This week's newsletter from Gene

We are in the process of changing out all our thermostats to ones we can control remotely and program to match our activities. However, we don’t have them all switched yet (we have 27 total), which leaves some of them available for anyone to change. Please allow me to present “Thermostat 101,” which will also help you at your homes and wherever you have access to thermostats.

Think of a thermostat as an “On/Off” switch. It is a “timer” with a thermometer. The thermometer tells the thermostat when to turn on or off. When an air conditioning system is in the “On” position and working properly, it will push air into the room at about 55 degrees.

When you set the thermostat to cool, you are telling the thermometer when to turn the AC off. Remember, the AC is either “On” or “Off.” It produces cool air of approximately 55 degrees. The question is, “How long do you want that 55-degree air to flow into the room?”

For example, the room temp is 80 degrees and you set the thermostat to 64 because it’s really hot and you don’t have much time to cool off the room. The AC comes on and puts 55-degree air into the room until the room temperature reaches 64. No one wants to be in a room at 64 degrees, which is what we sometimes find when we come in the morning: condensation on the windows and a 64-degree room when the AC was left on all night.

If you want the room to be 72, set the thermostat to 72. The AC will push 55-degree air into the room until the thermometer says it is 72, and it will turn off the AC. Setting it lower will not cool it faster.

If you happen to be in a room that is not yet converted to the new thermostats, please NEVER set them below 72 degrees, regardless of how hot it feels. Remember, you are turning on a timer. At what temperature do you want it to turn off? (By the way, when you leave a room, turning the thermostat to 85 really helps.)