Air conditioning units are so popular that nearly two-thirds of homes located in the United States have one. They have come a long way in recent years, including using less energy than they did in the 90’s and also having a variety of thermostats to choose from. Thermostats are important as they can help save up to 10% on your energy bills, but they can also be the reason that you using more energy than you planned. Many people don’t think thermostats matter, but they do for a few reasons. Read some reasons why thermostats are important below and consider these points before making the call for to have an HVAC company look at your residential hvac or your heating and cooling system. You can save money on furnace repair or ac repair by considering these facts about your thermostat.
Location Location Location
The location of your thermostat matters more than you may think. If you thermostat is in direct sunlight or too close to air vents this can cause the system to run constantly or not run enough to cool your residence. Your thermostat should be centralized in the house, out of direct sunlight and not near an air vent. These simple fixes can save money on your energy bill and eliminate your unit running non-stop or coming on the shutting off almost immediately. These things lead to wearing down of your air conditioning system and can lead to costly ac repairs.
Settings
Setting your thermostat at a higher setting while no one is home can save you money on your energy bill and relieve some stress off of your unit. This can help your unit last longer and eliminate some calls for ac repair in the future. Programmable thermostats automatically turn up at a certain time then turn down at a certain time so the less energy is used when no one is home. If your thermostat isn’t programmable get into the habit of turning your unit up when you leave, then turning it down when you get back home.
Expectations
Sometimes when the house gets too hot we try to get it back to a comfortable level too quickly. Let’s face it, humans can be impatient. Turning the temperature down to where it should be will cool your house at a set rate. Turning it down significantly lower will not cool it faster. It will potentially cost you more money in energy if you forget to turn it back up. Air conditioner units work at one speed and the cold air doesn’t get colder the lower you set the thermostat. Turn it to the temperature you want or need and leave it, patience is hard but worth it.
These tips can help save money not only with energy usage but also on potential costly ac repairs. Thermostats matter and what you do with them matters too. Pay attention not only to the actual unit but to the thermostat that controls that unit as well.