In the winter and peak of summer, there is a question that is sure to come up at least once every season:How should you set your thermostat to maximize comfort and savings?
There are basically two schools of thought.
The first group says you should set your thermostat to your desired temperature and leave it there all the time, even when you're away from home for extended periods. The reasoning is that it takes more energy to heat a cold house or cool a hot house than it does to maintain a stable temperature.
The second group says you should turn down the heating or cooling when you expect to be away for a long time. The reasoning is that the energy saved during those down times will offset the extra costs you incur trying to heat a cold house or cool a hot house. on hot summer days Are you using your air conditioner as efficiently as possible? Check out these great tips and tricks to stay cool and save energy and money this summer. Read more . Leaving it all the time actually costs you more in the long run.
Only one of these can be true. In this article, you'll learn which one is correct (and why) according to the physics of heat.
Before we can understand why one method is better than the other, we need to understand the basics of heat transfer. Whether it's winter or summer, whether you're trying to heat or cool your home, the principles are the same.
When talking about the temperature in the home, we have to look at two things:the current temperature and the target temperature . More specifically, we are concerned with the difference between these two temperatures, which is called the delta temperature (?T) .
Here is the basic equation for heat flow (Q):
U (pronounced “U-Value”) is a rating number that represents how quickly your home loses heat. Another way to think of U is as the reciprocal of your home's insulation rating, so the better your home is insulated, the lower the U.
ONE It is the area of your home. Pretty simple.
So this equation tells us three basic truths about the rate of heat transfer:
That last point is the most important to understand thermostats.! In simple terms:the greater the difference between your current home temperature and your home's target temperature, the faster it will heat up when subjected to a heater (and the faster it will cool down when subjected to an air conditioner). As your home gets closer to the desired temperature, the rate at which the temperature changes will decrease.
For example, let's say it's 50F in your home and your target temperature is 70F. According to this equation, it will take much less time for your home to go from 50F to 60F than from 60F to 70F. In fact, the first half will be twice as fast !
There's one more thing we need to know, and that's how modern heaters work.
You've probably heard people say that your heater needs to "work hard" when the temperature in your house is cold and "easier" as the temperature warms, it's almost like pressing the gas pedal to go from 0 MPH to 60 MPH. You've probably heard the same thing about air conditioners too. It's called "valve theory" and it's dead wrong.
Heaters and air conditioners really do pump out a constant temperature, no matter where your thermostat is set. Once your home reaches the desired temperature, the system alternates between on and off to maintain that temperature. (Unless you have a manual heater or air conditioner, in which case you'll need to turn it off when you feel comfortable.)
For example, if your home is currently 40F or 50F or 60F, your heater will give off heat at 100F no matter what (arbitrary value to illustrate). To think that your heater will pump out 120F of heat when your home is 40F, then 110F at 50F, then 100F at 60F, and so on.
Now combine this with the basics of heat transfer from above.
The truth is that your home heats up much faster than you think. Not only that, you have to think about the difference in temperature between your heated home and the cold winter outside:because the difference is so great, heat is transferred quickly, causing your heater to turn back on. , just to repeat the loop.
On the flip side, turning off the heat will cause the temperature in your home to drop rapidly, but as the temperature drops, so will the rate of heat loss. For this reason, it takes a lot of energy to maintain an inside temperature that is significantly different from the outside temperature, and this is true in both summer and winter.
Don't just take my word for it. Here's what ENERGY STAR had to say about it:
Ultimately, you should turn off your heater or air conditioner when your house is empty for hours and turn it back on when you return home. This technique, called thermostat setback , is the correct answer, and it's why smart thermostats like the Nest can save you so much money. 7 Nest Automation Tricks To Cut Your Heating Bill In Half 7 Nest Automation Tricks To Cut Your Heating Bill In Half At home, you would have the biggest impact on energy consumption in history; And it could save you more money than you can imagine. That is how. Read more.
According to Energy.gov, general thermostat guidelines include:
Feel free to modify these to fit your own comfort levels, but remember that each degree is important. Although the difference between 68F and 69F may not seem like much, you will definitely notice an increase in your energy bill. If 68F is too uncomfortable, use these nifty tricks to stay warm How to Beat the Winter Chill With These 8 Home Gadgets How to Beat the Winter Chill With These 8 Home Gadgets heating:there are many small gadgets and devices that can be useful. Read more.
Note that you should never drop your thermostat below 55F in the winter, as this could cause areas of your home to become so cold that pipes freeze and burst. So if you're going on vacation, for example, keep your thermostat at that temperature or higher.
But the most effective way to reduce your energy bill. it's to make sure your house is well insulated and to reduce the amount of air that needs to be heated or cooled (which makes the U-value and area smaller in the heat flow equation from the old version of the item).
For more tips, check out these home energy efficiency mistakes. Is your home energy efficient? 7 things you've overlooked Is your home energy efficient? 7 things you've overlooked The true cost of a smart home is much cheaper than you think. In fact, there are many home automation devices that everyone can afford, and many of them will be featured in this article. Read More Be an Energy Star:20+. your? Who would have thought that Reddit is a source of wisdom to save energy and money? Reddit's lore can help you solve everyday problems, like gargantuan utility bills. Read more.
Tell us about your biggest home energy problems in the comments below!
