You can depend on Clifford's HVAC for all of your home and commerical HVAC needs.
Beat the Heat and Shrink Your Energy Bills in North Alabama
Smart thermostats have become a must-have for energy-conscious homeowners—and with North Alabama’s hot, humid summers, learning to schedule your cooling efficiently can save real money and real stress.
At Clifford’s HVAC, we help families across Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Decatur, and Arab install and program smart thermostats that balance energy savings with everyday comfort. If you’re not using your smart thermostat to its full potential, here’s how to build a summer schedule that works smarter—not harder.
Your HVAC system uses the most energy during the afternoon and early evening, when outside temperatures peak. Smart thermostat scheduling helps you:
Avoid overcooling when no one’s home
Pre-cool the house before peak hours
Maintain stable temperatures overnight
Reduce stress on your system during the hottest part of the day
Save money without sacrificing comfort
Here’s a recommended schedule for most North Alabama homes (based on ENERGY STAR® and our local experience):
Set temperature to around 72–74°F to prepare the home for the day ahead.
If no one is home, bump the thermostat up to 78–80°F. This keeps humidity in check without wasting energy.
Set the cooling back to 72–74°F before you return home. Smart thermostats can pre-cool based on your arrival time.
Cool down to 70–72°F for better sleep. If you’re comfortable at a higher temp, even better for your energy bill.
Modern smart thermostats like Nest, Ecobee, and Honeywell do more than just change the temp. Use these features to make your home even more efficient:
Geofencing: Automatically adjusts temps when you leave or return
Learning mode: Learns your habits and fine-tunes over time
Humidity sensors: Some models help manage indoor moisture levels
Energy reports: See when your system works hardest and how to save more
Voice control: Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri for hands-free comfort
Smart thermostats require proper installation to work correctly with your existing HVAC system—especially if you have a heat pump or multi-zone setup. At Clifford’s HVAC, we make sure everything is wired, programmed, and optimized for your system and your lifestyle.
We also offer:
Smart thermostat upgrades
Wi-Fi setup and syncing
Energy-use education
HVAC tune-ups to improve performance alongside smarter controls
We proudly serve Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Athens, Arab, and nearby areas with fast, professional service and smart solutions that make a difference.