Location, location, location. A thermostat’s location is crucial to how it regulates your home’s temperature. Properly placed, it can keep you comfortable in hot or cold weather and reduce your utility bills. Without correct placement, however, you may struggle to keep your house comfy and your energy bills manageable. If your home’s temperatures are out of control, you may blame your entire HVAC system. But the issue may be as simple as a poorly placed thermostat.
Here are tips about how to find the perfect spot for your thermostat.
Thermostat Height
A thermostat’s operation can be affected by its height. Install the thermostat 52 to 60 inches high. Above 60 inches will cause high readings, while below 52 inches will cause your thermostat to read lower temperatures.
Place the Thermostat at the Center of Your Home
Don’t place your thermostat near the warmest or coldest room in your house. The thermostat should be installed in the center of an area that you or your family often use. This ensures that the room is consistently comfy. It’s also the best location for your thermostat to reliably interpret your home’s average temperature.
Interior Wall Placing
When a thermostat is installed on an interior wall, it reads the inside temperatures rather than the outside ones.
Thermostats Should Be Out of Direct Sunlight
If your thermostat is positioned in direct sunlight, it “thinks” a room is warmer than it really is. This will waste energy by making the air conditioner kick on when it’s not needed and making the rest of your house too cool. In the winter, a thermostat placed in direct sunlight will “think” the temperature is warm enough and not sufficiently heat the house.
Should My Thermostat Be In the Kitchen?
Your stove, refrigerator, and other kitchen items generate a lot of heat. If you install a thermostat near this room, it won’t accurately read the ambient air. Your air conditioner will run when it’s not needed and your heater won’t run enough in cold weather. Also, since the kitchen isn’t constantly warm, these fluctuations will prevent your thermostat from getting the correct reading.
Away from Bathrooms
This is another area that has temperature fluctuations. The bathroom’s heat and steam can make your thermostat think the air is warmer than it is, so the heat will excessively cycle off and on. This can take its toll on your system and your utility bills.
Thermostats Should Not Be In Empty Hallways
A hallway is long, narrow, and lacks air circulation. These conditions will prevent the thermostat from accurately gauging the house’s temperature. Plus, you probably spend very little time in your hallways, so they don’t need to be properly heated or cooled. This also applies to isolated rooms.
Keep Them Away from Vents
Cold air from your air conditioner may blow on your thermostat if it’s too close to an air vent, causing a misreading. This may also cause your unit to short-cycle (turn on and off too frequently) and malfunction. Be careful not to place a thermostat below or above a vent.
Don’t Place Near Drafts
Cool or warm air squeezing in from cracks and gaps around doors and windows can confuse the thermostat’s sensors and prevent accurate temperature readings. Air can seep into the most well-insulated windows and doors, so place your thermostat away from these areas.
Keep It Away from Electronics and Appliances that Radiate Heat
Electronics and appliances can cause false readings. Be sure to install your thermostat away from items such as computers, computer monitors, microwaves, toasters, lamps, TVs, and clothes washers and dryers.
Place in an Unobstructed Location
Make sure to install your thermostat in a location that’s not blocked by furniture, decorations, bookshelves, plants, or other household items. This permits air to freely flow around the device so it can properly gauge the air’s temperature.
Where to Install a Thermostat in a Two-Story House
Since hot air rises and cool air descends, your upstairs will feel warmer than your downstairs. This can happen in winter as well as summer. Ideally, one thermostat should be installed upstairs and one downstairs. Each works separately to regulate your home’s temperature.
A good guideline for setting thermostats in your two-story home is the “two-degree rule.” This means setting the thermostats on one floor two degrees apart from the other. For instance, in the summer you’ll set your upstairs thermostat at your preferred temperature. Then you’ll set your downstairs thermostat two degrees lower. In the winter, do the reverse.
Smart Thermostats
Your smart thermostat should be placed within the range of your Wi-Fi. Make sure the signal is strong enough to furnish an unbroken connection. Optimally, this is on an interior wall in a common area. Like other thermostats, it shouldn’t be installed in areas that have obstructions or temperature extremes.
Contact Us
There’s a strategy for installing a thermostat in an area that will provide you and your family with year-round comfort. If you’d like to learn about the perfect thermostat for your home or have assistance installing it, the professionals at Progressive Air Systems are just a phone call away. Contact us today!
