Heating and cooling your home can account for nearly half of your utility bill and sometimes even more depending on the age of your AC, how well insulated your home is, and what temperature you set your thermostat to. The question you might be asking then is: “Is there an ideal temperature for my home?” And the answer depends on a few different factors. Let’s take a look:

What is the Ideal Temperature for Your Home?

Finding the ideal temperature is a matter of striking the perfect balance between efficiency and comfort. While it’s important to save on your utility bills, it’s also important to not be so uncomfortable that relaxing in your home becomes impossible.

The general consensus for recommended thermostat settings is:

• 68 in the winter when at home
• 78 in the summer when at home

But if you live with infants, the elderly, or anyone fighting a chronic illness, those recommended temperatures change to:

• 74 in the winter when at home
• 72 in the summer when at home

It’s also important to consider your pets and what their temperature requirements might be. For example, large, furry pets need a little help staying cool in the summer, while reptiles need warmer temperatures and even heat lamps to stay warm all throughout the year.

Keep in mind, these recommendations are only for when you are home. When you’re away from your house, it’s recommended to adjust the temperature around 10 degrees up or down depending on the season.

The Problems With Setting Your Thermostat to One Temperature

You could follow these recommendations and set your thermostat to two temperatures throughout the year, but more than likely, you wouldn’t feel comfortable every single day in every single room of the house. There are a few reasons for this:

• Humidity Changes How Temperatures Feel: If your home is too humid, you’re going to feel the heat more, and if your home is too dry, you’re going to feel cold and uncomfortable in the winter. The solution is to create the perfect humidity level in your home.

• The Rooms in Your House Are Exposed to Different Light: If your bedroom has tons of windows and faces the rising sun, but your living room only has a few windows and hardly ever sees sunlight, you’re going to notice a big difference in the way those rooms feel. Zoning can help you solve this problem, especially if you live in a large or multi-story home.

• You’re Heating and Cooling a Vacant Home: While you don’t want your home’s temperature to fall or rise drastically during the day, it is a waste of energy to keep a home comfortable if no one (including pets) are present. The best solution for this problem is to use a programmable thermostat.

Use a Smart Thermostat for Maximum Efficiency and Comfort

When you want to strike the balance between comfort and efficiency, your best choice is to install and use a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat makes it easy to create schedules for your AC and works great with zoning. If you install a smart thermostat, you can even connect it to an app and control everything from your phone.

The team of knowledgeable technicians at David Gray Heating & Air is devoted to keeping our customers comfortable all year round by keeping their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in top-notch shape. If you have more questions about the proper temperature for the inside of your home or would like to set an appointment for consultation or service, please feel free to contact the friendly experts at David Gray Heating & Air today at 904-724-7211 or contact us online.