When it comes to your Berks County home, your HVAC system likely consumes one of the largest portions of your budget. With this in mind, you want to look for ways to save as much as possible. However, you also want your family to be as comfortable as possible. In the winter, this generally means turning up the heat.
So, what is the best way to balance savings and comfort? Below you will find some recommendations for winter HVAC settings as well as other helpful tips from B&L Ott near Reading, PA. However, you can make adjustments if you would like and do what works best for you and your family.
Temperature
When Your Family is Home and Awake
When it comes to temperature, it is a good idea to shoot for 68℉ while your family is at home and awake. This temperature is generally high enough to keep your family comfortable, but low enough to help you conserve energy. However, if your family is cold and you are willing to spend a bit more, you can turn it up a few degrees. On the other hand, if you can stand it being a bit colder and want to save more, you may want to turn the temperature back a bit.
If you do adjust the temperature, just be sure not to turn it up or down too much or too often as this can waste energy. Even just a few degrees can make a significant difference in both comfort and energy usage.
When Your Family is Away or Asleep
During the night or while no one is home, it is a good idea to turn your thermostat back a few degrees. If you leave your thermostat at your preferred temperature while no one is home, you waste energy. You pay to warm air that no one is home to enjoy. On the other hand, if you turn your thermostat back a little bit, you can save some energy and lower your utility bills a bit.
Once again, it is important to note that you shouldn’t turn your thermostat back too much or too often. If you turn it back too much, your home may lose too much heat while you are away. Then you will end up spending extra energy to get your Berks County home back to your preferred temperature anyway. Turning it back a few degrees for about 8 hours a day is a good starting place.
Programmable Thermostats
Home Zoning
If your family has different temperature preferences, another option you may be interested in is a home zoning system. A home zoning system divides your home into sections via dampers in your air ducts. This gives you more control over where the air in your home goes. Therefore, if someone prefers warmer temperatures, you can direct the air to their room rather than heating the entire house to that temperature.
Humidity
Humidity can also play a significant role in your comfort. If the air is too humid, you will feel sticky and sweaty. One the other hand, low humidity can dry out your skin. This can make you feel itchy, and leave you more susceptible to colds.
The humidity that is right for your home can depend on a lot of variable such as where you live, how well your home is insulated, ventilation, and more. However, a good relative humidity for most homes in Berks County is somewhere between 40% – 50%. If you need help controlling the humidity in your home, talk to the professionals at B&L Ott. If need be, we can help you install a whole-house humidifier.
