Efficient Summer Thermostat Settings and Recommendations

If you’re trying to keep your energy bills low over the summer, one of the most helpful things you can do is to pay attention to your thermostat. Over the summer, your HVAC system will have to work harder to cool your home, and it will increase your energy bills as a result. Fortunately, you can reduce the strain on your air conditioner with efficient AC thermostat settings. As you attempt to reduce your energy bills, review our guide to AC temperature settings and tips for the summer.

What Is the Most Energy-Efficient Temperature to Set Your Thermostat to When You’re Home During the Summer?

While some homeowners like to keep their homes in the high 60s or low 70s during the summer, these temperatures can significantly raise your energy bills. To help consumers reduce their energy consumption, Energy Star recommends that homeowners keep their thermostats at 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months. 

Even if you don’t want to set your thermostat at 78, you can reduce your energy bills by setting it slightly higher than you normally would in the spring. For example, if you prefer to keep your thermostat at 70, raising it to 73 can reduce your energy consumption without impacting your comfort.

What Temperature Should I Set My Thermostat to When I’m Not at Home During the Summer?

When you’re away from home, one of the easiest ways to save energy and money is to set your temperature to a higher setting. Since you won’t be at home to enjoy the cool air, raising the temperature while you’re away is a simple way to save money without affecting your comfort. In fact, Energy Saver states that you could save 10% on cooling and heating costs every year by changing your thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day. 

In the summer, you can receive these cost-saving benefits by raising your thermostat’s temperature while you’re away from home at work. For example, if you regularly keep your thermostat at 72 degrees, setting it to a temperature between 79 and 82 degrees while you’re not at home can save you money. Programmable or smart thermostats make this tip easy to implement, as you can have your AC thermostat settings automatically change the temperature at different times of the day.

3 Tips for Improving Cooling and Saving Energy During the Summer

Alongside using efficient AC thermostat settings when you’re at home or away from it, you can follow a few other best practices to lower your energy bills during the summer. Review some of the top AC energy-saving tips for the summer below:

• Invest in a programmable or smart thermostat: While changing a standard AC thermostat’s settings is easy enough, it can be easy to forget to change it when you’re rushing off to work or planning on being away from home for an extended period. Smart or programmable thermostats make it easy to save energy without the hassle, as you can set them to change the temperature while you’re away from home. Since these thermostats give you the ability to make your home more energy-efficient, they often pay for themselves over time.
• Use your ceiling fans: Another way you can save energy is by turning on your ceiling fans over the summer. A ceiling fan set to spin counterclockwise will push cool air down your home and help your AC cool your home. In fact, ceiling fans can make rooms feel around four degrees cooler, meaning you can raise your thermostat’s temperature by four degrees to save money without feeling a difference. 
• Ensure your home is properly sealed: When a home isn’t properly sealed, the hot air from outdoors will more easily enter your home. This hot air makes it harder for your AC to cool your home, resulting in increased energy consumption. With home sealing services, you can ensure your windows, doors, and other areas of your home are properly sealed so warm air can’t enter.

Choose Big Air for AC Repair, Maintenance, and Installation Services in Concord

If you’re looking for AC services near you in Concord, Big Air can help. Just like how efficient AC thermostat settings can reduce your energy bills, regular AC maintenance can ensure your AC is running at its best and consuming energy efficiently. Alongside offering AC maintenance, we provide AC repair and installation services, meaning you can trust us to fix your AC or replace it if it’s past the point of repair. Additionally, you can review our financing services and coupons to ensure any AC services you receive fits your budget.

Learn more about our air conditioning services today. If you have any questions about AC thermostat settings or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us online, or call us at 925.687.7942 .