Now that fall has arrived, it’s time to make adjustments to your thermostat settings for the heating season. If you have a programmable thermostat to help reduce energy waste, you may be planning setbacks for overnight, and those weekday periods when you and your family are normally away from home at work or school. Before you program in your fall temperature adjustments, it’s wise to consider the best temperature for pets in your household to keep them healthy and comfortable.
Correlating Pets’ Physiology and Temperature Changes
Most pets are like we humans in that they don’t react well to sudden or radical temperature changes, which can occur if you’ve set your thermostat for significant setbacks for certain periods each day. Pets like dogs and cats have fur to keep them warm, but the temperature they can tolerate also depends on:
- The type and length of your pet’s coat. Long-haired cats and dogs with a thick coat generally won’t mind a cooler temperature. Short-haired or smooth breeds that don’t have that extra insulating advantage are less likely to tolerate cold.
- The size and weight of the animal. Generally, larger, heavier pets are less susceptible to colder temperatures, while smaller animals need a warmer environment.
- The health of your pet. If your pet suffers from certain health problems like heart or kidney disease or hormonal imbalances from Cushing’s disease or a thyroid condition, it can have difficulty regulating its body temperature, and extremely low temperatures can put undue stress on the animal.
Deciding on the Best Indoor Temperature for Your Pets
To determine how far to set back your indoor temperature to save energy, consider all of the above factors, and talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns about your pet’s health. If most cases, you can use how you’d react to specific temperatures as a guideline – if a temperature setting would make you uncomfortably chilly, it’s likely to have the same effect on your four-legged family member.
For more advice about choosing the right temperature for pets in your Lorain home, contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor temperatures and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area