Your thermostat’s temperature settings have a big impact on your home’s comfort and efficiency levels. We know it can be tempting to crank up the heat when it’s cold in the desert (especially at night and in the mornings), but higher temperature settings will also drive up your heating bills. So today we’re going to help you keep your home comfortable and efficient this winter by offering our recommended thermostat settings for the heating season in the Coachella Valley!
What are the EPA’s recommended thermostat settings for winter?
According to the EPA, the best thermostat setting to use for your furnace while your family is at home and awake is 68 degrees. If you and your family are comfortable at that temperature, this is a great setting to use to maximize your home’s energy savings. However, as you’ll see below, you can still conserve energy by using a higher thermostat setting than 68 degrees if your family finds that temperature too cold.
Find the lowest temperature that you and your family are comfortable with
The best approach to take when settling on a thermostat setting for your home is to find a compromise between efficiency and comfort. Just as we suggested for finding the best summer thermostat settings, use the EPA’s recommendation of 68 degrees as a starting point and raise the temperature one degree at a time until you find a setting that’s comfortable for your family.
When you’re choosing a winter thermostat setting, remember that every degree counts. In fact, your furnace will consume about 1% less energy for every degree that you lower your thermostat over an eight hour period.
Consider adjusting your thermostat while you’re sleeping
We all know that nighttime is when we have the coldest temperatures here in the desert. So the hours that you’re asleep are actually the hours that you have the biggest opportunity to cut down on your heating bills. During winter, we have the advantage of being able to wear warm clothes to bed and pile on the sheets and blankets to keep us warm at night. So if you can stay warm under the covers, why not try to lower your thermostat by a few degrees overnight to conserve energy?
If your home has a programmable thermostat, you can automatically lower your home’s temperature during the hours that your family is typically asleep. You can even time the thermostat settings right so that your home will be back to a warmer temperature by the time you get up in the morning!
If you have any questions about these recommended thermostat settings, or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your home, contact Hydes, your Coachella Valley heating and air conditioning contractor.
