This is the traditional time of year we take a vacation and leave behind an empty house. What temperature to leave the thermostat on is an important question.

Set the temperature too high and you risk mold and mildew growth along with wood furniture damage. Too low of a setting and you’re needlessly cooling an empty. What’s the best solution?

Humidity damage usually occurs above 90 degrees. If you have a traditional thermostat, leave it set between 80 – 85 degrees. This keeps a check on the utility bill while avoiding damage.

The very best solution is switching to a programmable thermostat, which automatically adjust your home’s temperature settings, allowing you to save energy while you’re away or sleeping.

With a programmable thermostat, the best pattern to follow for a vacant house is 85 degrees during daylight hours and 71 degrees from 3 a.m. – 5 a.m. The cooler temperature in the early morning removes moisture and cuts down on how often it will need to run during the heat of the day. Relative humidity will drop or remain stable as the temperature goes up.

We at Mosby Building Arts have learned from our energy auditing experiences that programmable thermostats are your best solution for these reasons:
● More convenient and accurate than manual thermostats and improve your home’s comfort
● Contain no mercury
● Save energy and save money on utility bills — when used properly, about $150 a year
● Better for the environment, since using less energy helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production

All the advantages of a programmable thermostat also make it a logical “green choice” for your home. Plus, you program it once and need never get caught forgetting to change a setting.

Whether at home or away, we also recommend some old fashioned tips to help out with your AC bills:
● Ceiling fans rotating clockwise
● Shades or blinds drawn down against direct sunlight
● Awnings or deep roof eaves atop windows facing south and west
● Trees and tall shrubs to provide shade on south and west sides
● Roof vents remove accumulated heat from the attic

To cut down on the confusion of so many systems, remote control home automation systems can help you control ceiling fans, blinds and thermostat settings. You have so many great options for controlling heat without raising your cooling bills, and our Energy Star-Certified experts can find the best energy solutions for you.  Let us help you save money while staying comfortable.

Learn the Art of Living at CallMosby.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.