Setting Your Thermostat for Summer
Every family has its debates. For some, it’s over what to eat for dinner, while others may bicker over who controls the remote or the best temperature setting for the AC. As an HVAC company, we can’t help plan the perfect menu or regulate control of the remote, but we can help your family cool down when you lose your cool over comfort with the best setting for your thermostat in summer. Here are some of our top tips!
Tips for Setting Your Thermostat for Summer
Savings and Comfort
When disputing over what temperature to keep your home, the debate is not always about comfort but rather saving money. Over 40% of the average home’s electricity bill in the US is a result of air conditioning or heating use. Each time someone lowers the temperature on the thermostat, your electric bill rises.
Find a Balance
The best way to approach this issue is to try and find a balance between comfort and expense. After all, what good is having an air conditioner if you don’t use it? You’ll find plenty of sources online claiming they have the golden number for your AC setting. For example, Energy Star recommends setting your thermostat at 78° F during the daytime when you’re home. While that temperature may be too warm for some, it could be just perfect for others. The key is to identify your family’s comfort zone and find what thermostat setting works best for your family in the summer.
Find Your Comfort Range
Instead of focusing on a magic number, try to find a temperature range that best suits your family. Most families are generally comfortable in the range of 70 to 79 degrees. Then try and narrow down the degree that can save you the most money on your electricity bill.
The best way to do this is to start at the low end of your family’s range and raise the temperature one degree each day. When your family starts to raise concerns about being uncomfortable, you know you’ve reached your limit. For every degree you raise the thermostat you could save up to 3% on your electricity bill.
While You’re Away or Sleeping
There are also many debates on what temperature you should set the thermostat to when you are away from home or preparing for nighttime. Again, this is all relative to your comfort, but many sources recommend setting your thermostat between 80 and 85 degrees when you are away from home. The night air is much cooler, so when preparing for bed, try to not always rely on your AC system by opening a window instead. Or if AC is a must, turn on a ceiling fan to help keep the thermostat temperature at a higher setting.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
Worried you’ll forget to turn your AC up or down depending on the time of day? Investing in a programmable thermostat is a great way to reduce stress, lower your electricity bill, and keep your family comfortable throughout the summer. Need help setting up your programmable thermostat?
Use Your Fans
Our final tip to help your family stay comfortable this summer is to use fans. Whether they are ceiling fans, box fans, or standing fans, a fan can help keep you cool while you are home and allow you to keep the thermostat on the higher end of your comfort range. Remember to turn your fans off when you are away, as they only work to cool people not homes.
Consider Average Thermostat Settings in Summer
Still not sure what might be the best temperature for your thermostat in summer? Fortunately, there are tried and true temperature settings that people use during the summer! The average thermostat setting in summer in Pennsylvania falls between 75 and 78 degrees. This allows you to keep the temperature of your home as comfortable as possible while also keeping your energy costs down. Many homeowners may also keep their air conditioning temperature around 72 degrees during the summer as well and will adjust that thermostat setting depending on the weather. When it’s raining, you may want to turn the air conditioning down while you may want to turn the air conditioning up during a heat wave. Keeping your thermostat in the 70 to 80-degree range will help you maintain a comfortable temperature for your home.
We hope this article will help you and your family tackle the debate over the thermostat and keep cool this summer. If you have any additional questions about home cooling or an air conditioning service, schedule an appointment online or call us at 717-397-2577!