How to Optimize Your Thermostat for a Healthy Household

We’ve already discussed on our blog about how a top-notch indoor air quality device can boost your immune system, and help everyone in your home to breathe a little easier and feel a little better. But today, we thought we’d discuss how managing your indoor temperature can create a healthier environment for your entire family. Keep reading to learn how to optimize your thermostat for a healthy household, and make sure to contact our heating, cooling, and indoor air quality experts at Premier Indoor Comfort Systems for all the comfort upgrades you need.

Top Thermostat Tips to Improve the Health of Your Household

• Minimize Humidity/Dryness: In the summer, high humidity levels tend to make your air feel muggy and stuffy, causing you to run your AC frequently and jack up your energy costs. In the winter, meanwhile, your indoor air may be less humid but is often dry, which causes moisture to evaporate quicker, leaving a cold sensation on your skin. How do you split the difference? Luckily, it’s spring right now, so humidity levels should be manageable. However, to really use your thermostat to control humidity, it’s best to set it at a higher level during the summer (roughly 78 degrees) to coincide with your air conditioner, and to set it at a lower temperature during the winter (roughly 68 degrees) to coincide with your heater. This will not only balance out humidity levels, but should help reduce your overall HVAC costs, too.
• Keep the Size/Layout of Your House in Mind: If you live in a large house, you may need more heating and cooling power depending on the time of year, just to accommodate the square footage. If you have a lot of people living in your house, chances are you will want to keep your thermostat on the cooler side, since more bodies means more heat. Also, if you or other family members spend a lot of time upstairs, you may want to keep your indoor temperature lower than 78 degrees, even during the summer. This is because heat rises, so even though you will have the AC providing you with cool air, you’re likely to feel warmer the higher you go. A lot of this depends on the individual preferences of people in your home, so above all else, just check in with your family about their temperature preferences. Speaking of which…
• Consider the Age & Health of Those in Your Home: If there are people in your house who are younger, older, or have any chronic health issues, you will typically want to keep the temperature on the warmer side. Of course, in the South, things tend to stay fairly warm year-round, so it is important to keep an eye on your thermostat to ensure everyone is comfortable without greatly increasing costs or humidity levels. Again though, the most important thing is to consider is the needs of every individual. For instance, you wouldn’t want to keep things too cool if you have a baby in a south-facing nursery. On the other hand, if you have a grandparent in a north-facing bedroom, they could easily get over-heated during the winter. The more you can balance out the temperature needs of everyone in your household, the happier they will be.

Other Things You Can Do to Maintain a Healthy Temperature

In addition to optimizing your thermostat based on the individuals on your property, you should also consider installing a smart thermostat, which will allow you increased temperature customization and efficiency throughout your home. You can also install a zone control system, allowing you to achieve ideal temperatures for every room in your house. And of course, cleaning your ducts is a great way to reduce air contaminants that can cause breathing and respiratory issues.

Finally, even more than optimizing your comfort, the best way to stay healthy right now is simply to keep social distancing and following the advice of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Wash your hands frequently, avoid contact with those outside your home, cover coughs and sneezes, wear a mask when out in public if possible, and clean and disinfect surfaces often. If we all do our part to stay healthy and flatten the curve, everything will be okay!

Schedule service with Premier Indoor Comfort Systems now at (770) 268-2422, or contact us online.