How Should I Set My Thermostat for When I’m At Work?

For plenty of hours a day you’re off at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your HVAC system keeps going and going, with nobody home. This uses a lot of energy and feels like wasting money. You can considerably reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down when you head to work and setting it back to your favored temperature when you return home. But how much should you adjust the temperature? 

Here’s what the Department of Energy has to say about thermostat settings: 

You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply adjusting your thermostat down 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. 

The smaller the variation between the outdoor and indoor temperatures, the more affordable your complete cooling bill will be. You can comfortably save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to something like 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re in bed or away from home. In the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away and adjusting the thermostat to a setting as high as is comfortable for you when you are at home and want cooling and to provide humidity control if needed. 

You may have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth the time because your HVAC has to work extra hard to get back to your desired temperature, undoing your savings, but the energy department puts that notion to rest, especially for heating: “A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly.” 

Programmable and Smart Thermostats 

Regardless of the benefits of adjusting your thermostat every time you go to work, it’s very easy to forget in the rush of getting ready and on your way. This is one benefit of programmable and smart thermostats. You can set your thermostat to automatically move to a higher or lower temperature through your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can change the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is very helpful if you’ve forgotten to change the setting before leaving for a trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with heavy fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with short fur may not be happy with cold temperatures. The same goes for tropical birds, fish and reptiles. Since temperature tolerances vary widely by breed and species, look them up for your pets. 

Other Advantages of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away 

• Carbon emissions – The harder you operate your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Saving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can cut its longevity and cause more maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter may clog up faster, making your air less clean. 

If you have any questions about your air conditioner settings, or if you need HVAC repair or maintenance, call the professionals at Broad Ripple Service Experts, a big company with local heart. We’re passionate about making the world a comfortable place to live. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers and communities comfortable and satisfied. 

Experts — it’s in our name and core to our business. We work tirelessly to help each team member become a skilled craftsman. We employ the best and provide training, opportunities and support, so our staff can learn, improve and be prepared for any kind of challenge thrown their way. 

Our united business strength and people separate us from other service companies. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate more effectively than the competition. Our can-do, family attitude powers our teamwork and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

Our combination of company size and individual expertise means we can do more with the next great idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinventing the industry by harnessing each team member’s greatest ideas. That means our teams and customers can rest assured we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long haul, through the busier times and beyond. 

We are Broad Ripple Service Experts! Delivering strength, knowledge and support across every season.