Ideal Thermostat Setting for a Florida Winter

Florida winters are, thankfully, milder than most. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about them. As winter sets in, the temperatures dip lower than any other time of the year.

Combine that with several holidays that can mean a lot of extra bodies in the house or the constant in-and-out of home visitors, and knowing what to set your thermostat to can be a bit of a puzzle. If you want to save energy (and money!) throughout the year, knowing the ideal thermostat settings for Florida winters is a must.

Don’t let the winter chill get to you this year. Contact our trained professionals at Greens Energy Services about your Orlando HVAC system.

Does Your Thermostat Setting Matter?

What’s a degree or two on the thermostat, right? If you’re wondering how much of an impact a couple degrees can have on your overall energy consumption, you might be surprised by how much it matters.

Like most questions of energy consumption and savings, it’s pretty complex. The type of system, the size of your home, how good (or not good) your insulation is — all these things are factors.

With that in mind, we’ll use some general numbers to give you an idea. A single degree on a furnace can represent as much as 10–12% more energy used by your heating system, translating to a rough estimate of a 3–5% higher energy bill.

When you consider the three or more months that your system is running, you’re talking about a lot of wasted energy.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings

The final number is different from person to person, but our experts typically find that running a furnace at about 68–70 degrees is perfect for daytime. In the evening or when you’re away, you can even cut it back by a few degrees more since you’re snuggled, bundled, or gone anyway.

You can also optimize your energy savings this winter with these easy tips:

• Consider adding insulation. Most older homes lack some insulation, but you can add blown-in insulation for a reasonable price. You’ll reap the comfort and energy benefits for years.
• Use ceiling fans. Running ceiling fans clockwise pushes warm air back down into your room, helping maintain a stable warm temperature. There’s a switch on most ceiling fans to swap between clockwise and counter, so be sure it’s set correctly.
• Replace your air filter frequently. A clean air filter optimizes proper flow, helping your system work more efficiently. It will also help with winter air quality challenges.
• Use a programmable thermostat for furnaces. Programmable Wi-Fi thermostats take all the guesswork out of keeping your energy-savings-to-comfort ratio balanced.

What’s the Best Thermostat for Florida?

As many Orlando residents have discovered, installing a smart thermostat is an effective, affordable way to lower your utility bills. Smart thermostats improve on the design of programmable thermostats by adding features like Wi-Fi connectivity, intelligent self-programming, touchscreen displays, or advanced menu systems.

Call 407-917-3759 for more help finding the best thermostat settings for your central Florida home or to install a smart thermostat in Orlando.