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Running the air conditioner is usually the greatest driver of home energy costs during the summer. If you think carefully about how you’re programming your thermostat, you can reduce your energy consumption and bills without sacrificing comfort.
Why the "Right" Thermostat Setting Isn’t the Same for Every Home
The U.S. Department of Energy and HVAC experts agree that 78°F is the ideal summer thermostat setting for most American homes, but that’s a blanket recommendation that’s not necessarily appropriate for every home, every day. A variety of factors could justify lower or higher settings.
Home size, for instance, can affect your target temperature for the optimal balance of efficiency and comfort. A smaller home doesn’t take very long to cool down, and air doesn’t usually have to travel very far from the handler to the registers. This usually translates to more efficient cooling, so a higher thermostat setting can still feel quite comfortable, even on a hot day.
In a larger home, cooled air has to travel a greater distance and may feel warmer by the time it reaches the farthest rooms in the home. Depending on the nature of the HVAC setup, a larger home may require a thermostat setting a degree or two lower than the Department of Energy’s 78°F recommendation.
Weather and climate are also considerations. A thermostat setting of 78°F may feel quite different in New Orleans than in Las Vegas. In a humid environment, if the cool air shuts off when the internal temperature hits 78°F, the room may continue to feel uncomfortable because the air conditioner wasn’t running long enough to adequately reduce the humidity level. On the other hand, an internal temperature of 78°F may feel perfectly comfortable in hot, dry weather.
The government’s recommendation is a good starting point, but you might consider a slightly cooler setting if you have a large home, live in an area prone to humid weather, or simply have a preference for cooler temperatures. Conversely, set your thermostat a little higher if you have less space to cool or live in a dry climate.
The Best Thermostat Temperature Range for Summer Comfort and Savings
The number on the thermostat isn’t the only measure of how comfortable your home feels, so it’s helpful to consider an ideal temperature range instead of a hard target. For most homes, setting your thermostat somewhere between 76°F and 79°F while you’re home and awake will deliver comfort without sacrificing energy efficiency.
Ultimately, you will achieve the greatest energy and cost savings by raising the thermostat as high as you can comfortably tolerate it. Start at 78°F and leave it there for a couple hours to see how comfortable it feels. If it’s just a little too warm, use ceiling fans or standing fans to circulate the air, since moving air will make the room feel cooler. If it’s still too warm, feels humid, or parts of your home aren’t cooling down enough, nudge the thermostat down one degree at a time.
You’ll want to adjust your thermostat settings for when you’re out of the house. One of the best ways to save money on energy in hot weather is to turn the thermostat up several degrees while you’re at work, at school, on vacation, or running errands. The Department of Energy recommends a setting of 85°F while you’re away.
Programming a Summer Schedule That Doesn’t Sacrifice Comfort
The single most important thing you can do to save on your summer cooling costs is to raise the thermostat when you’re away from home. You can manually raise the temperature whenever you’re about to step out, but a smart thermostat or programmable thermostat will automatically adjust up or down when appropriate. Here are some guidelines to reap the benefits of smart thermostat energy savings.
- Schedule a higher temperature for when you’re away. Program your thermostat to automatically adjust up to 85°F when you typically leave the house for school or work.
- Set the thermostat so that cooling reengages before you arrive home. You don’t want to get home to a hot and stuffy home and then wait 30 minutes for the temperature to come down. Program your thermostat to automatically adjust back down to your baseline cooling temperature half an hour or so before you get home. This will ensure your home is comfortable the moment you walk in the door.
- Program an overnight schedule. The Department of Energy also recommends raising the thermostat to 82°F when you go to sleep. You can set a sleep schedule so that your thermostat automatically raises the temperature at bedtime and lowers it when you wake up.
- Take advantage of variable energy pricing. If your utility increases rates during peak periods, you can save some money by scheduling your thermostat to ease up on cooling in times of high demand.
- Use presence sensors or scanners to detect when the house is empty. To account for errands or trips that don’t adhere to a set schedule, you can invest in sensors that automatically detect when no one is home and cue the thermostat to engage your “away” settings.
Small Thermostat Mistakes That Quietly Raise Your Cooling Costs
Even small mistakes or moderately bad habits can raise your energy costs because of the accumulating loss of energy or efficiency. Here are some things to watch out for.
- Installing the thermostat near a heat source. Thermostat placement is important to consider. If your thermostat is near a hot appliance or in direct sunlight, it might register that the house is hotter than it actually is. This will cause your air conditioner to run longer and more frequently than necessary, increasing your energy bills and adding to the system’s wear and tear.
- Setting the fan to “on” instead of “auto.” The thermostat fan “auto” vs. “on” settings determine whether the HVAC fan is spinning constantly or only when the cooling system is engaged. Most of the time you want the fan set to “auto.” Running the fan constantly in “on” mode is a waste of electricity, and you run the risk of the fan introducing more humid air in the home, counteracting your cooling efforts.
- Programming excessively low temperatures in an attempt to cool down the home faster. Your air conditioner will cool the home at the same rate whether you have the thermostat set to 78°F or 68°F. Temporarily setting the thermostat to 68°F does not mean you will reach 78°F faster.
- Blocking vents or registers. Make sure your vents and registers are open and free from obstructions. Furniture, curtains, and other home furnishings can impede airflow and impair the thermostat’s reading of whether the room is coming to temperature.
- Neglecting seasonal maintenance. Scheduling semiannual inspections and regularly cleaning the air filter are essential to maintaining a healthy HVAC system. A professional technician can ensure the system is running as efficiently as possible and will repair or recharge your AC before costly problems get too out of hand.
Using a Home Warranty to Protect Your Cooling System
Careful thermostat adjustments will lower your energy costs and decrease the wear and tear on your home’s cooling system, but malfunctions are inevitable as the equipment ages, no matter how responsible you are about upkeep and maintenance. When something goes wrong, warranty coverage can ensure that the problem is fixed in no time and at a reasonable cost. Call (855)-953-9695 to learn more about our unparalleled home systems coverage.
