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

For several hours a day you’re off at work, or perhaps at school. Yet your heating or air conditioning keeps going and going, with nobody home. This uses up a lot of energy and costs you money. You can significantly reduce this cost by adjusting the thermostat up or down when you head to work and setting it back to your preferred temperature when you get home. But how much should you adjust it? 

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

You can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning 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 difference between the both temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill can be. You can effectively save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F while you’re awake and adjusting it lower while you’re sleeping or away from home. In the summer, you can practice the same strategy with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are at work and setting the thermostat to a setting as high as is comfortable for you when you’re home and want cooling and to secure humidity control if needed. 

You may have been told that doing these adjustments aren’t worth it because your HVAC has to work even harder to get back to your preferred 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 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 another temperature during your regular work hours. And with a smart thermostat, you can increase or decrease the temperature (or the programming schedule) remotely. This is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to adjust the setting before going on a long trip. 

Remember the Pets 

If you have pets at home, consider their comfort too. Cats and dogs with thick fur won’t be comfortable with high temperatures. And pets with short fur won’t always 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. 

More Perks of Adjusting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away 

• Carbon emissions – The harder you run your heating and air conditioning, the more carbon emissions you generate. Conserving energy decreases air pollution and greenhouse gasses. 
• HVAC Longevity – Overusing your HVAC unit can diminish its life span and cause additional maintenance to be necessary. It also means the air filter will 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, get in touch with the professionals at Fras-Air/General Service Experts, a big company with hometown heart. We’re passionate about making the world a cozy 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 work. We work tirelessly to help each team member become a skilled craftsman. We hire the best and provide training, opportunities and reinforcement, so our staff can learn, improve and be prepared for any challenge thrown their way. 

Our combined business strength and people distinguish us from the competition. With over 4,000 team members on board, we can deliver and innovate better than other companies. Our enthusiastic, family attitude powers our collaboration and helps us get the job done on time, and right — the first time. 

Our blend of company size and individual expertise means we can accomplish more with the next great idea … which could come from anywhere and anyone. We are reinventing the industry by utilizing each team member’s most popular ideas. That means our teams and customers can relax knowing we’re moving, innovating, delivering, and in it for the long haul, through the busy times and beyond. 

We are Fras-Air/General Service Experts! Delivering strength, knowledge and support through every season.