With summer here and the temperatures rising in the Decatur area, you may be wondering how to use your AC system without breaking the bank. With energy costs rising all over the country, it’s important to find the right balance between comfort and savings.
Last year, temperatures in the Decatur area ranged from an average of 85 to 88 degrees in the summer, from June to August. No one wants to sit in temperatures this hot.
The good news is that adjusting your thermostat is the easiest and most effective way to bring down your energy bills.
What Are the Ideal Temperatures?
For maximum savings and to find that precious balance between comfort and cost, the US Energy Star program recommends a temperature of 78 degrees when you are home and awake.
At this temperature, you generally won’t notice the heat, and your AC unit will remove the humidity from the air that will make your home uncomfortable. Remember that humidity is a large factor in how uncomfortable the air is.
What About Sleep and Being Away?
Of course, you don’t need to run your AC system equally all the time. While you’re sleeping or out of your home, you can adjust the unit to work less or more, depending on your needs.
While you’re away, it may be a good idea to set your thermostat higher, so that your AC works less while you are out of the house. This is easy to do with a programmable thermostat, or one you can control remotely. Many of these are on the market now, making it easy to adjust your home’s temperature and get max savings while you’re on the go.
If you’re comfortable with such a system, setting your home’s temp as high as 85 degrees while you’re gone may work well, provided you have no sensitive pets at home. This works the best if you have a thermostat you can control from afar, or a programmable one that can lower the temp about an hour before you get home.
Also, if you are willing to sleep with light sheets and use fans, you can try programming your thermostat to 82 degrees when you normally sleep. This may prevent the AC from coming on at all during the night, but if it is cool enough to open windows, that may offset any temperature rise in your home and clear out any stagnant air.
If You are Too Warm…
Another rule to go by if you are still uncomfortable is to reverse your thermostat by having your home be at 83 degrees during the day and 78 degrees at night. This approach may work better if you have difficulty sleeping in warmer temperatures.
You can also try the 7 to 10 degree rule, by changing your thermostat by that many degrees during the day and turning it back at night.
Where Should I Start?
Upgrading to a programmable thermostat isn’t that expensive and can yield you incredible energy savings all year long, as they are also good for winter temperatures. They always allow you more control over your temperature, without the need to remember to adjust the thermostat multiple times per day.
To get started, contact us today at Southeastern Mechanical Services. We’re here to help you reap maximum energy savings all year long.
