4 Mistakes to Avoid With Your Thermostat in Maumelle, AR
When you use them correctly, programmable thermostats can save you a considerable amount of money and make your home in Maumelle, AR very comfortable. Unfortunately, many homeowners, especially those who have no experience with advanced thermostats, end up misusing them. To make your life easier, we’ll tell you about four common mistakes that many people make with their thermostats.
1. Cranking the Temperature Up or Down
Suppose that you’ve just come home after being outside for a while and enduring the hot sun. You may wish that the temperature in your home were colder, so you set a lower-than-usual temperature on your thermostat. You may hope to stimulate your AC to cool your home faster.
Though the motivation behind it is understandable, this is an unwise thing to do. For one thing, it won’t force your AC to work faster. HVAC systems expel a certain amount of treated air during each of their cycling periods, and setting a lower temperature won’t increase this volume.
Secondly, setting a lower temperature on your thermostat will force your AC to work longer, thereby wasting energy. This is because it will take longer for the system to bring your home to a lower temperature.
The same principle applies in cases where you might want to crank up the temperature on your thermostat. The wisest course of action would be to find a temperature that feels comfortable and stick with it. If you want your home to be cool or warm at certain times of day, then you can pre-program this behavior into your smart thermostat.
2. Constantly Setting the Same Temperature
Constantly leaving your thermostat on the same temperature setting can be just as harmful as needlessly fiddling with it. After all, since you probably won’t be home at all hours of the day, it doesn’t make sense to keep your HVAC system in a state of constant operation. This is wasteful and will give you excessively high utility bills.
Instead, we recommend programming your thermostat to activate your system when you’re at home and leave it idle or a slightly different temperature when you’re not. In fact, your thermostat can use its recovery mode feature to start treating the air in your home a bit early. That way, your home will be comfortable by the time you arrive.
3. Turning the Thermostat On and Off
You may feel the temptation to simply turn off your thermostat before heading out for work. While it’s advisable to keep your thermostat from overworking the system when you’re not at home, turning everything off would be a bad idea.
Restarting your thermostat and HVAC system after turning them off will eat up a great deal of power. Also, since it can put significant strain on your system, especially if you do it repeatedly, it may cause your system to break down prematurely.
Finally, even if your system isn’t cooling your home, it will continue circulating and cleaning air. Thus, completely turning off your thermostat may cause your indoor air quality to decline.
4. Ignoring the Signs of Damage
If your thermostat malfunctions, it can cause your HVAC system to act in all sorts of bizarre and troublesome ways. Short cycling, never-ending operation and spotty heating or cooling may all be signs that something is wrong with your thermostat. If you fail to recognize these signs, however, you won’t be able to restore comfort to your home.
Of course, problems like a malfunctioning compressor and dirty filters may also cause the aforementioned behaviors. Once HVAC technicians have examined your system and ruled out these possibilities, however, they will probably need to turn their attention to your thermostat.
If you unwittingly misuse your thermostat, you may end up raising all your HVAC-related costs and making your home in Maumelle, AR into an uncomfortable place. Luckily, with a little bit of knowledge and some professional help, you can avoid this fate. Call Freyaldenhoven Heating and Cooling, and ask for our heating and air conditioning services today.
Image provided by iStock
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