How to Save Money and Get Better Sleep By Turning Down the Temperature In Your Home

With winter in full swing here in the Hudson Valley, anything you can do to save money on heating costs is well worth the effort. One of the most effective ways to conserve energy during the winter is learning how to program your programmable thermostat for energy savings during weekdays (or whenever) when the house is empty and during the night when most people prefer cooler temperatures for sleeping.

A modern programmable thermostat allows you to program energy-saving setbacks anytime you like, with different programming possible for weekdays and weekends. This allows you to avoid fully heating an empty house, which saves on utility bills and gives your HVAC system a break. The less your heating equipment is operating at full-go, the longer it will last without breaking down.

Following is a an example of programming that will save you both energy and money this winter:

• Program the thermostat so it drops several degrees around the time you expect to go to sleep, perhaps down to 60-63 Fahrenheit. Most people do prefer cooler temperatures while they’re sleeping, so they can snuggle up in cozy blankets.
• Set the programming so the temperature rises to your usual comfort level (in the winter, for most households, that can range from 66 to 74) right before you expect to wake up. If you’re planning to awaken and quickly leave for work or an errand, you might skip this step since it does waste energy to heat up a home for just a short period of time.
• Program the thermostat so it drops several degrees — maybe as many as 10 or 12 — during the day when the house is empty. When it’s excessively cold outside, don’t allow the temperature to drop so much that you risk frozen pipes.
• Set the temperature so it returns to your comfort level shortly before you expect to arrive home, then leave it there till bedtime.

For more advice on the setting the programmable thermostat for better sleep and energy savings this winter in your Middletown-area home, please contact us at C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about saving money and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.

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