Can I Save Energy Turning Off My HVAC System?

People falsely believe that turning off your HVAC system, whether in summer or winter, will save energy and money while you’re not home. This myth causes many Winnsboro, Texas, homeowners to lose money every year on heating and cooling costs.

Why Doesn’t Turning Off My HVAC System Work?

Your HVAC system is better at maintaining temperatures than it is at starting from nothing and achieving a temperature. People believe a lot of myths about the HVAC system, like that if you turn the furnace temperature up higher, your home will get warm faster.

In reality, the HVAC system heats and cools at the same rate, no matter the thermostat setting. So depending on how hot or cold it already is in the house, your HVAC system will run for a few minutes or hours.

If you turn off your HVAC system completely in winter and your home temperature dips to 40 degrees, your furnace will have to run for hours to get it back up to 68. Keep it at a more reasonable 58 degrees, and your furnace will run a fraction of the time to achieve 68 again.

What Are the Right Winter Settings?

The US Department of Energy has done research on energy usage and thermostat settings. Your best bet for saving money and staying comfortable is to follow its guidelines. In winter, you should set your thermostat to 68 degrees while you’re at home and awake.

The highest amount you can turn the thermostat down without impacting your savings is 10 degrees for eight hours a day. So while you’re away or sleeping, set the thermostat at 58. Program your thermostat to warm up the house half an hour before you get home or wake up.

Completely turning off your HVAC system wastes money, because your system has to run for a long time to achieve the correct temperature again. If you have any questions about your thermostat’s settings or your HVAC system, call Wood Air Conditioning & Plumbing at 903-285-6550.

Image provided by Shutterstock

Compliance Settings
Increase Font Size
Grayscale
Simplified Font
Underline Links
Highlight Links
Reset
Close