- It saves you energy and money.
Resetting your thermostat will enable you to save money. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by adjusting your thermostat 7-10 degrees from its usual setting for eight hours a day, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
During the warmer months, set your thermostat as high as you can without becoming uncomfortable. The Department of Energy recommends setting it at 78 degrees during the summer. Also, you should allow the temperature to be warmer than usual when you leave the house as a way of conserving energy. The closer the temperature between the inside and the outside, the lower your energy bill will be – if the temperature inside the house is higher, it will slow the flow of heat into the house.
Also, when you return to your home, and it is warmer than usual, do not set your thermostat lower than normal with the idea that it will cool the house faster. That won’t happen. You will just end up creating an increased expense for yourself.
- It increases the life of your air conditioning system.
The lower the temperature you set your thermostat to, the harder your system has to work to cool the house to reach that temperature. And the harder the system has to work, the greater the odds that you will have more problems with it over time.
So, for example, if it is 100 degrees outside, don’t try to get the indoor temperature down to 68. It won’t make it, but your system will run all day trying to get there, thus overworking itself.
- It’s better for the environment.
One-fifth of the electricity used each year in America goes for air conditioning. The electricity used to cool all of the buildings in the United States is more than all the energy consumed by India and Indonesia combined. Some of that electricity is generated by coal, which is a known pollutant and emitter of carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment. Also, refrigerants used in air conditioning systems are greenhouse gases. They help trap heat in the atmosphere, further depleting the environment.
If you’d like to install a programmable thermostat to your HVAC system, call Rescue Air and Plumbing. Give us a call at (972) 201-3253.