Heating and cooling your home makes between 40- 50% of your yearly energy bills. So if you are looking for ways to cut energy use, that would be a good place to start.
One area you can probably save money is by not doing certain things with your thermostat that waste energy. Below are just 3 of them.
Trying to heat or cool your home faster. Tell me if this sounds familiar: You get home from work and your home is hot. The home’s at 79°, and you like it at 75°F. But you set the thermostat to 72°, so that it will cool off your home more quickly. Mistake. This doesn’t make your air conditioner work faster. Unless you have a two-stage AC, your air conditioner (and furnace) only works at one speed. Lowering the temperature setting past what you need just makes the air conditioner run longer to reach the 72° setting (costing you money).
Leaving your thermostat at the same setting. Do you set your thermostat at a specific temperature and never touch it? You could be wasting as much as $180/year, according to ENERGY STAR. Instead, you should change your thermostat temperature setting whenever you leave your home for 8 hours or longer. After all, there’s no need to heat or cool your empty home to the same temperature as when you’re home, right?
So, we recommend when your home will be empty for 8 hours or longer, set your thermostat 5°-8° higher in the summer and 10°-15° lower in the winter. When you get home, set the thermostat back to your comfortable setting. Doing so can save you 5-15% on your yearly energy costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Of course, remembering to change your thermostat every time you leave your home can be difficult. That’s where a programmable thermostat comes in. Programmable thermostats can be set to your schedule so that it automatically makes these adjustments for you.
Messing with your thermostat too much. A study about the effectiveness of programmable thermostats found that people who micromanage their thermostats use more energy than those that leave them alone for long periods of time. Why? Because constantly changing the set temperature on your thermostat causes your air conditioner and furnace to stop and start, which causes them to run inefficiently.
For example, let’s say you have your thermostat set at 68°F in the winter. Your furnace heats your home until that point then shuts off. But you realize you’re still a little chilly, so you raise the thermostat a couple degrees. The furnace must now immediately turn back on.
Your furnace and AC should be running for longer, steadier times to save money.
So remember these 3 things to help you save money on your heating and cooling bills.
About ABC Cleaning, Inc. of Orlando, FL
Serving Central Florida since 1992, ABC Cleaning, Inc. has been the acknowledged leader in air duct cleaning, chimney cleaning and dryer vent cleaning. We’re NADCA certified, we consistently invest in and have the most modern equipment and utilize the latest technology available with the best-trained service technicians in all of Orlando. If you need help deciding whether to replace or repair faulty ducts, please contact us at ABC. We provide quality HVAC service throughout Orlando and the surrounding communities. Please give us a call today at (407) 381-2120. We are here to help!
