Ask Mike 12/06/06

It seems the “Frequently Asked Questions” went over well. Here are some more.

At what temperature should we set our thermostats in the winter? The Energy Department suggests a setting of 68 degrees in the winter. The real answer, when speaking of conserving heating dollars, is to set the thermostat as low as you can and still remain comfortable. It is important to be reminded that for each 1-degree lower you keep the heat, you’ll save 3% or more (on average) in heating costs. That can be a significant savings over the course of a winter.

Another suggestion is to consider turning the thermostat down even lower during the day if everyone is at work or school, and turning it down lower again at night when everyone is wrapped up in the bed. The most efficient way to do that is with a programmable thermostat that can turn the heat up and down at the time you set it to.

If I need to heat the house quickly, does it help to turn the thermostat much higher than I want it so it’ll hurry? No, not at all. It seems logical to some people that if the house is 65 degrees and you want it at 74, if you turn it up to 90, it’ll get to 74 faster. This is a misconception. The heat only knows two positions…those are Off and On, running or not running, heating or just sitting there. In fact, if you forget the fact that you turned it up so high, you can COST yourself money by not turning it down ASAP.

Be sure to catch “Ask Mike” every Saturday on WTRB and visit our website at www.qualityserviceinc.com.

Change your filters, and we’ll be back next week!