Is your home’s HVAC system failing to keep your family comfortable? Does your home feel warmer or colder than the thermostat reading? Call the trusted HVAC experts of Georgia Air Cooling & Heating at 912-513-3724 for reliable, efficient service.
The thermostat is the most visible part of your home’s heating and cooling system and arguably the most important to keeping your family comfortable. The thermostat tracks the temperature inside your home and sends signals to the HVAC unit to heat or cool rooms to your selected settings. The most efficient heating and cooling depend on accurate readings, though. Georgia Air Cooling & Heating, an air conditioning repair service in Savannah, GA, has helped homeowners relocate thermostats to ensure their residential HVAC systems work as intended.
If you have noticed issues like uneven heating and cooling, higher-than-expected energy bills, or a system that runs too often (or not enough), you may need to move the thermostat to a different location. Exposing a thermostat to drafts or excessive heat or light won’t produce accurate readings, and these incorrect readings cause the HVAC system to work harder than necessary to reach a comfortable temperature — or keep the air conditioning or heat from turning on and off when needed.
The ideal thermostat location varies by household. If you have a new device or moving your current one will solve your HVAC woes, a few simple placement guidelines will help you select the perfect positioning for the most accurate readings. Your HVAC system will work as intended and be more efficient while your family stays more comfortable.
1. Install the Thermostat at the Correct Height
Ideally, place the thermostat 52 to 60 inches up from the floor. Installing it higher or lower will result in inaccurate readings because hot air rises and cold air sinks. This height also ensures that you can see the display and reach the controls to make adjustments.
2. Select a Central Location
Smart thermostats track the average temperature of your home throughout the day to control the HVAC system. The air conditioning or furnace should come on automatically when the thermostat senses the ambient air is warmer or cooler than your preferred temperature. The system automatically cycles on and off throughout the day to maintain that temperature.
Therefore, placing the thermostat in a central location within your home helps maximize accuracy by eliminating large swings in temperature caused by drafts, windows, and other factors. If necessary, relocate the thermostat to the first floor if it’s on an upper level. Again, heat rises, so the average temperature will seem higher than it is.
Also, avoid choosing the hottest or coldest room in the house when choosing the thermostat location. The devices control the HVAC system by calculating the average temperature in your home to find the most comfortable and efficient setting. If you hang it in a room with extreme temperatures, that average will skew higher or lower than the actual average temperature, making your home too cold or too warm.
3. Relocate the Thermostat to a Frequently Used Room
Placing the thermostat in a bedroom or other room that the whole family doesn’t regularly use can make consistently heating and cooling the entire house more difficult. Unless you have a wireless thermostat that allows you to make adjustments from anywhere, it can be inconvenient to increase or decrease the temperature when the thermostat isn’t nearby. In addition, when the device is in the room you spend the most time in, you can set the temperature to your exact preference and make your entire home more comfortable.
4. Avoid Exterior Walls
Is your thermostat on an exterior wall? If so, move it to an interior wall. Even well-insulated exterior walls experience more temperature fluctuations than interior walls, and these changes will affect the accuracy of the thermostat temperature readings.
When the HVAC runs according to an inaccurate average temperature, it will need to work harder to heat and cool your home. Eventually, the excess wear and tear on the HVAC equipment can lead to malfunctions and breakdowns. Choosing an interior wall instead produces more accurate and consistent readings that reduce strain on the HVAC system.
5. Relocate Thermostats Away from Direct Sunlight
Hanging the thermostat in a location that receives a lot of direct sunlight will produce higher-than-normal temperature readings. When this happens, the air conditioning will run more than necessary and work harder to keep rooms cool. It’s also possible that because the thermostat senses the room as warmer than it actually is, the heat won’t come on when you want it to. Either way, move the thermostat away from direct exposure to light and heat from a window or skylight.
6. Don’t Install Thermostats Under Vents
Much like a thermostat installed in the direct line of a window, one placed under an HVAC vent will not produce accurate readings. The heated and cooled air blowing over the sensors will make the thermostat “think” the room is warmer or cooler than it is. Again, the air conditioning and heat may run when they shouldn’t or run too long. Install the thermostat on an adjacent wall instead, away from the direct flow of air that will create an inaccurate “ghost reading.”
7. Bathrooms and Kitchens Are Not Good Thermostat Locations
The kitchen is likely the warmest room in your home. Cooking generates a lot of heat and humidity, affecting the thermostat’s accuracy. The same goes for the bathroom. In both cases, the thermostat will read the room’s temperature as higher than it is, causing the air conditioning to run and the heat to stay off. Relocate thermostats in these rooms to prevent the effects of heat and moisture and keep the rest of the house at the right temperature.
8. Keep the Thermostat Away from Doors
A thermostat located near an exterior door isn’t going to produce the most accurate temperature readings. Not only is there a possibility of drafts if the door isn’t well-sealed, but constant opening and closing allows more outside air in, which skews the average temperature reading. This incorrect average means the HVAC system will cycle on and off without significantly affecting the indoor temperature. Relocate a thermostat installed too close to an exterior door to a spot in the house’s interior, so outside air won’t affect it as much.
9. Choose a Room, Not a Hallway
Interior hallways might seem like the ideal location for your smart thermostat. After all, it’s likely free of drafts, windows, doors, and other features that can affect the ambient temperature and cause “ghost readings.” The problem with a hallway is that your family doesn’t spend much time there. This means there’s limited air circulation, and a comfortable temperature setting in the long, narrow space may not be ideal in the rest of the house.
10. Take Care with Furniture and Appliance Placement
When you’re arranging furniture or trying to relocate a thermostat, ensure there is plenty of space for airflow. Large pieces of furniture can block air circulation around the thermostat sensors, affecting their ability to gauge temperature accurately. Avoid placing items in front of or directly below the thermostat.
Avoid putting appliances that generate heat near the thermostat as well. Televisions, lamps, computers, and other devices that generate heat will affect the thermostat reading.
11. Don’t Forget Wi-Fi Signal
Using an app or remote control to manage a smart thermostat is convenient. It can help you maximize your HVAC system’s efficiency, but only if the device has a strong Wi-Fi connection. To get the most from the smart device, install it in a location that consistently receives a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Placing a wireless thermostat out of range disrupts the connection, which can keep the device from making automatic and scheduled heating and cooling adjustments. An inconsistent connection prevents the thermostat from accurately measuring and calculating the average temperature and automatically adjusting to your setting preferences.
Call Georgia Air Cooling & Heating for All Your HVAC Needs
When you need help finding the ideal location for a thermostat, don’t hesitate to call the HVAC experts of Georgia Air Cooling & Heating. With our extensive experience working with HVAC systems from all manufacturers, we know why your house is colder than the set temperature, why your unit keeps cycling on, or why your energy bills have suddenly skyrocketed. We’ll ensure your thermostat is in the perfect spot to accurately control the HVAC system, keeping your family comfortable and your heating and cooling costs manageable.
Homeowners in the Savannah, GA, area rely on Georgia Air Cooling & Heating for all their HVAC needs, from installation and maintenance to repairs. We offer 24/7 emergency service and stand behind all our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Our certified technicians proudly serve our neighbors with reliable, fast service at fair and budget-friendly prices. To relocate a thermostat or get help with any other HVAC problem, call the professionals at Georgia Air Cooling & Heating today at 912-513-3724 to make an appointment.