Here’s a simple step you can take to make an impact on the temperature in your home — Make sure your thermostat isn’t close to a heat source such as lamps, space heaters, windows, etc.  These heat sources can cause your thermostat to think the house is warmer than it really is and keep the A/C running longer than necessary.

I’ve lived in houses and apartments where the thermostats received direct sunlight through a window that impacted how much the air conditioner ran.

We’ve had thermostats close to laundry rooms that can get warm during the drying cycle on your clothes dryer.

If you are building a home, give thought to the location of your thermostat.  One mistake I made in our home was locating the thermostat on the south side of the house rather than in the middle of the house.  Since the south side of the house receives full sun, it warms up more during the day.  Since the thermostat is located on this side of the house, it causes my air conditioner to run more than it should.

The result?  Uneven heating of your home, which is not only uncomfortable but inefficient for your A/C unit.

So take a few minutes to look at where your thermostat is located and take steps to move heat sources a comfortable distance away or even shade windows that provide direct sunlight on the thermostat. 

Photo credit:  red_marc