thermostat settings: 

You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its usual setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The smaller the difference between the outdoor and indoor temperatures, the more affordable your complete cooling bill will be. You can effectively save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F while you’re awake and turning it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. In the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away and tweaking the thermostat to a setting as high as you’re comfortable with when you return and want cooling and to ensure humidity control if needed. 

You may have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth it because your heating and cooling has to work extra hard to get back to your favored temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for heating: “A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly.” 

Programmable and Smart Thermostats 

Regardless of the benefits of changing your thermostat every time you go to work, it’s easy to miss in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one benefit of programmable and smart thermostats. You can set your thermostat to automatically move to a higher or lower temperature across your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature (or the programming schedule) from your smartphone or similar device. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to change the setting before leaving for a trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with short fur may not be happy with cold temperatures. The same is true of tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances vary widely by breed and species, look them up for your pets. 

Other Perks of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away 

• Carbon emissions – The harder you run your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Conserving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can diminish its life span and cause more maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter will clog up faster, making your indoor air supply worse. 

If you have any questions about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, call the professionals at BW/Cook Service Experts, a big company with homegrown heart. We’re passionate about making the world a cozy place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfortable and satisfied. 

Experts — it’s in our name and core to our service. We work hard to help each member of our staff become a skilled craftsman. We work with the best and provide training, opportunities and support, so our teams can learn, improve and be prepared for any challenge thrown their way. 

Our united business strength and people separate us from other service companies. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate better than the rest of the industry. Our can-do, family attitude fuels our teamwork and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

Our fusion of company size and individual expertise means we can do more with the next great idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinventing the industry by harnessing each team member’s greatest ideas. That means our teams and customers can rest assured we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long haul, through the busy times and beyond. 

We are BW/Cook Service Experts! Offering strength, knowledge and support over every season.