Energy bills and thermostat efficiency can be large concerns for a lot of families, especially if you’re living in an area where the weather fluctuates without warning. Though unfortunately saving money on energy bills is not an exact science, there are a few things you can do to limit overspending while keeping your home comfortable for everyone in it.
Find the Right Temperature Setting
The first thing we all want to do when it gets hot out is to crank the AC all the way up to stay cool. Sadly, doing this is often the biggest cause of rising energy bills, so we suggest the following: find the hottest possible temperature you can stand and try setting your thermostat to it. As much as all of us want it to be in the 60s inside our homes, that is not always the most cost-effective way to stay comfortable.
This doesn’t mean that you should make the jump straight from 68 to 75 degrees. Instead, move the temperature up gradually, by about a degree every few hours. This gives yourself, your family, and even your pets time to acclimate to the new temperature setting, and makes it feel much less drastic.
Find Creative Ways to Stay Cool (or Warm)
Another great option to keep your home comfortable, no matter the weather outside, is to use appliances and resources other than your AC unit to control the indoor temperature. This can include things like:
- Turn on ceiling fans: Ceiling fans a great way to cool down a room in the summers, but did you know that running your ceiling fan clockwise instead of the typical counterclockwise can actually help you feel warmer?
- Use the sun to your advantage: Sunlight coming into a room can make much more of a difference than you might think when it comes to indoor climate control. For example, on a hot, sunny day, it is best to close your blinds or curtains to avoid extra heat entering your home through windows. The opposite is true for colder days. Letting sunlight come into the home can warm up a room quite a bit.
Windows are a handy tool: In most places, the temperature can drop up to 20 degrees at night! This means that you can still sleep comfortably even without running your AC; just open up a window and let nature do its thing!
Invest in a High-Tech Thermostat
Most people do not have the time or the energy to constantly fiddle with specific temperature settings on their thermostats. Luckily, there are two solutions to this issue: Wi-Fi thermostats, and programmable or smart thermostats.
Wi-Fi thermostats can be connected to and controlled from a remote device, such as a phone or tablet. This means you can change your settings from the comfort of your couch, bed, dinner table, or living room without having to run to the mounted panel every time.
The similarity between programmable thermostats and some Wi-Fi thermostats is that they allow you to create a schedule for your specific heating and cooling needs; no constant adjustments required!
Smart thermostats are the most intelligent way to create an efficient heating and cooling schedule and keep your energy bills low. These thermostats have the capability to learn your heating and cooling needs and preferences, and over time, will adjust accordingly to your schedule. Most smart thermostats also come with Wi-Fi capabilities, meaning you will receive notifications in cases of outages, and you can control temperature settings remotely.
Keep Those Energy Bills Low!
From various manual tips and tricks to using nature to your benefit, to smart systems, there are so many ways to ensure that your thermostat is doing its job while simultaneously saving you money. For more information on Wi-Fi, programmable, and smart thermostat systems, give your local TemperaturePro a call today! We’re always happy to help.
