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What’s the Best Thermostat Setting for Spring?

Spring in the Dallas-Fort Worth area brings warmer temperatures and higher humidity. While it may not be as hot as the triple-digit summer temperatures, it can still be tempting to blast your air conditioner to make your home a comfortable refuge from the heat. However, you’ll see a huge jump in your utility bills.

To conserve energy and costs, ENERGY STAR® recommends that homeowners set their thermostats to 78 degrees, but there are a few factors to consider and other ways to improve HVAC efficiency. AirCo is here to help you optimize comfort and efficiency for your DFW Metroplex home.

Factors That Influence Thermostat Settings

Adjusting your home’s temperature by 7 to 10 degrees can save you as much as 10% annually on your HVAC operating costs. However, finding the perfect temperature for your home can be tricky. The appropriate thermostat settings can be impacted by several factors, including: 

• Outdoor temperature: There may be a few cool days here and there. Be sure to gradually adjust the temperature if you need to switch from AC to heat, or vice versa, in the same day.
• Humidity level: Increased humidity can make the outside temperature seem higher than it is, so you may overestimate how much cooling you truly need from your AC.
• Time of day: Mornings and evenings tend to be cooler than when the midday sun is shining, so we recommend setting your thermostat to 82 degrees at night.
• Personal preferences: 78 degrees is a general recommendation and won’t work for everyone. Your home comfort is just as important as energy efficiency.

Other Ways To Make Your HVAC More Energy-Efficient

Adjusting your thermostat settings can greatly impact your HVAC system’s energy efficiency, but it is not the only way to save. You can:

Turn on Ceiling Fans

If you want to raise your thermostat settings without sacrificing comfort, consider using ceiling fans throughout your home.

They create a wind-chill effect, making you feel cooler on even the hottest days. You can raise your AC settings by up to 4 degrees when running ceiling fans without any noticeable reduction in cooling.

Install a Smart Thermostat

According to the EPA, smart thermostats help homeowners save an average of 8% on their utility bills. Not only do they track your energy usage, but they also allow you to automate your comfort.

These thermostats can help you save money without any impact on your comfort using features such as:

• Wi-Fi capability
• Energy reports
• Temperature zoning
• Indoor air quality control

Install a Zoned HVAC Control System

You likely don’t have the same comfort needs in each room of your home, so setting your entire home to one temperature can be a waste of energy.

With a zoned HVAC control system, you can customize your temperature settings to target heating or cooling to the areas of the home that are in use, ultimately saving energy costs!

Schedule Routine HVAC Maintenance

We recommend scheduling annual air conditioning maintenance to clean, inspect, and test your unit to ensure optimal efficiency.

Replacing filters or cleaning debris off key system components are seemingly small adjustments, but they’ll improve your system’s function so it won’t need to work as hard to cool your home.

Choose AirCo for AC Maintenance in Dallas-Fort Worth

When you need exceptional air conditioning services in the DFW area, turn to the professionals at AirCo.

With same-day service, no overtime charges, and our comprehensive guarantee, you can rest assured that your air conditioning is in the best hands!

Call us today at (612) 223-6158 or contact us online to schedule spring AC maintenance for your home.