When it comes to energy savings, there are a lot of useful tools and gadgets that can be used to monitor and help you save on the energy you consume. One of those tools is the thermostat. Common in most homes, regardless of heating and cooling unit type, these “control centers” are often overlooked and ignored, which can cause a lot of unnecessary energy use in the home.
We’d like to lay out some ways in which you can pay more attention to your thermostat to cut down on your energy usage and bills.
· Avoid constantly changing the temperature on your thermostat. We’ve all experienced feeling either too hot or too cold—back and forth—over and over. This may cause us to constantly be changing the temperature on our thermostat to stay comfortable. However, not giving into this temptation can help save energy, believe it or not. Constant changes in temperature can waste fuel and cause your overall energy usage to go way up.
· When returning home, don’t set your thermostat higher than the desired temperature. Many think that if you set the thermostat at a very high level when returning home to a cold home, the temperature will rise more quickly to get to the desired warm house. This is a myth. The house will almost surely not heat up any faster than if the temperature was just set to the desired temperature from the beginning. What’s more—some people who do this often forget that they set the temperature higher and will forget to lower it, which causes them to use much more energy than was actually needed (or desired).
· Set your thermostat lower while sleeping. Lowering the thermostat while sleeping, or programming it to automatically do so (see next tip!), can save you big. Lowering the temperature even just a few degrees can cause much less energy usage over night during the hours in which you are asleep. You may even find that you sleep a little bit better in a cooler house. An extra blanket in the winter can make a big difference as well—your energy bill will thank you!
· Make use of your programming features. Most thermostats have easily programmable features. Be smart about your settings and follow a strict schedule. When you leave for the day, be sure you set your thermostat to an appropriate temperature to use less energy. If you have an older thermostat without these features, you can have a programmer installed. Some newer smart models can actually learn your habits and set themselves, which can lead to maximum energy savings.
We’ll follow up with a few more tips for maximizing the benefits of your thermostat in a follow up post. Check back soon and thanks for reading.
