Use Thermostat Discipline to Save Big On Your Bills
You’re doing your best to save money on your energy bills. You turn off the lights religiously, you’ve minimized the use of your clothes dryer and you might even be washing dishes by hand. Doing all that, however, misses out on the biggest contributor to your energy use and your monthly bill.
Your HVAC System Is a Big Spender
According to the Department of Energy, heating and cooling your home is responsible for almost half your monthly energy costs. Adjusting your thermostats manually or automatically can have a big impact on your energy use.
It doesn’t matter if you use a smart system that controls it for you or the old-fashioned system of walking over to the thermostat and changing the temperature. The difference you’ll see in your bills is the same.
How Much Can You Save?
How much can you save? While we can give you a general guideline, it’s important to note that your results can vary depending on several things:
- The amount and quality of insulation in your home.
- How well your home is sealed and protected from drafts.
- Whether you live in an area with extreme temperature changes.
- How old your HVAC system is.
- How well you maintain your system with periodic checks, maintenance, and filter changes.
What are the general guidelines?
In most cases, you can count on cutting 1% for each degree of adjustment every eight hours. If you change your thermostat setting 10 degrees from its usual setting for eight hours a day, you’ll cut 10% from your annual energy costs.
Do You Want to Save Even More?
If you really want to crank up the savings, adjust it even more during the hours’nobody is home or when you’re asleep. In the winter, for instance, leave it at 67 during the day and turn it down to 57 at night. In the summer, crank it up to 77 during the day and 87 when nobody’s home.
Does that sound extreme? In reality, the temperature won’t feel dramatically different in your house. And you’ll love the feeling you get from saving up to $100 or more a year, according to Department of Energy estimates.
Energy-Saving Terms
To understand why you need to understand the terms energy experts use to describe heat and cold transfers:
The term “R-value” refers to the amount of heat your house loses to the outdoors in the winter. It also refers to the amount of heat that enters your house during the summer.
If it’s 0 degrees outside and 70 degrees in your house, lowering the thermostat to 60 means you won’t lose that much heat because the inside and outside temperatures aren’t extremely different. In other words, the R-value is not that great. A higher R-value leads to a harder-working HVAC system and higher bills.
Living With Less Heat or Air Conditioning
It might seem impossible to get used to those temperature adjustments, but it can be done. Here are some ways to keep yourself comfortable.
Stay Warm In The Winter
- Wear warm clothing including heavy socks, warm sweaters, wraps, and hats.
- Use an electric blanket.
- Turn off vents in rooms that you don’t use, and close the doors to those rooms.
- Use an old-fashioned hot water bottle to keep your bed warm.
- Take warm baths or showers before going to bed.
Stay Cool In the Summer
- Wear lightweight, breathable clothing.
- Install ceiling fans in every room.
- Take cool showers or baths before going to bed.
- Use tabletop fans to direct cool air directly at yourself.
SESCOS Can Help You Save
If you want to cut down on your energy use this year, contact SESCOS. We can conduct a home energy audit to let you know where you’re wasting money when you cool and heat your home. We can also help you install smart home systems to adjust your thermostats automatically, even when you’re not home. Contact us to get started today.