When spring arrives in Yuma, you know the cooling season is right on its heels. Before the season changes, it’s smart to prepare your home and thermostat for optimal comfort and energy savings. Here are some preparation tips worth following:
Replace an Outdated Thermostat
If you have an older, digital thermostat regulating your HVAC system, switching to a programmable model can make comfort control a lot more convenient. Saving energy is another big benefit of upgrading, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). They advise that using a programmable HVAC control can cut your related energy consumption by as much as 10 percent. Just make sure your new thermostat co-ordinates with your HVAC equipment, and matches your family’s usual weekday and weekend schedule.
Optimize Your Thermostat and Home for Savings
For optimal energy savings, the DOE advises programming the thermostat with specific temperature setbacks for the periods when you’re normally home and active, and away or sleeping. Just a one-degree setback for eight hours a day can result in a one-percent reduction in your yearly energy use, so doing this is an opportunity for significant savings. Here are some additional tips for lowering your energy bills:
- Use 78°F as your temperature setting during summer periods when you’re home and active.
- Raise it to 85°F for times when no one is home, or everyone is sleeping.
- Test out these guideline settings to see whether you can increase the temperature and save more energy. Do this in one- or two-degree increments only, so you don’t overwork your cooling equipment or cause discomfort.
- Never use the thermostat’s override function to make a radical temperature adjustment to cool down the house quickly. This won’t speed the cooling process, but it can reduce the temperature too much and waste energy.
- When rooms are occupied, turn on the ceiling fans with the blades moving counter-clockwise. The wind chill the fan creates helps you feel cooler, so you can raise the thermostat temperature setting by about four degrees.
For expert help preparing your Yuma home for the approaching cooling season, contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
