Thermostat Tips That Can Save You Money
That small box on your wall is the command center for your entire home comfort system. Your thermostat is the brain of your heating and cooling operation, constantly sensing the temperature and telling your HVAC equipment when to run and when to rest. While it may seem like a simple device, the way you use it has a direct and significant impact on your monthly energy bills. In fact, heating and cooling account for the largest portion of a typical household’s energy budget. A few small adjustments to your habits and settings can translate into substantial savings over the course of a year. Many homeowners unknowingly waste hundreds of dollars annually simply because they are not using their thermostat in the most efficient way. Understanding this one component is the first step to taking control of your home’s energy consumption.
Understanding How Your Thermostat Works
A common misconception about thermostats can lead to one of the biggest energy wasting habits. Many people believe a thermostat works like a car’s accelerator; the lower you set the air conditioner, the faster it will cool the house. This is fundamentally incorrect. A thermostat is a simple switch, not a throttle. It tells your system to turn on, and it tells it to turn off. It does not control the speed or intensity of the heating or cooling.
When you set your thermostat to 75 degrees on a hot day, your air conditioner works to reach that temperature. If you come home and the house is 80 degrees, setting the thermostat to 70 degrees will not make the house cool down any faster than setting it to 75. Your air conditioner will run at its full, single capacity until the house reaches the 70 degree setpoint. By setting it so low, you are simply forcing the system to run for a much longer period, well past your actual comfort level, which is a massive waste of electricity. The same principle applies to your furnace in the winter. Setting it to 80 degrees will not make it heat the house any faster than setting it to 70; it will just keep running until it hits that higher, more expensive target.
The “Set It and Forget It” Strategy
For homeowners with older, manual thermostats, the most efficient way to operate them is often to find a comfortable temperature and leave it there. This “set it and forget it” approach provides consistency and prevents the inefficient temperature swings that come from constant manual adjustments. Every time you move the dial, you are asking your system to react, and this can be less efficient than allowing it to maintain a steady state. This is particularly true for certain types of equipment, like heat pumps.
Heat pumps are designed to work most efficiently by running for long, slow, steady cycles to maintain a temperature. Drastically changing the setpoint, such as turning it down 10 degrees when you leave, can force the system into a less efficient “recovery” mode when you return. It may even trigger the auxiliary heat strips, which are a form of electric resistance heat, to come on and help. This auxiliary heat is significantly more expensive to run than the heat pump itself. Therefore, with a manual thermostat and a heat pump system, a constant setting is often the most economical choice.
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However, for homes with standard furnaces or central air conditioners, this strategy leaves significant savings on the table. Allowing the system to heat or cool an empty house to the same temperature as an occupied one is an obvious waste of energy. This limitation is precisely why programmable thermostats were invented.
Embrace the Power of Programming
Upgrading from a manual thermostat to a programmable model is one of the most effective ways to cut your heating and cooling costs. These devices give you the power to create a schedule that matches your family’s lifestyle. You can program the thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature at different times of the day, ensuring you are not paying to heat or cool an empty home.
The U.S. Department of Energy states that you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day from its normal setting. During the winter, you can set the temperature to 68 degrees while you are home and awake, but program it to drop to 60 or 58 degrees while you are sleeping or at work. In the summer, you can set it to 78 degrees while you are home, but allow it to rise to 85 degrees or higher when the house is empty.
The programmable thermostat automates this entire process. You can set a weekday schedule for your work routine and a separate weekend schedule. The system will then begin its recovery an hour or so before you are scheduled to wake up or return home, ensuring the house is perfectly comfortable the moment you need it to be. This eliminates the temptation to crank the system to an extreme temperature and ensures you are only paying for comfort when you are there to enjoy it.
Upgrading to a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are the next evolution in home comfort and energy management. They take all the benefits of a programmable thermostat and make them even easier and more powerful. A smart thermostat connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing you to monitor and control your HVAC system from anywhere in the world using your smartphone. If you forget to adjust the temperature before leaving for vacation, you can do it from the airport.
Many smart thermostats go a step further by learning your family’s patterns and routines automatically. After a week or two, they can build a custom schedule based on when you are home and when you are away. Some models even use geofencing, which links to your smartphone’s location. When the thermostat detects that no one is home, it automatically enters an “away” or “eco” mode to save energy. When it senses you are on your way back, it begins conditioning the house so it is comfortable upon your arrival.
These devices also provide incredible insight into your energy usage. They can send you monthly reports showing how many hours your system ran, compare your usage to previous months, and even offer new tips for saving. This data can help you pinpoint inefficiencies and make smarter decisions about your energy consumption.
Thermostat Placement is Critical
Where your thermostat is installed can have a massive impact on its performance and your energy bills. The thermostat’s only job is to read the temperature of the air immediately surrounding it. If that location gives it a false reading, your entire system will operate inefficiently. This can waste a significant amount of money and create “ghost” problems that are difficult to diagnose.
For example, a thermostat placed on a wall that gets direct sunlight in the afternoon will register a temperature that is much warmer than the rest of the house. It will think the house is hot and force the air conditioner to run constantly, even if the other rooms are already cold. This makes the home uncomfortable and your energy bills skyrocket.
Other poor locations include drafty areas like hallways near exterior doors, near supply vents that blow conditioned air directly onto the sensor, or in kitchens where heat from the oven and stove will skew its readings. A thermostat should always be mounted on an interior wall, in a central location, and away from any of these external influences. An improperly placed thermostat can easily be the hidden cause of your high utility bills.
Don’t Confuse the “Fan” and “Auto” Settings
Nearly every thermostat has a switch that allows you to control the system’s fan, with options for “On” and “Auto.” Understanding the difference between these two settings is crucial for saving money. The “Auto” setting is the correct choice for the vast majority of the time. In this mode, the system’s blower fan will only turn on when the furnace is actively heating or the air conditioner is actively cooling. When the temperature setpoint is reached and the system shuts off, the fan shuts off too.
The “On” setting does exactly what it says: it forces the blower fan to run continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of whether the system is heating or cooling. This is an enormous and unnecessary waste of electricity. Your system’s blower motor can consume a significant amount of power. Letting it run nonstop is like leaving a light on in every room of your house all day long.
While there are some niche benefits to running the fan, such as increased air circulation or filtration, the cost is almost never worth it. The “On” setting can also make you less comfortable in the summer. During the cooling process, moisture from your home’s air condenses on the cold evaporator coil and drains away. When the cooling cycle stops but the fan keeps running, it blows air over that moist coil and can re-evaporate some of that water, pushing humidity right back into your home.
Seasonal Adjustments for Clarksville Weather
Our climate in Clarksville, TN, demands different strategies for summer and winter. In the summer, the goal is to keep the heat and humidity out. Every degree you raise your thermostat’s setpoint will save you money on cooling costs. Try to find a temperature, such as 78 degrees, that is comfortable for your family. Using ceiling fans can make a room feel several degrees cooler, allowing you to set the thermostat a bit higher and save even more.
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In the winter, the reverse is true. Every degree you lower the thermostat, you will save on heating. Setting it to 68 degrees is a very common and efficient target. You can wear a sweater or use a blanket while watching TV to feel perfectly comfortable. Resist the urge to constantly adjust the temperature. Pick a comfortable setpoint for when you are home and a setback temperature for when you are away, and let the thermostat do its job.
Maintenance and Your Thermostat
Sometimes, a thermostat itself can be the source of the problem. A thermostat that gives inaccurate readings or does not seem to control the system properly may be at fault. If you have an older, battery powered digital thermostat, the first step is to try replacing the batteries. Weak batteries can cause all sorts of strange behavior.
However, a thermostat that seems to be malfunctioning can also be a symptom of a much larger problem with your HVAC system. If your thermostat is set to 72 degrees but the house never gets below 75, the thermostat might be working perfectly. It may be a sign that your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, your air filter is completely clogged, or your ductwork is leaking. Your system is trying to meet the demand, but it physically cannot. In this case, the thermostat is actually the messenger, alerting you to a deeper issue that needs professional attention.
Your thermostat is a small device, but it holds a tremendous amount of power over your home’s comfort and your financial well-being. By simply understanding how it works and using it strategically, you can unlock significant savings on your monthly utility bills. Whether you are using a manual thermostat, a programmable model, or a new smart device, your habits are what matter most. Set your system back when you are away or asleep. Find an efficient temperature you can live with. Make sure your device is not being tricked by poor placement, and use the “Auto” fan setting.
If you are struggling with high energy bills, or if your system cannot seem to keep up with the demands of your thermostat, it may be time for a professional inspection. At Barney’s Heating and Air, our team is here to help our neighbors in Clarksville, TN. We can assess your entire system, from the thermostat to the furnace, to ensure everything is operating at peak efficiency, saving you money and keeping your family comfortable.