With daily temperatures in the Valley of the Sun now hovering above 100 degrees, you may wonder what’s the target setting for your thermostat during summer. Before you start randomly lowering your thermostat setting, let’s look at some recommended temperature settings.
Home Thermostat Settings
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says 78 degrees for warmer months is the best setting when you’re at home. You may be tempted to set your thermostat even lower to 68 or 70 degrees when you’re home or sleeping. This will require a great deal of energy for your AC to maintain these temperatures even with a well-insulated home. Your monthly energy bills will skyrocket!
Instead, when you’re home, turn on the ceiling fans. Fans help occupied rooms feel cooler by blowing air downwards without having to lower the thermostat on your AC unit. In fact, ceiling fans help to make you feel up to four degrees cooler indoors. By circulating air around your house, your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a consistent temperature. Best of all, ceiling fans can save four to eight percent on cooling costs when combined with your air conditioning unit.
Away Thermostat Settings
EnergyStar.gov studies have shown that you can save three to five percent on air conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat. If you have pets, you can increase the thermostat up to four degrees from its normal setting when you’re away from home. This ensures a safe, comfortable environment for your furry family members. If you have indoor plants, but no pets, you can safely increase your thermostat to a high of 85 degrees. Using a programmable thermostat, you can set it to run six or more pre programmed temperature settings. This is the best way to ensure against unpredictable surges in your utility bills.
Don’t be tempted to set your thermostat to an excessively cold setting when you return home to quickly cool down your home. Your house will not cool down any faster, and it will result in excessive cooling and extra energy expenses.
Call Cool Blew
Cool Blew’s team of technicians are ready to answer additional questions on thermostat settings for your AC unit. Call us today at 623-872-2900 and one of our industry certified professionals will be glad to help you.
