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

For plenty of hours a day you’re gone at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning keeps going and going, despite the house being empty. This uses a lot of energy and costs you money. You can dramatically reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down when 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 adjustments: 

You can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling 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 indoor and outdoor temperatures, the more affordable your total cooling bill can be. You can comfortably save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to something like 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re sleeping 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 setting the thermostat to a setting as high as is comfortable for you when you are at home and want cooling and to ensure humidity control if needed. 

You could have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth it because your HVAC has to work harder to get back to your preferred 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 head to work, it’s easy to forget 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 different temperature across your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is very helpful if you’ve forgotten to change the setting before going on vacation. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with dense fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with short fur might not be happy with cold temperatures. The same applies to 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. Conserving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can cut its longevity and cause additional maintenance to be needed. It also means the air filter will clog up faster, making your indoor air quality worse. 

If you have any concerns about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, get in touch with the professionals at Comfort Masters Service Experts, a big company with local 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 technician or installer become a skilled craftsman. We employ the best and offer training, opportunities and support, so our teams can learn, grow and be equipped for any challenge thrown their way. 

Our united business strength and people distinguish us from the competition. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate better than other companies. Our can-do, 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 could 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 relax knowing we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long haul, through the busy times and beyond. 

We are Comfort Masters Service Experts! Offering strength, knowledge and support across every season.