January 19, 2018
As cold weather continues to make its way across the St. Louis area, many people are looking for ways to get a break on their energy bill.
As the cold weather lingers, many are wondering whether turning the heat down just a few degrees when you are sleeping or when you leave the house is a good way to keep your energy costs low. As frigid winter weather continues to make its way across the St. Louis area, many homeowners are looking for a way to get a break on their energy bill.
But does varying your thermostat really help your budget, or does it do nothing but make you a little colder at night? The truth is that there are both advantages and disadvantages of varying your thermostat temperature. Depending on what your goals are, consider the benefits and drawbacks, and make the smartest energy choice for your home.
Recommended Thermostat Settings
The reason most people leave their thermostat at a constant temperature is that it is easier and it keeps things more comfortable. What most people don’t understand is that keeping a room at a steady temperature isn’t always chosen just to keep things easy. The only time that it is really necessary to vary the heat of your home is if you are leaving for the weekend or vacation.
It isn’t just about varying the degree of your home, but about how you do it and knowing when turning it lower will help and when it will hinder your house’s comfort and energy efficiency. If you think about it in this way, it takes a great amount of energy to get your house back up to where the heat is comfortable; turning your temperature low may not make as much sense in the long run.
When to Vary the Temperature
The only time that varying the temperature of your home makes sense is if you plan to alter it on:
- An eight-hour cycle: If you are not going to be home for the majority of the day, which would equal eight hours or more, then it makes sense to lower the temperature and then reset it when you return at the end of your day. If you do that, then you can save as much as 15% of your energy costs on an annual basis. However, if you are only talking about a couple of hours, then you might be losing more heat through heat leakage and working against yourself. There might be more heat going out of your house because you aren’t keeping a steady flow if you don’t keep it constant.
- You get a programmable thermostat: If you want to vary your temperature, then it only makes sense if you use a programmable thermostat that you can operate from your mobile phone, or that you can set to go on and off to keep the heat constant. If you use a smart thermometer to maintain your temperature, then your HVAC won’t be working overtime continually to play catch-up.
Scott-Lee Heating Company
The Scott-Lee Heating Company is dedicated to providing you with the highest quality and most energy efficient heating, air conditioning and geothermal systems available. It is our commitment to excellence, however, that sets us apart from the competition.