August in Florida brings a familiar shift. The rhythm of summer, with its leisurely mornings and kids at home all day, gives way to the structure of a new school year. Early alarms, rushed breakfasts, and the quiet hum of an empty house during daytime hours become the new norm. As your family adapts to this new routine, there’s a critical question to ask: has your air conditioner’s schedule adapted too?
During the summer months, your AC likely worked overtime to keep the entire family comfortable all day long. But with the back-to-school transition, your home is likely unoccupied for a significant portion of the weekday. If you haven’t adjusted your thermostat settings, you are now paying a premium to keep an empty house perfectly cool. This seasonal shift presents a golden opportunity to optimize your AC usage, cut down on significant energy waste, and lower your electricity bills without sacrificing an ounce of comfort. At Richard’s AC, we want to help you make this smart, money-saving adjustment.
Why Your Summer AC Schedule is Now Costing You Money
Let’s break down the simple logic. Your summer AC schedule was likely designed for maximum occupancy—keeping the house at a comfortable 75-78°F from morning until night. This makes perfect sense when people are home. However, once school is in session, that same house may be completely empty for six to eight hours a day.
Continuing to run your AC at a prime comfort level during these empty hours is one of the biggest sources of energy waste for homeowners. Every hour your AC runs unnecessarily is money being spent for no reason. By simply aligning your thermostat’s schedule with your family’s new back-to-school routine, you can drastically reduce your system’s runtime and see a significant drop in your next energy bill.
Smart Adjustments for Every Type of Thermostat
The best way to adjust your schedule depends on the type of thermostat you have. Here’s a guide for every user:
For Smart & Wi-Fi Thermostat Users: The Gold Standard of Savings
If you have a smart or Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat, you have powerful tools at your fingertips. This is the easiest and most effective way to optimize your cooling.
- Create a “School Day” Schedule: Dive into your thermostat’s app and edit your weekday schedule. Program the temperature to automatically increase to an energy-saving level—like 82-85°F—about 20-30 minutes after the last person typically leaves for the day.
- Schedule Smart Pre-Cooling: The best part of a smart thermostat is returning to a comfortable home. Schedule the AC to start cooling back down to your preferred “at-home” temperature about 30-60 minutes before the first person is scheduled to arrive. This way, the house is cool upon arrival without having run the AC all day.
- Keep Your Weekend Schedules: Remember to create or maintain separate schedules for Saturdays and Sundays when your family is more likely to be home.
- Leverage Geofencing: If your family’s after-school schedule is unpredictable with sports and other activities, the geofencing feature on some smart thermostats is a game-changer. It uses your smartphone’s location to automatically switch to an “Away” setting when the last person leaves and back to “Home” when the first person starts heading back, providing effortless savings.
If you’re still wrestling with a manual thermostat, upgrading to a smart model is one of the most effective energy-saving investments you can make. The team at Richard’s AC can help you choose and install the perfect smart thermostat for your home to unlock these incredible savings and convenience.
For Older Programmable Thermostat Users: Still a Powerful Tool
Don’t have a Wi-Fi model? No problem. A standard programmable thermostat is still a very effective tool for this task.
- Program the “Away” Period: Go into your weekday settings. Program the period when the house is empty (e.g., from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM) to a higher, energy-saving temperature (again, 82-85°F is a great target).
- Program the “Return” Period: Set the thermostat to return to your comfortable temperature about 30 minutes before you expect to get home.
- Check Your “Hold” Setting: Many people use a temporary “Hold” setting during the summer to keep the temperature constant. Make sure you cancel this hold so your new back-to-school program can run as scheduled.
For Manual Thermostat Users: It’s All About the Habit
If you have a non-programmable, manual thermostat, you can still save money, but it requires building a new habit.
- The “Leaving” Habit: Make it a family rule. The last person to leave the house in the morning is responsible for manually turning the thermostat up to a higher temperature, like 85°F.
- The “Returning” Habit: The first person to arrive home will then need to manually adjust it back down to a comfortable level. While you do have to walk into a warm house for a little while, the savings on your energy bill can be substantial and well worth the minor inconvenience. For many, this daily manual adjustment is the final push they need to consider an upgrade to an automated system.
More Than Just the Thermostat: Other Back-to-School AC Tips
While reprogramming your thermostat is the biggest step, the start of a new school year is a great time to tackle a few other AC-related tasks:
1. It’s Time for a New Air Filter
Your air filter has worked incredibly hard all summer long, trapping dust, dander, and pollen. It is almost certainly dirty and ready for a change. Kick off the new school year with a fresh, clean air filter. This ensures your system can run as efficiently as possible with its new schedule, promoting better airflow and cleaner indoor air.
2. Unblock Vents in “New” Homework and Play Spaces
With the shift from summer fun to schoolwork, the way you use your home changes. A corner of a bedroom might now become a dedicated homework station, or a playroom might see less traffic. Do a quick walkthrough of your home to ensure furniture, desks, or toy bins haven’t been pushed in front of air vents, blocking airflow.
3. Consider a “Post-Summer” Tune-Up
After the marathon of a Florida summer, your AC system has endured significant wear and tear. Scheduling a professional maintenance visit from Richard’s AC in the early fall is a smart, proactive measure. Our technicians can thoroughly clean the system, inspect for any wear on components, and address any minor issues that may have developed during the peak season. This ensures your AC is healthy and ready for the next heatwave and the mild heating season ahead.
Let Richard's AC Help You Optimize Your Comfort and Savings
Whether you need help programming your thermostat, are ready to upgrade to a convenient smart model, or want to schedule a post-summer tune-up to keep your system in peak condition, our team is here to help.
Ready to lock in your back-to-school energy savings? Contact Richard’s AC today!
Call us for expert advice and the reliable, “old-school” service you can trust.
