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

For plenty of hours a day you’re off at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your HVAC system keeps working, with nobody home. This needs a lot of energy and feels like wasting money. You can dramatically reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down before you head to work and setting it back to your preferred 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 HVAC costs by simply turning your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The smaller the variation between the both temperatures, the lower 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 use the same strategy with central air conditioning by having 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 are at home and want cooling and to secure humidity control if needed. 

You may have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth it because your HVAC has to work extra hard to get back to your desired temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for a furnace: “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 adjusting your thermostat every time you go to work, it’s easy to overlook 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 during your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to fix the setting before going on a long trip. 

Remember the Pets 

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

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

• Carbon emissions – The harder you use your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Preserving energy reduces air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can reduce its life span and cause more maintenance to be needed. It also means the air filter will clog up faster, making your air less clean. 

If you have any concerns about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, contact the pros at Levy & Son Service Experts, a big company with local heart. We’re passionate about making the world a comfy 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 team member become a skilled craftsman. We hire the best and provide education, opportunities and support, so our teams can learn, improve and be prepared for any kind of challenge in front of them. 

Our combined business strength and people separate us from other service companies. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate more successfully than the rest of the industry. Our enthusiastic, family attitude powers our collaboration and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

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

We are Levy & Son Service Experts! Delivering strength, knowledge and support across every season.