What Is the Best Thermostat Setting for Winter?

Managing the temperature of your home with a programmable thermostat is one of the easiest ways to save 10 percent or more on your energy costs – a big reason why we strongly recommend that you invest in one if you don’t have a unit installed already (better yet, invest in a Wi-Fi thermostat, which allows you to control the climate of your home from your smart phone – a great feature if you spend a lot of time at work or out of town).

But what settings should you use in your Massachusetts home to balance saving money and staying comfortable during the late fall and winter months?

The U.S Department of Energy suggests the following settings for an optimum balance of comfort and savings:

Winter months:

• When you’re home and awake, set the thermostat for 68°F.
• Lower temperatures by 10° for the hours you’re asleep or out of the house.

Summer months:

• When you’re home and awake, program air conditioning to 78°F.
• Program the AC to shut off during the hours you’re out of the house.

In general:

• Program heat or A/C to shut off 20-30 minutes before you leave home each day; return them to normal comfort levels 20 to 30 minutes before you come home.*
• Program reductions in heating or cooling to begin 60 minutes before you go to sleep; return them to normal comfort levels 30 minutes before you awaken.

* If you have wi-fi / wireless thermostat, you can control your home’s temperature from your smart phone.

Be smart and save on your monthly energy bills! Want to save even more? Become an FSi customer and pay less for your heating oil and propane deliveries. Contact us today to learn more.

FSi – Delivering value to our neighbors and friends in the Greater Springfield, MA, area since 1989.