Furnace and AC – At Home
Q.: What is the best thermostat setting for my furnace and air conditioner when at home?
A.: The ideal temperature setting for your thermostat in winter is 68° Fahrenheit. In summer, set your thermostat to 78° Fahrenheit.
These settings apply when you are home and active. They offer the optimal balance of personal comfort balanced with reasonable energy efficiency, according to research conducted by ENERGY STAR®.
Energy Savings
For every degree you are able to drop your temperature in winter, you can expect, on average, a 1 to 3% decrease in your energy bill. When not at home or while sleeping you may be able to lower your thermostat setting another 5-10 degrees and save an average of up to 10% each year on your energy costs. For every degree you raise the temperature in summer, you can save 6-8% on your energy bill.
What Is the Ideal Setting for YOU?
Of course, the ideal setting for you and your family will ultimately be the temperature that you feel is most comfortable. Because our body’s perception of temperature fluctuates throughout the day and our ability to self-regulate our internal temperature can be affected by age and stressors, such as illness and emotion, the above settings will invariably require adjustment to maintain comfort.
Obviously, dressing for the season is important, as one wouldn’t expect to be able to save much on energy expenses by wearing shorts and a tank top in winter or a wool sweater and thermal pants in summer, yet dressing for comfort is a personal matter.
Thermostat Settings – Away/Asleep
If you and your family prefer warmer temperatures in the winter and cooler in the summer, go ahead and enjoy it. You can still plan to make up for this energy usage when everyone is away at work, school, or in bed sleeping. During these times, the optimal temperature setting for most homes in cooler weather can range from 62° to 66° Fahrenheit. When no one is home or everyone is sleeping, try these settings:
Winter: 62° Fahrenheit
Summer: 88° Fahrenheit (away)/78°(sleeping)
Adjustments and Programmable Thermostats
Although you can save more by setting the temperature lower in winter, if you continuously adjust the setting or forget to adjust it, you may actually end up using more energy. You should not adjust the settings at all of it will be for a period of 4 hours or less. The best way to set your furnace to the ideal temperature settings is with a programmable thermostat.
At Climatrol, we love the Ecobee programmable thermostat. You can control it with your voice from the couch – or anywhere in the world with your internet connected device. Say goodbye to unexpected temperature swings and make coming home to anything other than complete comfort a thing of the past. Learn more about Ecobee, professionally installed throughout North-Central West Virginia by Climatrol.
Need Better Results? Call Climatrol!
Many factors contribute to whole home comfort and your energy bill, including humidity, airflow, temperature stability, insulation, drafts, wind, window covering type and quality, the location of your thermostat and heating registers, sunlight, and the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. If you have taken steps to reduce your energy usage and are still not seeing the results you want, reach out to the Climatrol Comfort Crew. Keeping homes and businesses comfortable with heating and cooling systems operating at maximum performance and efficiency is our specialty! Let us take care of your climate comfort needs. We offer the highest level of professionalism with our famous gold standard workmanship warranty you can count on. Call Climatrol today for comfort tomorrow: (304) 623-0606.