An average homeowner in Virginia Beach, VA, spends about $2,100 on home energy costs each year. According to Energy Star, about 42% of that amount is for heating and cooling. If you’re tired of increasingly high electricity bills for summertime air conditioning, one way you can take action is with a programmable thermostat. Read on to learn how you can use a programmable thermostat to save money without sacrificing your comfort.
Reduce Cooling While You’re Away
When you’re not at home, you don’t need the air conditioner to keep the place as cool. To achieve the biggest level of energy savings, program the thermostat to raise the temperature while you’re away from home in the summer. For each hour you increase the temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit, you can save up to 1% on your summertime cooling costs. This works best if you’re away from home for a long block of time, such as more than six hours.
Avoid Forgetting to Adjust the Thermostat
If you had to manually adjust the temperature on your thermostat every time you left home for work, leisure activities or errands, chances are good that you’d forget to do it a lot of the time. A programmable thermostat makes temperature adjustments convenient and easy to do. You just enter the temperature you want for each time period of the day. You can do this on a daily or weekly basis. The thermostats also allow you to set up flexible weekday and weekend settings. On average, a typical homeowner in Virginia Beach could lower their summer energy usage by 6% to 10% with automatic temperature adjustments for the times they’re away from home.
Stop Large Temperature Swings
Large temperature swings in your home are not energy efficient. They make your air conditioner work harder. If you manually adjust the thermostat more than a couple of degrees, this creates a lot of wear and tear on the equipment. With the programmable thermostat, the system times the cooling cycles gradually in order to reach your desired temperature at the right time. For example, if your thermostat is set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm on weekdays while you’re at work, and you want it at 72 degrees upon your return, the air conditioner will begin cooling your home before 6:00 pm, so it’s ready upon your arrival. The gradual cooling process is more energy efficient.
Skip Constant Temperature Adjustments
Constant temperature adjustments also cause extra wear and tear on your air conditioner. The constant temperature changes also use more energy. Programmable thermostats encourage consistency in your home’s temperature. The Department of Energy explains that the smaller the difference between the temperature in your home and the outdoor temperature, the lower your electricity costs will be. That’s why an indoor temperature of 78 degrees is recommended for optimal savings and comfort during the summertime.
Make Adjustments When You’re Away from Home
A long day at work, heavy traffic or errands that take longer than you expect might mean that you’re not at home when you planned to be. You could choose an advanced programmable thermostat with “smart” features. A smart thermostat includes a convenient app that you can control from your phone. If you know you’ll be home a couple hours late, you can update the temperature to reflect this. You’ll save money with just a couple of taps on your phone.
Take Advantage of Advanced Algorithms
If you want flexible cooling of your home, a smart programmable thermostat is a wise investment. Their algorithms and sensors detect if you’re home and asleep versus home and awake. This allows the thermostat to make adjustments to the cooling cycles for optimal comfort and energy savings. The algorithms also use geofencing technology to detect when you’re on the way home. The smart thermostat uses this data to adjust your home’s temperature.
To learn more about how programmable thermostats save energy in the summer, take a look at Climatemakers of VA’s control and thermostat installation services, or call us today for additional information.