Did you know that the average household spends more than $2,000 a year on energy bills, with nearly half of that spent stemming from their heating and air conditioning systems? Your thermostat is the main tool that allows you to control the temperature within your house. Because many homeowners do not fully understand how their thermostat works, it is easy to make a few simple, yet costly, mistakes. Setting your thermostat to the perfect setting can get tricky! 

Unfortunately, these mistakes are often reflected in your monthly energy bill. To save on costs and to heat and cool your home the right way, avoid these three common thermostat mistakes from the experts at F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical.

• Trying to heat or cool your home faster

We’ve all been there. You get home on a hot day, and your house is a sauna. Your house is 80 degrees, but you like your home at 75 degrees, so you set your thermostat to 72 degrees hoping that your home will quickly cool off. This is not a good idea! This common practice does not make your thermostat work faster. Lowering the thermostat past what you need just results in your system working harder for a longer period, which will add money to your monthly bill.

• Messing with your thermostat too often

Just like using the brakes too often while driving wears down your brake pads, constantly messing with your thermostat leads to unnecessary wear and tear on your heating/AC system. Components of your unit will break down faster than they should, which in return will lead to expensive repairs or even full replacement! Instead of turning the temperature up and down every time you get hot or cold, find a temperature you’re comfortable with and leave it at that while you’re at home. Look at your next heating bill—you’ll be amazed at how much money you’ll save by not adjusting your thermostat every few hours!

• Leaving your thermostat on the same setting.

What’s the point of heating and cooling an empty house? That is a huge waste of electricity! If you know that you will be gone for 4+ hours, be sure to set your thermostat 5–8 degrees higher in the summer and 10–15 degrees lower in the winter. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this simple practice can save you 10–15 % on your monthly heating and cooling bill.

• Buy a Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats are designed to keep your home nice and cozy when you’re in and not waste energy when you’re out. They also allow you to program and pre-set separate temperatures for the various seasons of the year. Additionally, they can also be set to coincide with your daily living, working, and sleeping schedules. By using a programmable thermostat, you can not only gain complete control over the efficiency of your heating and cooling system, but you also can save an average of $180 per year in energy bills.

As always, give us a call to learn more about savings for your HVAC system. Maintaining your heating and cooling is the most efficient way to save. Have one of our technicians come to your home to give you helpful suggestions about ways you can be more energy aware and save money on your bill each month!