It’s one of the oldest questions in the world; what temperature should you set your thermostat at? There’s been a lot of research conducted by all kinds of different groups on this question, and there are some definite answers.

Despite all the controversy, there are some concrete facts about what temperature is best to maintain your home at for most people’s needs. If you live in Texas, you know how cold it can get in the winter despite its Southern locale, and you will want to set your thermostat at different temperatures in the summer and winter months.

What Temperature Should You Set Your Thermostat In Texas?

There are all kinds of factors that go into this decision, so here we are going to let you know the best temperatures for the summer and winter months based on several criteria.

Best Temperature To Set Your Thermostat At In The Wintertime

If you work during the daytime, you will want to set the temperature at a lower level during the winter months. The normal temperature you will want to keep your home at ranges from around 68 to 72 degrees.

When leaving for work during the wintertime, you will want to reduce that by 7 to 10 degrees. If you reduce it by more than that, it will take more energy to heat up to reheat the home, and it will be less cost-efficient to do so overall.

If you stay at home all the time during the winter months, you will want to keep the thermostat at a steady 68 to 72 degrees, depending on how warm you want your home. For the best energy savings, keep the thermostat at 68° during the winter months, except when you go to work when you will reduce it by 7 to 10 degrees.

Best Temperature To Set Your Thermostat In The Summer

In the summer, you will want to set your thermostat at about 78 degrees, as the heat in Texas will cause your air conditioning to work overtime much of the time. Keeping your thermostat about 78 degrees in the summer will optimize the amount of energy you spend keeping your home cool without being uncomfortable.

You don’t want to change your thermostat settings during the summer; you will want it to stay constant even if you go to work every day, as it costs too much to cool down the whole house despite the temperature difference.

More Information On Heating And Cooling Needs

This will especially be a factor except for exceptionally large houses with lots of rooms. However, it comes down to Newton’s Law of Cooling, and it costs more to heat or cools a home depending on the energy your HVAC system uses.

Homes will lose heat or cooling based on other factors such as proper insulation, the condition of doorways and windows, and other factors. It’s important to keep your home at the right temperature for comfort for most everyone. However, you should avoid large spikes in temperature change.

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As winter turns to spring, many Carrollton homeowners and businesses might be getting a brief reprieve from home heating bills. But the warmer weather beckons, and with it, it’s your air conditioning’s turn to take a bite out of your budget. Before you stock up on box fans in hopes of cutting your bills, let’s look at an alternative that can save money and save your sanity at the same time: your thermostat.

Before we go any further, it helps to know what you’re dealing with. Most homes and businesses served by Medley Services will have one of four types of thermostats. There’s a manual thermostat, which looks like a simple dial on your wall and requires manual adjustments. There’s a non-programmable digital thermostat, which replaces the dial with buttons and a digital display. There’s a programmable thermostat, which gives you limited control over time and temperature settings. And finally, there’s a smart thermostat, which often pairs with your smartphone, can learn settings based on occupancy, and can integrate within a smart home. How you approach the steps that follow will be determined, in part, by the kind of thermostat you have.

Four Thermostat Tips To Save Money

Time Your Changes

One of the most common ways we waste money on heating and cooling is by failing to adjust for periods of time when nobody’s home. If everyone’s at work and school during the day, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your space a few degrees warmer in the summertime, or letting it cool a bit in the winter time. If you prefer to keep a more consistent temperature — whether it’s because there’s always someone home, or you’d like to keep your pets comfortable while everyone’s out — it’s best to set your thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter. As energy.gov notes, “The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.”

Adjust To Family Schedules And Occupancy

Maybe 78 degrees is a bit too warm for everyone’s tastes in the summertime, or 68 degrees is a bit too chilly in the winter. Besides giving it time for everyone to adjust, we also suggest switching thermostat settings at night when everyone’s asleep. If that’s not possible — if, for instance, one of you works the night shift while everyone else works days — then figure out a setting everyone can live with, and keep it consistent.

Understand How Your HVAC System Works

When you have a day that’s much warmer or cooler than normal, it can be tempting to make a brief but drastic change to your thermostat setting. Bear in mind, however, that the system is working to heat or cool a large space, and it’s going to take the same amount of time to change the temperature of that space by degrees no matter what you’ve set the thermostat on.

Install A Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats have a number of advantages when it comes to saving money. Because they’re controllable via smart devices, you can change settings on the fly — which comes in handy if the kids’ school day is cut short, or when you’re coming back from vacation, since you can bring your home to your desired temperature a bit ahead of time. From times and temperatures to occupancy levels, smart thermostats account for large amounts of data to perform better and save you money; some will even suggest changes to settings. Most homeowners find that they recoup the small investment in a smart thermostat very quickly thanks to the money they’re saving on utilities.

Thermostat Installations

A smart thermostat is a somewhat more involved installation, especially if you want it to integrate properly within a smart home, or with other smart devices (like Alexa or Google Home). So if you live in the Carrollton area, it’s a good idea to get in touch with Medley Services for thermostat installations by professionals. For these and other home heating and cooling needs, reach out to our HVAC experts today!