What’s the Best Thermostat Setting To Save Money in the Summer?

When it comes to maintaining a comfortable home during a Texas summer, it’s essential to find a temperature setting that keeps your family cool without skyrocketing your monthly bills.

Although that “sweet spot” will look a little different from household to household, there are some proven strategies that can minimize anyone’s cooling costs. In this blog post, the HVAC experts of Harris Air Services offer their tips for saving money this summer.

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Factors That Influence Thermostat Settings

When determining the right thermostat setting for your home, consider these factors:

• Your home’s humidity levels: The higher your home’s humidity, the warmer it will feel, no matter what the actual temperature is. If your home seems to have excessive humidity, a professional like those at Harris Air can help.
• Outdoor temperature: The closer your thermostat temperature is to the current outdoor temperature, the lower your energy costs will be.
• Time of day: For most families, what you set your thermostat to during the day won’t be the same setting you want at night. Using a programmable thermostat to reflect your schedule can help save you money.
• Heat-generating activities: Cooking, showering, and large appliances can heat up your home. When possible, try to do these things in the morning and late evening when it’s naturally cooler outside.
• Occupancy: If you work away from home during the day, you can set your thermostat a few degrees higher so you’re not paying to keep an empty house cool.

Best Thermostat Setting When You’re Home

It’s important to be comfortable in your own home, but most people make the mistake of overcooling their home when they don’t need to. With Texas temperatures regularly in the 80s and 90s during summer, most spaces will feel cool and comfortable with a thermostat set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although this may be warm for some, it’s a great temperature setting to start with to gauge your comfort. Because it’s much closer to the outside air temperature than a setting of 74 or 75 degrees would be, it will save on cooling costs and reduce wear and tear on your air conditioner.

Of course, while this may be a comfortable temperature for hanging out on the couch, your thermostat may need to be lowered to maintain the same level of comfort at night for sleeping and when you’re very active or cooking.

Save Energy While You’re Gone

The most effective time to save on your energy costs is when you’re away from your home. If you’re leaving for a few hours or the full day, it’s worth bumping your thermostat up a few degrees. This will produce cost savings but won’t let your home heat up so much that it takes a long time to cool it back down when you get home.

If you’re going to be gone for an extended period for something like a week-long vacation, and you don’t have pets or delicate plants left at home, you can set your thermostat much higher. Just be prepared for it to take a while to cool your home when you arrive back, especially in the middle of the day.

Other Ways To Stay Cool in Your Texas Home

Sometimes cranking up your air conditioner is inevitable, but there are other ways you can help keep your energy costs down during the summer:

• Ensure your home is adequately insulated.
• Identify and eliminate air leaks around windows and doors.
• Run ceiling fans if you have them.
• Use window treatments to limit the heat and light coming through windows.
• Dress in lighter clothing when you’re home.

Choose Harris Air for AC Installation & Repair in Texas

If your air conditioner isn’t keeping up with your needs, or your energy bills continue to rise no matter what you do, the experienced professionals at Harris Air can help.

We offer air conditioning repairs, replacements and installations, and preventative maintenance throughout Dallas and surrounding areas.

At Harris Air, we believe in honest service and prioritizing the customer experience. That’s why we take pride in offering same-day and emergency services to ensure we’re prepared to answer your call if your AC breaks down in the middle of a Texas heat wave.

Schedule reliable air conditioning repairs or replacements with Harris Air today. Call 469-325-1034 to get started.