You’ve made many homeowner resolutions for 2022, and the first thing on your list was to become more efficient. Smart thermostats are an excellent way to reduce your energy bills while ensuring custom comfort in your home. If you’re installing it yourself, you may wonder — does the placement of your thermostat matter?

Factors in Thermostat Placement

If you and your significant other are constantly battling over control of the thermostat, you may think that putting it somewhere inconvenient is a good solution.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to work it out between you, because there is a narrow band of options if you want to get the most from your new device.

Set the Scene for Efficiency

Your thermostat keeps constant tabs on your home’s temperature, and sometimes the humidity as well. To do this properly, it requires a central location that best represents the average conditions of your home.

If set in a dark, quiet room with no traffic, the thermostat will believe your home is cooler than it really is and turn on the heat or turn off the AC prematurely.

If placed near a source of heat, it will determine it’s too hot and will try running the AC constantly.

Neither option is comfortable or economical.

Locations to Avoid

To prevent misfires on your HVAC system, avoid the following locations when determining thermostat placement:

  1. Near windows or exterior doors

  2. Next to heat-generating appliances, such as found in laundry rooms and kitchens

  3. Close to sources of cooling, such as fridges or freezers

  4. By vents, registers, or radiators

  5. Close to fireplaces or stoves

Location, Location, Location

The truth is, unless your home has been significantly modified, the original location for your thermostat is probably best. An expert contractor has already performed any calculations required to find the right spot. More importantly, all the necessary wiring and mounting hardware are already in place.

The correct place for thermostat placement is on the interior wall in a central hallway that receives a lot of traffic. Mount the thermostat about 52 to 60 inches high, to prevent rising heat from triggering it unnecessarily.

When to Move a Thermostat

One good reason to change the placement of your thermostat is if you’ve radically changed the configuration of your home.

For example, if you’ve added a finished room or attic space, it changes the central spot in your home.

If you’ve added zoning to your HVAC system, you’ll need additional thermostats to control each zone.

Finally, if the size of your family has changed or you’ve closed off rooms, you should relocate the thermostat to better represent the existing traffic patterns.

While adding a new thermostat or changing the location is a simple homeowner DIY project, it pays to do it right. Make an appointment today with the experts at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ll determine the perfect location for seamless operation based on any of your system’s changing needs.