There is not much better in life than summer in the Seacoast Region. The beach days. The fishing. The hiking. The clam bakes. The evenings on the deck relaxing after a long day. The relief of coming home to cool air conditioning after a hot day outside.
If you don’t have air conditioning in your home or are looking to upgrade from inefficient and unsightly window A/C units, P. Gagnon & Son is here to help! We offer expert ductless mini-split and central air conditioning installation, along with maintenance and repair services, done by our team of skilled and experienced service technicians. We also sell and install smart and programmable thermostats.
Knowing how to set your thermostat with your central air conditioning or ductless mini-split is essential, not only to keep your energy costs down but also to prevent unneeded wear and tear on your cooling equipment.
We’ve put together some information to help you maximize your comfort while minimizing your energy costs this summer.
Your thermostat is one of your best defenses against high energy bills in the summer. The U.S. Department of Energy offers guidance on temperature settings to help keep energy usage and costs lower.
The Department of Energy also says that adjusting your thermostat by 7°F for eight hours a day during cooling season can help cut your energy costs by 10%. If you don’t think that’s a lot, consider that cooling makes up about half of your energy costs in the summer. Look at last summer’s energy bills and you’ll see what a big difference this can make in how much you’ll pay!
Do you still have one of those old-school thermostats with a dial? If so, a small investment in a programmable or smart thermostat can be a big help when it comes to optimizing your air conditioning usage.
You can easily find programmable or smart thermostats at your local home improvement store or online. With smart thermostats, you can monitor and control your HVAC system from your smartphone or tablet if you have a WiFi or cellular connection. They can even learn your family’s cooling and heating preferences and adjust the thermostat accordingly. Some smart thermostats can also notify you if your HVAC system needs service.
Smart and programmable thermostats make keeping your energy costs down a no-brainer. That’s because once you program them, you need never worry again about forgetting to turn off the A/C before leaving home for the day. Follow these Department of Energy tips for making the most of your programmable or smart thermostat in the summer.
You can also have multiple settings so if you’re going away for either the weekend of a longer summer vacation, you can program the air conditioning to shut off when you leave, and then turn back on an hour before you come home so the home is cool when you get home.
P. Gagnon & Son is here to help you maximize your home’s energy efficiency. Contact us today for your annual A/C tune-up!