Many homeowners set the thermostat to a certain temperature before they leave for work or school, and that is the temperature that is maintained throughout the day. However, knowing where your thermostat should be set when you’re out of the house could save you money and optimize your home comfort. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by lowering the thermostat by 15 degrees while away from home, homeowners can save from 5 to 15 percent on yearly energy costs. A programmable thermostat can help you manage your energy efficiency by allowing you to automate your home’s temperature settings for times you’ll be out of the house.
Many of us have long stretches of the day when our homes are unoccupied. Household members attend work or school during the day, leaving the house empty for up to eight hours on most weekdays. During this time, the thermostat can be set to a lower temperature. It can then be set to raise the house temperature before house members arrive home. Below is a typical weekday schedule, with examples of how a programmable thermostat can help simplify the energy saving process:
7:00 a.m. – Family members awake and begin to get ready for work and school. The house temperature at this time is 68 degrees.
8:00 a.m. – Everyone has left, and the house is now empty. The temperature can be lowered to 56 degrees during this time.
5:00 p.m. – House members start arriving home from work. The programmable thermostat will have been set to raise the temperature to 68 degrees just before everyone gets home.
10:00 p.m. – Everyone is asleep. At this time, the programmable thermostat can be set to lower the house temperature to 56 degrees. It can be raised to 68 degrees shortly before everyone awakes the next morning.
You can see from this example how programmable thermostats help to automate your home’s energy efficiency. For more information on programmable thermostats, or where your thermostat should be set, contact Around the Clock Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about thermostats and other HVAC topics, downloadour free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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