Are you ready for the warmer weather? We sure are! Spring may be a few weeks away, but we’re already thinking about gardening, warm weather and sunny days. What’s your favorite part of the spring season?
As temperatures rise, you want to make sure your air conditioner is in good shape. Schedule spring preventative maintenance to ensure proper cooling system operation. A contractor can catch minor issues before they become big problems.
But, your air conditioner is only one piece (albeit the biggest piece) of the cooling equation. You also want to keep your thermostat in mind.
The Department of Energy recommends a thermostat setting of 78°F during the summer. You are likely to save more money on cooling at this temperature. But, you want to make sure you make the transition at the right time. Drastic temperature swings can raise bills and decrease performance.
During your maintenance appointment, ask your contractor about your thermostat options. You can choose to go with anything from an analog thermostat with a dial to a smart, Wi-Fi-enabled model. Programmable thermostats fall somewhere in the middle. With a programmable model, you can set the temperature based on your schedule. Your thermostat does the thinking for you. It makes airflow adjustments based on when you’re home and when you’re out of the house. This way, you are using the right amount of energy to cool your home at any given time.
Dramatic temperature swings are not good for your home comfort or wallet. But, small adjustments made by your thermostat can make a positive impact. Make sure you ask your contractor about your money-saving thermostat options.
Checking the thermostat to make sure that everything is work in the HVAC system is a good idea; I was considering getting a programmable one anyway and it sounds like this is a good time to evaluate the HVAC as well. I haven’t been feeling like the temperature has been leveling to where I want it, which is part of why I want a new thermostat, but maybe it’s the HVAC that’s having the problem. I’ll take your advice into consideration and start looking at HVAC maintenance professionals to see if I want to have someone come look at my system.
Recommends a thermostat setting of 78°F??? My thermostat stays on 68 year round! Currently I do not have a programmable thermostat but I am planning to install one so that I can adjust the HVAC while I’m at work.
I think that a thermostat setting of 78°F during the summer is not actually what we need. Checking the thermostat to make sure that everything works is the first thing to do.
Checking the thermostat to make sure that everything is work in the HVAC system is a good idea; I was considering getting a programmable one anyway and it sounds like this is a good time to evaluate the HVAC as well. I haven’t been feeling like the temperature has been leveling to where I want it, which is part of why I want a new thermostat, but maybe it’s the HVAC that’s having the problem. I’ll take your advice into consideration and start looking at HVAC maintenance professionals to see if I want to have someone come look at my system.
Thanks for this article.
Recommends a thermostat setting of 78°F??? My thermostat stays on 68 year round! Currently I do not have a programmable thermostat but I am planning to install one so that I can adjust the HVAC while I’m at work.
I think that a thermostat setting of 78°F during the summer is not actually what we need. Checking the thermostat to make sure that everything works is the first thing to do.