Thermostat Know-How

 Selecting the proper temperatures throughout the day and night can be a bit confusing. You want to balance comfort with energy and dollar savings. However, it is surprising how comfortable you can be at a lower indoor temperature once you become accustomed to it. Thereafter, you find yourself uncomfortable at higher indoor temperatures that used to seem normal.

It actually does save energy overall if you lower the temperature setting on your central furnace or heat pump thermostat. The actual amount of dollar savings depends primarily on how low you set the thermostat, how long you have it set back, and to a lesser degree, your climate.

 There are other advantages to lowering the thermostat during winter. A lower house temperature requires less moisture indoors to keep the indoor air at a given relative humidity level. And, you furnace or heat pump runs less at a lower indoor temperature, meaning the equipment will last longer and need fewer repairs.

 If you look at setback savings charts, don’t be confused by the fact that the percentage savings ar actually higher in milder climates than in colder ones. This is because the total amount of energy used to keep a house comfortably warm in a cold climate is much greater. This makes the base number larger in cold climates so the percentage savings are less even though the dollar savings are greater.

 It is a myth that it takes as much energy to reheat a house, in the morning for example, as was saved during the temperature setback period overnight.  The amount of heat a house loses through its walls ceilings and floors is directly proportional to the difference between the indoor and the outdoor temperatures. Air leakage into and out of your house also increases with larger temperature differences.

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