Being comfortable in your Marin, Sonoma, or Napa County home is important, but your family’s comfort levels can come with increased energy bills. There is a delicate balance between your family’s preferred indoor temperatures and the money you are paying to keep up with them. If you are trying to find the right place to land, when it comes to your home’s air conditioning temperatures, you are not alone. What temperature should you keep your home at during the summer? Let’s review.

What Temperature Should you Keep Your Home at During the Summer?

Having your air conditioning set to a very low temperature can not only cost you more, it can put extra strain on your system, leading to an increase in breakdowns and shortening its life. As the summer sets in and the warmer temperatures stick around, you and your family of course want to escape the heat from the outside, inside of your home; you can do so, without blasting the air.

To stay comfortable and save money this summer, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 78°F (26°C) when you are home. Setting your air conditioner to this level will allow you to stay cool and avoid an unusually high electricity bill. We know, that may seem much too high for most people; however, the smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.

Turning your thermostat up seven to 10° F higher while you are away at work, or any time you're out of the house for more than two hours, can help you save as much as 10 percent on cooling costs. With that being said, what temperature you should keep your home at during the summer, depends on if you are there are not. To save money and energy while you're away, set your thermostat to 88°F. The higher interior temperature actually slows the flow of heat into your home, so it won't take as much energy to cool things back down when you return home.

Tips for Keeping Your Home Comfortable While Saving Money

If you are looking to still maintain comfort levels in your home, while following the above temperature recommendations, there are some things you can do to avoid needing to turn the temperature setting down. These include:

• Utilizing a programmable thermostat to change temperature settings when you are home and away
• Using window coverings (i.e. curtains and blinds) that keep sunlight out and prevent heat from entering through the windows
• Keeping weather-stripping and caulk around doors and windows to maintain your home’s seal
• When possible, try to grill and cook outside to limit the use of appliances that generate heat
• Installing and using ceiling fans to increase cooling efficiency
• Investing in a dehumidifiers to help eliminate any access moisture that may come with the higher temperatures

As we said, when it comes to what temperature you should keep your home at during the summer, we know that there is a balance between comfort and costs. At Bragg Cooling, Heating & Plumbing, our goal is to ensure that you are comfortable in your home all year long. We can help you find the right HVAC unit for your home and family, repair AC issues you may be facing, tune up your cooling system so it works at its best, and more. When it comes to your comfort, you deserve the best solutions at the best value. All of our technicians and installers are Bragg employees dedicated to providing you with personalized solutions that meet your goals and budget.

Contact us today.

The warmer weather is setting in. Lots of people are likely jumping for joy, but others are probably thinking about how it can impact the money in their piggy bank. Keeping your Marin, Sonoma, or Napa county home cool during the spring and summer, can really put a dent in your pocketbook. We are going to review some tips for how to keep cooling costs down this spring and summer while not impacting your home and family’s comfort.

How to Keep Cooling Costs Down this Spring and Summer

Let’s be honest, when it comes to cooling your home, one of the most undesired parts about it, is the cost. There are things you can do to try and elevate some of the expense and most of those things are free or cost very little. What are those things? Keep reading to find out.

• Keep your Air Filters Clean: Dirty AC filters block airflow and make units work harder to cool your home, in turn, costing you money. Replacing a dirty, clogged filter with a clean one, can lower your air conditioner's energy consumption by 5% to 15% (Energy.gov). Not to mention, regularly replacing your home’s air filters can prolong the life of your HVAC system and make the air you are breathing cleaner, saving you even more in the long run.
• Set your Thermostat Effectively: Having the right and a functional thermostat, can save you around 10% a year on heating and cooling costs, and if you program your thermostat to stay within the ideal temperature range, it can save you even more. The key to finding the right temperature is being comfortable, not chilled. Setting your AC as high as is comfortably possible and using a programmable thermostat to increase temperature when you’re out, or asleep, could easily decrease your summer cooling bill by 10% or more.
• Utilize Fans and Ventilation Systems: As we recently reviewed, using your home’s ceiling fans with your HVAC system can save you money. If you are looking to keep cooling costs down this spring and summer, turning on your fans can help. If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting by about 3-5°F with no reduction in comfort. On average, for every degree you can move the air conditioner thermostat up, you reduce the duration of “on” cycles of the air conditioner compressor by 10%, cutting energy consumption, prolonging the life of your air conditioner, and increasing comfort in your home. When you take a shower or bath, use the bathroom vent to remove heat and humidity from your home, this can also save money on trying to cool down the space.
• Avoid Allowing Heat into Your Home: When it is warm outside, do whatever you can do to try and prevent that heat from coming inside your home. Close curtains and blinds to block out the rays during the day. Keeping sun out of your home, means you are reducing the heat that enters. Don’t run heat producing appliances during hot peaks. Things like using a stove or oven, doing laundry, or running the dishwasher can be saved until nighttime, or when the temperatures are a little cooler. Seal any cracks around windows or doors to prevent warm air from leaking into your home.

When it comes to keeping cooling costs down this spring and summer, there are many things you can do without really impacting the comfort level of your home. While we have reviewed a few tips above, for more, you can check out Energy.gov’s Energy Saver 101 infographic, covering everything you need to know about home cooling.

In Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties, Bragg Cooling, Heating & Plumbing is here for all of your Bay Area cooling needs. Whether you are looking for new AC installation, repair, or a tune-up, we have got you covered. Contact us today.