Turning Back Your Thermostat: Advice From Your Air Conditioner Repair Technician | Weatherford, TX
It can be a challenge to manage heating and cooling energy costs. However, there are several surefire ways of reducing expenses. You can have routine maintenance done by an air conditioner repair technician in Weatherford, TX to ensure that your HVAC system is operating efficiently. The other smart choice you should consider is adjusting the thermostat settings. Even those small changes will eventually result in huge energy savings. Will you be leaving for work today? Then set your thermostat back. Are you planning to go out shopping? Then turn down the home temperatures. Or are you heading out with your friends for a weekend getaway? You guessed it right, adjust your thermostat to avoid cooling or heating an empty home. These small or little tweaks will eventually accumulate and result in significant savings on your monthly cooling or heating utility bills.
What’s a Thermostat Setback?
An air conditioner thermostat setback is a feature that allows you to program your thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature in your home at different times of the day. For example, you can set the thermostat to turn the air conditioner off or to a lower temperature when you are away at work or asleep and then turn it back on or to a higher temperature when you return home or wake up. This is known as “setting back” the thermostat and can be key in reducing the amount and frequency of air conditioner repairs.
The purpose of a thermostat setback is to save energy and reduce your energy bills. When you are not at home or are asleep, you typically do not need the same level of cooling as when you are awake and active. By setting the thermostat back during these times, you can reduce the energy used by your air conditioner. Alternatively, an air conditioner repair technician can install a technologically advanced smart thermostat that automatically adjusts based on your schedule.
Several types of thermostat setbacks include manual, programmable, and smart thermostats. Manual thermostats require you to adjust the temperature yourself, while programmable thermostats allow you to set a schedule for the temperature to be automatically adjusted. Smart thermostats, which can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app, offer the most advanced and convenient options for setting back the thermostat. This is why some homeowners call air conditioner repair technicians to switch their existing thermostats to smart and technologically advanced ones.
To use a thermostat setback, you must set the desired temperature for different times of the day. For example, you may set the thermostat to maintain a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit when you are awake and active but to set it back to a lower temperature of 68 degrees when you are asleep or away from your Weatherford, TX home. You can also set the thermostat to gradually adjust the temperature over a while rather than making an abrupt change. Talk to your air conditioner repair technician about the best settings or the thermostat to install. This is because the setback level will depend on the outside temperatures, season, or even the climatic region.
Smaller Temperature Difference Minimize Heat Gain or Loss
According to the laws of thermodynamics, heat is naturally transferred from higher to lower temperatures. Therefore, the greater the difference in temperature between the inside and outside of your home, the more likely you will experience heat loss or heat gain. For example, if the temperature outside is 50 degrees Fahrenheit and your thermostat is set to 80 degrees, more heat will be transferred from the inside to the outside of your home, causing your heating unit to run more frequently. The same is true in the summer, when the cooler your home is, the more quickly heat will be transferred from the outside to the inside. Unfortunately, this means that the AC will be using more energy. Unfortunately, it also means that it will be exposed to wear and tear of various components, resulting in a need for regular air conditioner repairs.
One way to reduce heat transfer and, therefore, the energy used by your heating and cooling system is to use a thermostat setback. When you set back your thermostat, you lower the temperature difference between the inside and outside of your home, slowing down the heat transfer rate. Having an air conditioner repair technician install a smart thermostat that can readjust based on your schedule and different times of the day can help. Similarly, setting your thermostat to a higher temperature in the summer will reduce the heat flow from the outside to the inside of your home, helping conserve energy.
How Much Will You Save?
The amount that you should set back your thermostat depends on several factors, such as the outdoor temperature, the occupancy levels of your home during normal operating hours, and any special requirements, such as humidity needs in certain rooms. To learn more, reach out to your air conditioner repair technician. According to the Department of Energy, you could save about 10% on your annual heating and cooling costs through thermostat setbacks.
The amount of money you can save by implementing an energy-saving strategy like this can vary significantly, depending on the size of your Weatherford, TX home, weather, usage patterns, and other factors. However, saving anywhere from 10% to 20% on your utility bills is possible. This makes a thermostat setback an attractive option. Ensuring that your home’s unit doesn’t strain also means you will need fewer air conditioner repairs in the future.
Does thermostat setback help save on energy utility bills? Sure. Hence, you can leverage it to save a fortune on heating and cooling utility bills. However, when facing any thermostat issues or air conditioning problems, it is recommended that you enlist the help of a professional. Contact us at Minuteman Heating & Air today to inspect, repair, and maintain your heating and air conditioning system.