Newbie Questions from First-Time Homebuyer Who Just Moved In Yesterday!

Hi Guys,

Day 1 in my new 2-floor rowhome was yesterday. Had a few questions:

1. It's getting hot in the summer outside, so I kept my temperature at 75 degrees. The programmable thermostat is on the first floor. The first floor feels nice and cool, but my second floor is a bit warmer and feels like maybe 78-79 degrees. What are some initial things I can try to experiment and even out the temperature? I wouldn't like to set the temp at 72 so the first floor is very cold and the second floor finally gets to about 75. I was thinking about going in the basement and duct-taping the two vents that are down there to make sure no air is coming out of it. I was also going to check my return grill's filter to be sure it is clean. The last thing I was going to do is try and semi-close some of the vents on the first floor to see if it makes the second floor a little more cooler. Are these reasonable ideas? Any other ones?

2. Since I am away from the house from 8am until like 7pm for work throughout the day, I am planning on raising the temperature up to probably 82 until I get back home. There is a schedule on the thermostat I will set up too. Is this a good sound to save some money for efficiency? Is there a "better" temperature to set it at?

submitted by /u/nattybber
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