Every winter in Greensburg, PA the temperatures drop, and the ground is covered with snow and ice as residents settle into their cold weather lifestyles. Whether it’s a blanket of fresh snow, an icy walkway or icicles hanging from the edge of your roof, winter is truly a sight to behold.
Of course, you’ll also need to navigate your home heating system to find a nice balance between being comfortable and keeping your monthly heating bills under control.
Tips For Setting Your Thermostat
It’s never a good idea to just set one temperature and leave it 24 hours a day during the winter, especially with today’s smarter programmable thermostats.
Many HVAC experts claim that you should aim for around 68F during the day and then lower it to 66F at night when everyone is asleep. If there are people at home regularly during the day, then you may want to bump it to 70F or even 72F to keep everyone comfortable.
To help ease your family members into lower indoor temperatures, the US Department of Energy says you should try setting the temperature you prefer, and if it’s higher than the recommended temperature, lower it one degree each day. This way, you will soon get to the ideal temperature but won’t notice the subtle differences as is it lowered each day.
Thermostats Then & Now
If you still have a mechanical, non-programmable thermostat in your home, you are one of a dying breed.
These used to be the norm in every home, but the fact they are no longer convenient and potentially dangerous due to mercury means they are being phased out. After these, there were digital non-programmable thermostats that were still inconvenient but with a nicer display.
Then, we got into programmable thermostats, and things have never quite been the same. Now, you can set specific temperatures for certain times of the day, for a week or even more in advance.
Today, learning thermostats can adapt to your family’s preferences, and communication thermostats can offer troubleshooting tips and maintenance advice if things aren’t working right.
How You Can Influence Your Electric Bill
There are some tips you can follow on a consistent basis that will enable you to keep your thermostat set lower and save on your electric bill.
Typically, your bill will go up in winter as you have your heating system kicked into high gear to stay warm. Add on the fact that everyone else is also doing the same, so the price of electricity will rise, and you can see why your bills will be higher.
If you are among the homeowners that like to save money when possible, then little actions like closing drapes at night, using a ceiling fan to help distribute heat, keeping your furnace well maintained, letting the sunshine in, or even wearing extra clothing can enable you to set the thermostat lower.
Feel free to share any tips you may have in the comments, and if you want to learn more or are interested in one of our reliable HVAC service, give us a call at (724) 382-4844 today.
