The Importance of Thermostat Location

There may be homeowners who disagree with their HVAC contractor as to where to locate their thermostats within the home, due to aesthetic reasons. However, it is very important to follow your professional HVAC contractor in regard to this decision. The location of your thermostat can make significant difference on how accurately the thermostat controls your heating and cooling system and thereby the comfort of your home. 

Your residential HVAC thermostat should not be located too close to heat vent or cold air return. These areas may not accurately reflect the average temperature through the room or home. Some hallways may also lack the flow of air needed for accurate readings, if most of the rooms connected to the hallway have doors that remain shut the majority of the time. 

In addition to keeping your thermostat away from heat registers and cold air returns, you should not have the thermostat located next to an outside entrance door. The temperature in entryways can fluctuate greatly with people entering or leaving the home. Thermostats should also not be located too close to windows. The heat from the sun or cold air caused by hitting the cold surface of the glass in the winter could affect the performance of your thermostat in accurately controlling the temperature of your home. 

If your heating and cooling system is controlled by one thermostat, as many homes are, it is important that the thermostat be as centrally located as possible. It should be place on the wall at eye level in an area that has an open flow of air through it to provide an average air temperature of the home.