{"id":440,"date":"2022-05-09T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermallheating.com\/blog\/?p=440"},"modified":"2022-05-09T10:01:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T17:01:18","slug":"save-energy-smart-thermostat-settings-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermallheating.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/save-energy-smart-thermostat-settings-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Save Energy With Smart Thermostat Settings This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"advanced-thermostat-on-hot-day\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Most homes have a thermostat to control their HVAC system, but we\u2019ve found that people often don\u2019t understand the best way to use it. If your normal way of using the thermostat is just to lower it whenever you feel hot during the summer and then raise it when it gets too cool, then you\u2019ve probably been wasting energy running your AC too often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that learning energy-saving techniques with your thermostat is straightforward. Once you know a bit more about how the thermostat controls the air conditioner, you\u2019ll see how to set it for the best comfort and ideal energy conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The thermostat is a switch not a throttle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the basic analogy we use to explain what the thermostat does. It determines when the AC and blower fan turn on and off, just like a switch. But when people run the thermostat up and down throughout the day, they\u2019re treating it like a throttle: the more you push the setting down, the \u201cmore\u201d cooling you get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But because the thermostat is a switch, a lower setting doesn\u2019t mean a greater volume of cooling is put out at a faster rate. It only means the air conditioner will run longer to reach the lower temperature setting. If you put your thermostat down at its lowest setting (60\u00b0\u201363\u00b0 depending on the model), you\u2019ll force the AC to run for longer, draining more power to reach a setting that\u2019s too<\/em> cool for comfort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat gain is an important factor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One more important fact to know about the thermostat and your home\u2019s comfort: the closer the indoor temperature is to the outdoor temperature, the slower the house gains heat from the outside. So the higher you raise the thermostat, the slower your house will warm back up. The goal is to find the right balance of indoor comfort and a higher thermostat setting that slows down heat gain for maximum energy conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ideal summer settings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We took a slightly longer route to get to this point, but we think that once you understand why<\/em> certain thermostat settings are better, it\u2019s easier to remember them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here are our summer thermostat recommendations, which are also the recommendations of the US Department of Energy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n