The temperature setting that you choose for your thermostat will have a big impact on the amount of energy that your furnace consumes. The higher your thermostat is set at, the more energy your heating system will use and the higher your gas bills will be. Today we’re going to talk about how to find the best thermostat settings for your Metro East home!

How to choose the best thermostat settings for winter

Find your at-home temperature. The temperature that you choose for when you’re at home and awake is probably the most important because you can use that as a basis for your thermostat settings for the rest of the day and night. The Department of Energy suggests that you use 68 degrees for this setting because it will maximize your energy-savings. If this is a comfortable setting for you and your family, that’s great! If it’s too cold, raise your thermostat one degree at a time until you find the lowest setting that you’re comfortable with.
Find your overnight temperature. Now that you’ve decided on an at-home temperature, try lowering your thermostat about five degrees (63 degrees) before you go to sleep at night in order to conserve energy. During winter, we use sheets, covers, blankets and warm clothes while we’re sleeping, so you should still be able to stay comfortable when your home is a little cooler overnight. If 63 degrees is too cold, try raising your thermostat one degree at a time the same way you did with your at-home temperature to find the lowest setting that you’re comfortable with.
Lower your thermostat when you’re away from home. The easiest time to save energy with your thermostat is when your home is unoccupied because nobody is there to worry about comfort levels. Lower your thermostat about 5 degrees (63 degrees) before everyone in your home leaves for school and/or work in the morning in order to save energy while you’re gone.

Use a programmable thermostat to maximize your savings

When you have all of your temperature settings figured out for every time of the day, it can get annoying to have to manually change your thermostat over and over. That’s when a programmable thermostat can help.

With a programmable thermostat, you can store temperature settings for various times of the day and days of the week, and it will automatically adjust your home’s temperature levels accordingly. In addition, a programmable thermostat allows you to time your temperature settings so that your home will be nice and warm the moment you step out of bed in the morning or return home from a day’s work.

If you have any questions about choosing the right thermostat setting for winter, or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your home, contact Tiger, your Glen Carbon plumbing, heating and cooling contractor.

photo credit: cthoyes