Programmable thermostats are a great way to have “set-it-and-forget-it” control over the temperature in your home. Instead of having to manually change your furnace’s settings, you can program your thermostat to automatically adjust your home’s temperature during specific times of the day.
But do you know what the best programmable thermostat settings are for saving energy and staying warm in your home?
First, let’s take a look at how much money you can save from reducing the temperature in your home during the winter.
For every degree that you set your thermostat back over eight hours, you can save about one percent on your energy bills over a year. That means if you reduce your thermostat by 10 degrees for eight hours a day, you can save about 10 percent off your annual energy bills!
To achieve these savings while still staying warm, it’s best to consider your daily routine and when you do and don’t need the extra warmth. For the typical household, the times when it’s best to reduce your heat are when you’re sleeping and when there is nobody in your house for at least 4 hours at a time. This is usually during the day when everyone is at school or work.
Recommended programmable thermostat settings for the typical household
This might vary depending on the actual schedules of the people in your house, but these are the settings we recommend for the typical household:
- 6:00am to 8:00am: 68 degrees
- 8:00am to 5:00pm: 58-60 degrees
- 5:00pm to 10:00pm: 68 degrees
- 10:00pm to 6:00am: 58-60 degrees
As you can tell, these settings are based on when the typical family wakes up, goes to work or school, comes home, and goes to bed. Be sure to adjust these settings for the weekends, when you probably spend more time at home, and during vacations, when your home is unoccupied for days at a time.
If you have any questions about how to stay warm and save energy in your home, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your St. Louis area heating and cooling company.
