Recommended Home Thermostat Temperature Settings for Summer & Winter

There is probably no worse feeling for a homeowner, than coming inside during a hot South Carolina day only to keep sweating in your house. A lot of people don’t know the perfect thermostat temperature setting for their house, and they’re wasting a lot of money each month or living uncomfortably. In this post, we’ll talk about our recommended home thermostat temperature settings for summer and winter, and we’ll explain why it’s so important.

The Compromise Between Comfort and Cost

Before talking about numbers, there’s an idea that we should talk about: comfort versus cost. For most people, the biggest item on your monthly electric bill is your HVAC system. Whenever your HVAC is running, it’s using electricity and costing you money. Sure, there are some ways to save money on your HVAC-related electrical bills, but the bottom line is that running your HVAC isn’t free.

Turning your AC too low in the summer or your heater too high in the winter is going to really strain your system. There’s a certain temperature range that your HVAC can handle – anything outside of the range will just waste money and overburden your HVAC unit.

With most of the country on stay-at-home orders, it is more important than ever to make sure that our immediate environments are safe.

Now you should see why this idea is so important. We’re looking for the perfect balance of comfort and cost – you don’t want to sweat and be uncomfortable, but you also don’t want to triple your electric bill. This leads us beautifully into our professionally recommended home thermostat temperature settings.

Recommended Home Thermostat Temperature Settings for Summer & Winter

No matter what season you’re running your HVAC system, you need to make sure you’re sticking to the right temperatures. This is especially true in our summers.

Best Home Thermostat Temperature Setting for Summer

Not only are our summers hot, but they’re humid too. Humidity has a huge effect on your HVAC system so make sure you clear that up before finding the right temperature for your AC.

In our experience, we’ve seen homes that have their AC set as low as 62 degrees and they’re still sweating. This usually reflects a lack of insulation and that temperature is way too low for most HVAC systems. You’re straining your AC and wasting electricity. Your cooling system can only work so hard, and it was designed to reach a specific temperature.

It’s pretty rare to find a system that can get your home as cold as 62 degrees. Based on our experience, the best home thermostat temperatures range between 70 to 78 degrees. You might be wondering why there’s a range in the first place, and why it varies 8 whole degrees. It all goes back to what we talked about earlier – comfort versus cost.

If you don’t mind digging in your pockets a little deeper, you can keep your AC at 70 degrees every day. If you want to save money, then you’ll start setting your thermostat a little higher. Actually, every degree that you change your thermostat comes with a 3% cost change on your electric bill.

That means changing your AC from 70 to 71 degrees will save you 3% on electric costs associated with your HVAC every month. Now you probably see how the savings add up as you go from 70 to 78 degrees.

At the same time, different people are comfortable at different temperatures. We all have that one friend who “runs hot” and is always sweating. For people like them, keeping the temperature low is a must-have in their home.

If you and your family are comfortable at 78 degrees in the home, then why not keep it around there and save a ton of money each month? It all depends on what temperature makes you feel the most comfortable, according to you.

If water droplets containing the bacteria are sucked into the HVAC system, they can be pushed back out into the common indoor environment

Best Home Thermostat Temperature Setting for Winter

The ideal home thermostat temperature setting for winter is the same problem in the opposite direction. For most people, a range around 66 to 72 degrees is perfect. 68 degrees F is a great number to target. It’s warm enough so you won’t be shivering, and it’s low enough so you’re not wasting money or straining your heater. Too much strain could lead you to install a new heating system. Again, this is a category that boils down to what temperature is perfect for you, personally.

How to Find the Perfect Temperature

What if you don’t know what the perfect temperature is for you and your family? It’s time for a little trial and error. If it’s summer, set your AC to 78 degrees F to start. If that’s too uncomfortable, bring it down one degree and give it a few hours. See how you and your family feel. Continue this process until you find the perfect temperature. As long as it’s between 70 and 78, you should be fine.

Should I Use a Programmable Thermostat?

This is completely up to you. With a programmable thermostat, you can change the temperature depending on what day of the week and what time of day it is. But, we do not recommend setting it at a more uncomfortable temperature when the house is empty or everyone’s asleep, especially during our summers.The high heat and humidity make it harder to remove the heat from your home without breaking the bank. We recommended setting your thermostat to the temperature you are most comfortable and leaving it be. Think of it like this, your car maintains better gas mileage by running at a constant speed than it does accelerating and decelerating. This is also true with your HVAC system.

Keep Your HVAC Running Strong

We just covered the best home thermostat temperatures for winter and summer. This information will help you find the perfect balance of comfort and cost to ensure your family gets the best of both worlds. If you think it’s time for an upgraded AC that can keep up, you can reach out to our pros at Carolina Comfort. We can help optimize your HVAC system and make sure your family stays comfortable indoors.

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5636 Bush River Rd.
Columbia, SC 29212
SC License – #M104545
NC License – #32356

Phone: (803) 794-5526

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