If you want to save money on energy, you need a smart thermostat. That may sound simplistic but the new generation of programmable thermostats have an array of features that you truly cannot do without.
The only catch is, you have to understand how to set your smart thermostat to take advantage of all these features. But don’t worry — we’re here to help:
- Eight-hour blocks – Try to decrease the demand on your A/C system by 10 degrees while you’re asleep and 15 degrees while you’re at work. If you can make both of these blocks eight hours or longer, you can slash your A/C’s energy consumption by up to 15 percent per year.
- Two-week rule – You can be comfortable in the summer at 78 degrees and in the winter at 68 degrees if you give your family time to adjust to the temperature change. Adjust your smart thermostat by one or two degrees, wait two weeks and then repeat the process.
- Daily settings – Think about things like whether you get out earlier on Fridays, you have late meetings on Mondays or if you typically go to lunch with the family every Sunday afternoon.
- Avoid the hold button – Once you set your thermostat for savings, try not to use the temporary Hold feature. The more you use it, the more often your A/C system will cycle on and off and the less efficient it will be.
- Use the vacation hold – The Vacation feature, on the other hand, is very useful. When you’re gone for a full day or more, you can override the settings for maximum savings.
- Never “crank” the temperature – Setting the thermostats to extremes does nothing to heat or cool your home any faster. In fact, many smart thermostats learn from your settings so this can actually make your system much less efficient over time.
Whether you want more energy savings tips or you need to upgrade to a smart thermostat, contact Wolff Mechanical. We are one of the highest-rated HVAC companies in central Arizona because we have been providing expert, honest service to the area for more than two decades.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Phoenix Valley area of Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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