What is the Best Thermostat Setting for the Winter in Marmora, NJ?
According to energy.gov, the best thermostat setting for the winter is 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 58 to 61 degrees at night. These settings balance energy efficiency and comfort, and you can take some extra steps if it feels too cold at first.
In this article, we’ll dig a little deeper into the whole “ideal settings” thing. After all, we know there’s a lot more to keeping your Marmora, NJ home comfy in the winter than a one-size-fits-all rule.
So, before you get tempted to turn up the thermostat, read our tips to stay warm even in the coldest weather. We split the list into DIY tactics and ways your HVAC tech can help you out.
And, if you need heating and cooling service or have questions about making your Marmora, NJ home more energy-efficient, call or email us at Your Air Comfort Today!
Four DIY Ways To Keep Your Home Warm
You can keep your home at 68 degrees without feeling chilly! Four DIY ways to keep the house warm are:
- Reversing Your Ceiling Fans
- Opening Your Curtains
- Sealing Your Windows
- Putting Blankets On The Couch
Reversing Your Ceiling Fans
Running your ceiling fans clockwise pushes warm air down from the ceiling and toward the floor. This combats the pesky problem of hot air rising all the time. It’s especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings.
Most ceiling fans have a black button on the casing just below the blades. Turn off the fan and flip the switch once the blades stop. That changes the direction.
When the weather gets warmer, flip the switch again, so it’s running counter-clockwise. That draws the heat up toward the ceiling and away from you.
Opening Your Curtains
We all know sunlight keeps you warm — but did you know you can use this to make a big difference in your home even in the dead of winter?
This is an easy strategy: Simply open your curtains in the morning and close them at night. You’ll let in a whole lot of sunlight and drive up the temperature by a few degrees. In the evening, keeping them closed keeps the drafts out and the heat inside.
You can take this one step further — at night, anyway — with thermal curtains. These look like any other decorative curtains. But, they do a much better job of trapping heat inside the house.
Sealing Your Windows
If you have older windows, sealing them keeps a lot of heat in the house. It doesn’t always look great because it’s usually a matter of stretching plastic across the entire frame. But, it makes a huge difference, and it’s way cheaper than replacing the windows.
You can also get decorative draft blocks that sit on the window sill. They don’t seal off the entire opening, but they do a decent job and look a lot nicer.
Putting Blankets On The Couch
People tend to get cold when they’re reading or watching TV in part because they’re not moving around. It’s why you see so many stock photos of people wrapped in blankets on the couch:
But, if you’re not looking to swaddle, you can still use this technique to your advantage. Just putting blankets down on the couch helps you keep the heat near and on your body. You’ll stay warm while still being able to get right up and walk around.
Three Ways To Get More Heat From Your HVAC System
You can keep your home warm and comfortable with the thermostat no higher than 68 degrees. Before you turn up the heat, try these three heating and cooling strategies:
- Replace Your Air Filter
- Clear Around The Vents
- Get A Furnace Tune-Up
Replace Your Air Filter
If you haven’t changed your air filter in a while, or if it’s usually gray when you take it out, then replacing it now can make a huge difference in your home comfort.
That screen is made to block dirt and dust from coming through the vents. But, when it gets clogged, it doesn’t let air through, either.
That’s when you end up with weak circulation and the temptation to push the thermostat higher. Instead, change out the filter once a month.
Clear Around The Vents
Similarly, make sure each vent in your home has a foot of open space around it. Remember, while most vents push out the heated air, you also have returns.
Those vents draw in air from each room, so it passes through the heating and cooling system. Without this crucial step, the air in your home doesn’t get any warmer.
Get A Furnace Tune-Up
Finally, don’t forget a tune-up for your furnace in the fall! Going into winter with a system that’s cleaned out and optimized means getting better performance out of your heating and cooling system.
In terms of staying warm and comfortable, that means your system will have no problem keeping the temperature at 68 degrees without falling behind or struggling.
Energy Audits
If you’re taking all these steps and your home still isn’t staying warm, it may be time to think a little bigger. You may need anything from better insulation, new windows, or an HVAC upgrade. But, these are all expensive options. So, an energy audit is the best step to take first.
An expert inspects your home from top to bottom with an energy audit and identifies every place where you lose heat in the winter (and air conditioning in the summer).
At the end of it, you’ll get a checklist of recommendations. From there, you’ll have a better idea of what you need to do.
HVAC Repair, Service, And Installation In Marmora, NJ
If you’re having trouble keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter, call or email us here at Broadley’s! We’ve provided HVAC repair, service, and installations in Marmora, NJ for nearly a century, and we’re ready to help you.