Have you found yourself leaving your thermostat set at the same temperature day in and out? If so, you’re doing it wrong. You may find it comfortable, but you’re actually wasting energy due to the fact that you’re not home all the time. It’s wonderful to come home to a comfortable temperature, but if you’re gone for 10 hours a day or more, you’re not benefitting. You can bring your thermostat down when you’re not home and later return to a comfortable abode by using a schedule for setting temps — or a smart thermostat you can control remotely. However you do it, you wind up saving more money while staying comfortable year-round.
Setting the Temperature for Day and Night
Image via Flickr by sfslim
It’s recommended to set your thermostat at 68F during winter and at 78F for the summer. You can adjust those temps for the night when you’re asleep to as low as 61F in winter or as high as 82F in summer. When you’re in bed in winter, you can pile on the blankets and stay warm without noticing the air temps are cooler. Program your thermostat to turn up to 68F to get the house ready half an hour before you wake up. There’s nothing worse than cold flooring when you’re waking up.
These winter indoor temperatures may seem like they’re too cool for the time of year, but you’d be surprised how comfortable they feel. They’re also optimal to save money on heating and cooling costs.
Handling Temperatures While on Vacation
When you’re on vacation, you don’t need to keep your house quite as warm or cool. But you do still need to heat or cool the home even though no one’s there. Temperature extremes wreak havoc on housing materials, right down to the paint and wallpaper. You don’t want to come back to a home that’s got paint peeling from the ceiling or flooding from a burst pipe. During winter, set the thermostat to 55F for day and night, but don’t go lower than that. 55F is considered the lowest temperature that keeps pipes from freezing. If you want to keep an eye on your home temperature remotely, install a smart thermostat and connect it to Wi-Fi for the ability to check in.
Keeping the Home Comfortable for Pets
Pets are as sensitive to heat as humans are, although with their fur coats they’re not as rattled by cooler temperatures. During the summer, keep the temperatures consistent with what makes you feel comfortable even though you might not be home for hours at a time. You can safely keep the house cooler in winter when you’re not home, but take measures that help keep them warm. Use a heating pad for the pet to lie on or make sure there are plenty of pet beds for all four-legged family members.
These are general guidelines for keeping a home comfortable throughout the day and when on vacation. You can always adjust them higher or lower, but always remember that the higher you go, the more energy costs you incur.
