Here’s Louisiana’s Ideal Thermostat Setting For Winter

The forecast high temperature for Lafayette, Louisiana on Saturday afternoon is 77 degrees. The forecast high temperature for Lafayette Louisiana the next day, Sunday, is 56 degrees. From that information, we can determine two things. One, we understand why everybody is sick. And two, keeping your home's thermostat setting at a constant number is darn near impossible.

But believe it or not, there will be days when the temperature won't be like a roller coaster. We will have days at a time where the temperature only varies a few degrees from one day to the next and that's where knowing the ideal thermostat setting for your home can save you money, keep your family well, and just make life a lot more tolerable.

If we're being truthful, the "number setting" on a South Louisiana thermostat is sometimes less important than the "function setting" on a South Louisiana thermostat. As we've illustrated earlier in this narrative some days it's summer and the next day it's winter and if your HVAC System isn't told whether it should be heating or cooling you could wind up with some uncomfortable hours in your home waiting for the dust to settle, or at least quit burning in your vents.

The Department of Energy suggests that if we dial back the heat on our HVAC system this fall and winter we can save about 10% on our utility bills. They suggest a setting of 68 to 70 degrees in your home during the "awake hours".  During the time you're away from home, say for work or school, you can drop that setting even lower. You might want to drop it a degree or two at night since most of us like to sleep in cooler conditions.

A formula you can use to calculate your savings is this. You'll save 1% on your energy bill for every one-degree cooler you keep your home for every eight hours. This works to our advantage in the winter months because your home won't cool off as quickly as it might heat up during the summer months. So, it's not like you'll be walking into a meat locker when you get home from work each day.

And don't forget you can save money on heating and cooling by keeping your system in good shape. If you haven't changed your HVAC filter this month you need to do that and make sure that your vents aren't covered or clogged by curtains or furniture. This will make it easier for your home comfort system to make you feel comfortable.

Oh, and if you have windows that face to the south, open them up and let the sunshine in. Conversely, windows with a northern exposure need to be closed, sealed, and covered with curtains or drapes to prevent drafts.