Resetting Your Thermostat for Daylight Savings Time

Remember to update the time on your programmable thermostat when the season changes to Daylight Savings Time. You’ll want temperature changes in your home to happen on schedule this winter—not an hour ahead. That’s one of the main advantages of a programmable thermostat: the freedom to accurately sync indoor comfort to your daily routine without making manual adjustments. The other advantage is greater energy efficiency. Proper use of a programmable model tends to significantly reduce annual heating and cooling expenses.

Changes For The Season

Now that winter is around the corner, you probably also need to re-program the schedule to optimize cold weather comfort. Most programmable thermostats can accommodate up to six separate temperature adjustments per 24-hour period. Here are a few “your-mileage-may-vary” suggestions for a daily winter schedule:

For maximum comfort, you’ll probably want to wake up in the morning to an indoor temperature around 68 degrees and keep it that way during occupied hours.

As the house empties for the day, set the program to knock the temperature down about 10 degrees.

At the hour when occupants begin to return from work or school, bring the comfort level back to 68.

After everyone’s comfortably snug in bed under blankets, program temperatures to drop a full 15 degrees for the overnight time span. The U.S. Department Of Energy reports that dropping overnight temps by 15 degrees during winter can save up to 15 percent in heating costs.

Keep in mind that you’re not “locked in” to these settings. Any time you need to deviate temporarily, simply select the override option on the thermostat and input whatever temperature you desire. The unit will automatically revert back to the schedule at the time of the next programmed temperature change.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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