Weather has been relatively mild as of lately, so you probably haven’t turned on your AC yet this season. When temperatures do warm up though—and they will—you’ll want to ensure you are using your air conditioning system as efficiently as possible, to save energy and money. You may not be aware that how you use your thermostat plays a significant role in how efficiently you are cooling your home. Below we’ve highlighted a few thermostat practices that may actually be costing you money every time you use your AC.
Trying to Condition Your Home “Faster”
Whether you are looking to heat your home or cool it, chances are at one time or another you’ve come home from work to an HVAC system that’s been off all day, to find that your house is too hot or too cold. Let’s say your home is at 82 degrees and you like it at 75 degrees. Your instinct may be to set the thermostat down to 71 in order to cool your home more quickly.
The thing is, unless you’ve invested in a two-stage or variable-speed air conditioner, your cooling system only works at one speed. The same goes for your furnace. Therefore, lowering your temperature setting beyond what you need only makes your air conditioner run longer to reach the 71 degree setting, which is inefficient and unwise.
Leaving Your Thermostat Consistently at One Setting
By leaving your thermostat at a specific temperature, and never touching it despite outside temperature fluctuation, you could be wasting as much as $180 per year. If you are leaving your home for the day, you do want to set your thermostat so that your air comes on should outside temperatures reach 80 or above. However, it’s far more efficient to set the thermostat to 78 degrees in this case, rather than leaving it down—hypothetically speaking—at 73. Doing this can actually save you 5-15% on your yearly energy expenses.
“Micromanaging” Your Thermostat
Just as leaving your thermostat at one setting all day every day can decrease efficiency, so can messing with your thermostat too much. It’s best to find an average temperature you are most comfortable with, and setting your thermostat for that temperature, rather that raising and lowering the temperature throughout the day to appease your heating or cooling needs.
For quality air conditioning services in Franklin Lakes, NJ, contact DB Heating & Cooling, Inc today. We serve all of Bergen County, NJ as well as Rockland County, NY and surrounding areas.