What Temperature Is Best for Your Thermostat in the Winter?

December 19, 2020

If you’re like many residents of Deptford, the thought of another frigid winter sends literal chills down your spine. Fortunately, with a good furnace in place, you’ll be able to fight back the cold so you can enjoy spending time at home with your family.

The potential hang-up in all of this is the fact that it can be difficult to arrive at an ideal temperature that keeps everyone comfortable without shooting your utility bills through the roof. To help you maximize your efficiency this winter, we at JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning offer these suggestions regarding thermostat settings.

Balance Is Necessary

When it comes to choosing the right temperature for your heater, balance is crucial. After all, you could opt to crank up your thermostat so your home feels like a tropical oasis. However, doing so would result in sky-high utility bills and quickly wear out your heating system, requiring early replacement by JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning.

On the other hand, you don’t want to be so stingy with the heat that you and your family would be better off living outside. After all, the point of having a home is to be able to enjoy it and relax in it. Based on countless studies, the ENERGY STAR organization, which certifies appliances based on energy-efficiency, has determined that a setting of 68 degrees is ideal for most homes in most climates.

Exceptions to the Rule

As with any rule, the rule of setting your thermostat at 68 degrees has its exceptions. For example, when you go to bed, you can actually turn down your thermostat a few degrees because a colder home promotes better sleep. Another exception to this rule occurs when you first wake up.

During those first few minutes of your day, it’s generally a good idea to bump up the thermostat a few degrees to knock off the chill from the night so your house can properly maintain its temperature throughout the day. Other than that, though, we at JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning recommend trying to stay as close to 68 degrees as often as you can.

Make It Easy

Of course, the last thing you want to be doing is spending all your time adjusting your thermostat to achieve the perfect temperature for the current conditions. That’s one reason among many that a programmable thermostat makes so much sense.

A programmable thermostat allows you to select specific days and times to change the temperature so your home is always at the most efficient temperature, even when you’re not around to control the thermostat. To take things a step further, you can add a smart thermostat so your system can automatically learn your living patterns to make subtle adjustments on your behalf.

A Higher Temperature Won’t Heat Your Home Faster

To help you save money and wear and tear on your heating system, we at JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning want to put a common myth to rest. That is the myth that turning up your thermostat will cause your home to heat up faster. For example, if your home feels a little cold and you want to achieve a temperature of 68 degrees, some people think it’s best to set the thermostat to 74 degrees to get their house to the desired temperature more quickly.

However, that defeats the purpose of a thermostat. If you want your house to be at 68 degrees, then set your thermostat to 68 degrees. Increasing the temperature on your thermostat will only lengthen the time that your furnace runs, likely leading to extra repairs that are completely avoidable.

Innacurate Temperatures

While thermostats are certainly helpful in controlling your home’s temperature, they’re not always accurate. If your home seems to be significantly warmer or cooler than your selected temperature, some repairs may be in order. In some cases, you can improve the accuracy of your thermostat simply by replacing its batteries. In other cases, though, you may need to replace the thermostat entirely, as the inaccurate readings could be caused by a failing temperature-sensing mechanism.

Helping to Improve Home Comfort

At JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning, we pride ourselves on helping our customers improve the comfort of their homes. That’s why all of our services, including repair, maintenance, and installation of furnaces and air conditioners, ductless mini-split system installation, sheet metal fabrication, and more, are all dedicated to helping our customers achieve their home comfort goals. This is the same goal we’ve dedicated ourselves to since our founding over 30 years ago. This ongoing commitment continues to earn us five-star customer reviews and many other awards as well. For more information about keeping your home comfortable, contact us at JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning today. We look forward to serving all of your home climate comfort needs.

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