How Thermostat Inaccuracy Can Affect Your Expenses

Your thermostat is the brain of your entire HVAC system, setting your temperature and keeping you and your family comfortable. However, if there is a problem with your thermostat, the whole system may be at risk, meaning you need to address the problem as soon as possible.

Having a malfunctioning or inaccurate thermostat can end up costing you quite a lot of money in the long run. Below you will find some of the ways this inaccuracy could affect you, and why you should avoid letting your thermostat remain imprecise for any amount of time. An HVAC technician can help ensure that everything is working properly.

Increased Energy Bills

The most obvious issue that an inaccurate thermostat can cause is increased energy bills. If you are attempting to heat your home to 68 or 70 degrees and your thermostat is reading low, you are paying for more warmth than you’re getting.

Natural gas, heating oil and electricity all cost money, with energy costs are continually on the rise. Don’t waste money; make sure your thermostat is reading the correct temperature. Keeping your thermostat functioning properly will result in lower energy bills throughout the colder seasons.

Wear and Tear on Your HVAC System

Your thermostat tells your HVAC system when to turn on and when to turn off. Each time your HVAC system is cycled like this, the system experiences some normal wear and tear. It is completely normal, and built into the expected life of your system.

If your thermostat is malfunctioning it can add on/off cycles to your system unnecessarily. Each one of those reduces the expected life of your HVAC system because it will speed up the system replacement timeline. By maintaining your thermostat, your increasing the lifespan of your HVAC system and saving on future repair costs.

Decreased Efficiency

One of the reasons you may have invested in your HVAC system was because of its efficiency. After all, the more efficient your furnace or air conditioner is, the lower your energy bills will be.

In order for your system to work at peak levels, it needs to be up and running for a long period of time.  Your system uses more energy turning on and off than it does just running.

A broken or faulty thermostat can force your system to constantly turn on and off. This makes the system function at less than peak levels and will cost you more in your monthly energy bills.  

Home Appliances

If your HVAC system is unable to keep your home warm in the winter, what is your alternative? It might be to head out and purchase space heaters or other means of keeping your home warm.

Space and room heaters are not cheap, however. Not only is there an investment cost to the devices themselves, there is also the additional energy that it takes to run them, not to mention the fire hazard of using certain types of these devices. Please be careful, and never leave the house with a space heater turned on. Better yet, unplug it.

Avoid having to invest in outside appliances by keeping your thermostat accurate.

Save on Energy Costs with an Accurate Thermostat

As we have seen, an inaccurate thermostat can have a tremendous effect on your HVAC system, both in terms of your energy bills and the overall functioning of your system. If you notice your energy costs creeping up, or if your system isn’t performing the way you’re used to, it’s important that you get repairs as soon as possible. Maintaining your thermostat will keep your energy costs low and you comfort level high.