4 Thermostat Mistakes That Could Be Costing You in Wilmington, NC

The thermostat is a critical component in your cooling system that assures optimum comfort. It’s important to know that your thermostat’s settings can impact your home’s energy consumption. Here are four thermostat mistakes that could be costing you in Wilmington, NC:

Using Incorrect Temperature Settings

One mistake you can make with your thermostat is to set very high or very low temperatures. Extreme temperatures will only make your HVAC system run longer and waste energy.

When you set temperatures too high or too low, your AC system may not regulate humidity effectively. The fan will run continuously without allowing the evaporator coils to dispel moisture from your AC system.

Relative humidity levels in Wilmington can hit highs of 80% in May. Since it’s challenging to stay cool in humid weather, it can be tempting to keep lower thermostat settings.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting the thermostat at 68 degrees or higher. Extreme temperature configurations will overwork your AC system and increase your utility bills. For every degree you set it above, you can save as much as 2% on your cooling bills. Therefore, it pays to regulate a consistent thermostat setting.

Constantly Changing Thermostat Settings

Another common mistake you can make is changing the temperature settings constantly. Frequent adjustments will waste energy and increase the time your AC system runs to cool the room.

Homes with multiple occupants often have arguments regarding the correct temperature. Your family may decide to change the settings to match their individual preferences.

But changing the setting frequently can cause your air conditioning system to switch on and off continuously. The constant cycling can speed up the deterioration of your AC system’s components.

Trying to Cool Your Home Faster

Another common misconception is that you can cool your home faster by reducing temperatures below the usual settings. Unfortunately, it’ll only make your AC system overwork and may result in excessive cooling.

For example, the outdoor temperature is 86 degrees, and you set the thermostat to 68 degrees. It’ll still take the same time to cool your home to 72 degrees. Additionally, room temperatures may eventually be lower than expected, resulting in more energy wastage.

If your AC system takes an unusually long time to cool your home, it’s an indication that it’s faulty. Your cooling system may have airflow blockages due to a clogged filter or a dirty condenser or evaporator coil.

Consider scheduling preventive maintenance to keep your AC system efficient. An AC maintenance service technician can clean and troubleshoot your cooling system in Wilmington and restore its performance. A certified AC professional can detect faults at the earliest stages to prevent expensive repairs in the future.

Using the Same Temperature Settings

While frequently changing temperatures can cause deterioration, it’s not advisable to keep the same settings. Since the weather is always changing, there will be times when the AC system will be running unnecessarily.

Reduce your home’s energy consumption by applying unique thermostat settings for different times of the day. You can set the thermostat to 72 degrees during the day and 68 degrees at night. You may also want to keep your AC running at a lower temperature when away from home.

The best way to manage temperature is to use a programmable thermostat. You can create multiple settings to match your preferences at different times of the day. A programmable device can also learn your patterns and adjust temperatures automatically.

It’s also worth noting that it takes more energy to kick-start your system’s operation. A programmable device eliminates the need to turn the system on and off. Therefore, its precision reduces the system’s overall energy consumption.

If your AC system is always running trying to keep your home cool, it could be a sign of an internal fault. We recommend scheduling a professional AC service to troubleshoot your system. Call Gideon Heating & Air Conditioning for top-notch AC services in Wilmington.

Image provided by iStock