In the cold Ohio winter, sometimes it feels like you’ll never get warm. The temptation is to crank the thermostat up — but be careful! You could end up with too much heat, which is as bad as not having enough. Here’s how to avoid excess heat and ensure optimum comfort in your home.
How Much Heat Is Too Much Heat?
Your ideal winter thermostat setting is between 68 and 72 degrees. At night, you can lower it to 65, as cooler temperatures help you sleep. If there are any older members of your household, keep the thermostat at a minimum of 68 degrees at all times for their health.
If you have too much heat coming from your unit, your system will run too long, wasting energy. Additionally, the longer your system runs, the more moisture it will remove from the air. In winter, the air is already dry, and lower humidity can lead to sore throats, flu viruses, cracked skin, and more.
Maintaining Ideal Heating Levels
First, schedule your annual maintenance visit to ensure that your furnace is operating at peak efficiency and that your thermostat settings are in the right place for your home. To find your home’s ideal comfort level, start with the thermostat at 68 degrees. If that’s too cold, turn it up one degree at a time, waiting about half an hour after each adjustment until you find the right temperature for you and the other members of your household.
A smart thermostat helps as well, allowing you to switch automatically to energy-saving mode when no one is home. You can also invest in a zoning system, which provides air to each room as needed so one area isn’t too hot while another is still too cold.
Finally, schedule a home-energy audit. Your HVAC technician will use a fan to remove the air from your home and discover leaks where cold, outdoor air is getting in to undermine your furnace. Once discovered, you can then seal the leaks to ensure optimum heating and efficiency.
To avoid too much heat in your home, contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide HVAC help to Lorain, Elyria, and Oberlin.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area