Today we dive into the rights and wrongs associated with thermostat placement and discuss ways to optimally mount and adjust your wireless, programmable thermostat. These things are especially necessary to keep in mind if you aspire to maintain a balanced temperature in all the rooms of your home, be it the kitchen, living room, or even the halls.
Termostat Placement Problems Affecting Your HVAC Efficiency
Your smart thermostat, equipped with sensors, plays a crucial role in your home’s central heating and cooling system. As a unit of advanced technology, it adjusts the temperature of your space to ensure comfort. You may have never considered that the actual placement of the thermostat could significantly affect the efficiency of your HVAC system. If your thermostat is located near windows or doors that might let in excess heat or cold, or perhaps near appliances that generate heat in your kitchen, you may be experiencing problems with accuracy– a scenario that can mess up your comfort settings and bring a rise in your electricity bill. Proper placement of your thermostat, such as on the correct wall, makes a huge difference in ensuring accurate heating and cooling in your home.
If you’re experiencing high energy bills or hot and cold spots throughout your hallways and rooms, these are tell-tale signs that your thermostat placement may be off. Another sign is your heating or cooling system shutting on and off frequently without doing its job completely. This might be due to the thermostat’s proximity to heat-generating appliances or lamps, throwing off the temperature reading.
Here are some installation errors following previous guidelines that may be causing these problems for your home. The most important thing to remember is that the positioning of your thermostat needs to be adjusted in such a way that it can efficiently regulate the temperature.
3 Frequent Errors of Thermostat Placement
There are some areas of your home that your thermostat should stay clear of. Wrongful thermostat placement, such as on certain walls, can have negative effects on your home’s temperature, and here are the places to avoid.
1. Thermostat is in direct sunlight – If your thermostat is placed in direct sunlight, chances are it is reading a much higher temperature than the actual air temperature in your home. In this case, you may notice your cooling system working much harder in the summer and find that your home is very cold during the winter.
2. Thermostat is too close to air vents – Placing a thermostat too close to air vents can give the thermostat false readings on the temperature of your home. For instance, if you start up your cooling system and your thermostat is next to your air vents, cool air will blow from your air vents onto your thermostat, and will yield a false reading that your home is cool, causing the system to turn off. This can happen for both cooling and heating your home.
3. Thermostat is not centralized – The best place for your thermostat for an accurate temperature reading is towards the center of your home. This allows the thermostat to read the average temperature of your home, maximizing the system’s accuracy in making your home comfortable. In contrast, a thermostat placed on one side of your home may read differently from the temperature of the rest of your home, and cause your heating or cooling to be inaccurate.
The Best Place (or Ideal Spot) to Install Your Thermostat
The optimal spot for your wall-mounted, programmable thermostat is in a hallway in the center of your home, away from direct sunlight and air vents. If you are unsure about where to place your thermostats or think you may need to have them moved, you should contact your Las Vegas AC repair and maintenance company for immediate assistance.
If you’re having issues with your heating and cooling system, examine the placement of your thermostat and determine if there may be an issue with its location. Consider whether your thermostat is near an air vent, if it is centralized in your home, or if it may be in direct sunlight. Adapting the placement to suit your unique space and needs is the way to ideal thermostat operation.
Common Mistakes in Thermostat Placement
- Exposure to Direct Sunlight: A thermostat in direct sunlight may read a temperature much higher than your home’s actual ambient temperature. This can cause your air conditioner to run excessively in the summer, while in the winter, your heater might not run enough, leaving your home colder than desired.
- Proximity to Air Vents: A thermostat too close to an air vent can be problematic. When the HVAC system turns on, the immediate rush of air can cause the thermostat to think the entire house has reached the target temperature quickly, leading to short cycling. This frequent turning on and off is not only inefficient but can also wear out your system faster and lead to uneven temperatures in your home.
- Non-centralized Location: A thermostat should ideally be placed in a central location to get an accurate reading of your home’s average temperature. If it’s placed near a wall in an unusually hot or cold room, or near an exterior door or window, it might not provide an accurate reading for the rest of the house. This can lead to some rooms being too hot or too cold and overall inefficient heating or cooling.
If you notice any issues with the placement of your thermostat, your local professional can help relocate your thermostat and make your home comfortable again. For all of your HVAC needs, contact The Cooling Company today at (702) 567-0707.
