A thermostat is the cheapest comfort upgrade in your house, and most homeowners never set it up to do its job. In a Forney summer, where the AC runs hard from May into October, a smart schedule and a few sensible settings can keep you comfortable while trimming what you spend. Here’s how to get yours dialed in.
Build a sensible summer schedule
The whole point of a programmable or smart thermostat is matching your cooling to your day, so the system isn’t working hard to keep an empty house cold. Think in three blocks — home, away and sleep — and set each one once so you never have to touch it again. Here’s a sensible starting point you can adjust to your family.
The exact numbers are yours to choose — what matters is the pattern: ease off when the house is empty or everyone’s asleep, and have the system bring things back before you need it.
Keep setbacks modest, not extreme
It’s a myth that the bigger the setback, the bigger the savings. In Forney’s heat, letting the house climb too far while you’re out means the AC has to run flat out to recover, often erasing what you saved — and the house sits humid and uncomfortable until it catches up. A modest setback of a few degrees during away and sleep blocks captures most of the benefit without that penalty. Steady and moderate beats dramatic.
The energy your AC uses to pull the house back down after a deep setback can wipe out the savings. On the hottest Kaufman County days, a smaller setback often costs less overall.
Leave the fan on AUTO
Your thermostat fan setting has two options, and the right one for summer is almost always AUTO. On AUTO the blower runs only while the system is actively cooling. Switch it to ON and the fan runs constantly — which sounds harmless but re-circulates moisture sitting on the cold coil right back into your rooms, so the house feels stickier, and it uses extra electricity around the clock. Unless you have a specific reason, leave it on AUTO.
Make the most of smart features
If you’ve got a smart thermostat, a few features are worth turning on. Geofencing uses your phone’s location to ease back cooling when everyone leaves and start recovering before you’re home. Energy reports show you where your usage is going. And many models send a reminder when it’s time for a filter change — small habits that keep the system breathing easy. Set the schedule once, switch the helpful features on, and let it work.
- Pick a comfortable home temperature for occupied hours.
- Set an away block a few degrees warmer for work and school.
- Set a sleep block — slightly cooler suits most people.
- Schedule recovery so the house is comfortable when you arrive.
- Confirm the fan is on AUTO, then turn on geofencing and filter reminders.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few habits quietly undo all of this. Cranking the thermostat way down to “cool the house faster” doesn’t work — the AC cools at one speed, so you just overshoot and waste energy. Shutting the system off entirely during the day lets the house bake and sit humid. Forgetting to change the filter chokes airflow and makes the equipment work harder than any setting can fix. And ignoring strange behavior — the system that won’t reach its setpoint or runs nonstop — usually means it’s time for a look from a technician. Our seasonal tune-ups catch most of those before summer.
A well-set thermostat does a lot, but it can’t fix a system that’s struggling. If yours isn’t holding its setting, or you’d like help choosing and setting up a new one, call us at 469-728-7113 — same-day service most days, English and Spanish, serving Forney plus Mesquite, Terrell, Kaufman, Heartland, Rockwall, Heath and nearby Kaufman County towns. Family-owned since 2011, TX A/C License #51447.
Thermostat setup FAQs
What temperature should I set my thermostat to in summer?
There’s no single right number — it’s whatever keeps your family comfortable. A common approach in Texas is a comfortable setting while you’re home and a few degrees warmer while you’re out. The savings come from the setback when no one’s there, not from suffering through a hot house.
Does turning the AC off completely while I’m at work save money?
It can backfire. On a 100-degree Forney afternoon the house heats up fast, and the system then runs flat out to recover — plus your home sits humid and uncomfortable when you return. A modest setback of a few degrees is usually the smarter, more comfortable choice.
Should the fan be on ON or AUTO?
AUTO for almost everyone. On ON, the fan runs constantly — that re-circulates humidity off the coil back into your home and uses extra electricity. On AUTO, the fan runs only while the system is actually cooling, which is what you want most of the year.
Is a smart thermostat worth it?
For many Forney homes, yes — the scheduling, geofencing and reporting make it easy to capture savings you’d otherwise miss. We can recommend a model that pairs well with your system. Call 469-728-7113 and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Owner of Lexany’s Heating & AC. Family-owned in Forney since 2011 — most days he’s the one on the truck doing the work himself. Bilingual (English/Spanish).