Day 46: How To Save Money On Your Heating and Cooling Bills
What: Turning the thermostat up and down
Why: One of the most common ways they say to save money is to turn up the thermostat in the summer and turn it down in the winter. It has almost become an old saying. Does it really make a difference? I have heard so many different statistics on this, but when it comes down to it, yes you save money! A good rule of thumb is to set the thermostats at 68 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Now of course those can vary with your ability to tolerate higher or lower temperatures. So what are some ways to cut energy costs then when it comes to heating and cooling? Here are a few ideas:
How:
1. Turn down the thermostat in the winter. How to counteract the now cooler temperature in the house?
- Wear more layers (it is much easier to take off when warm than try to get warm when cold
- If your house is well shaded, keep your shades/curtains closed to keep in the heat
- Wear slippers
- Have more blankets available and also add more blankets to your bed.
- Heat up a warm drink (lemon and water is a good-for-you warm drink)
2. Turn up the thermostat in the summer. How to counteract the now warmer temperature in the house:
- Keep the shades closed if the sun comes through the windows
- Take cold showers
- Use a ceiling fan
3. If you have a hard time remembering when to turn your thermostat up or down, get a programmable thermostat
4. Don’t heat or cool down the house when no one is home.
5. Check your filters! So easy to forget…
6. Reseal any windows that have lost their glaze (caulking)
Confession of the Day: My husband and I are a little out there in the sense that we enjoy the seasons and our thermostat is a reflection of that. During the winter, we typically keep our house at 62-63 if someone is home and 55 if no one is home. At night, we sleep with it set at 55. That may seem low and those mornings sure are a tad chilly when we first jump out of bed, but we just layer up. We also sleep with a heavy comforter and down comforter as well, along with flannel sheets. In the summer, during the day we keep it around 78 and at night, lower-mid 70s. More often than not, we use a window fan for a little while to keep the air cool, which keeps the air circulatng. Everyone has their “threshold” of what they are comfortable with. We do it to not only save money, but to also enjoy the seasons – why have two wardrobes if we are going to keep the same temperature all year around?
How do you save on heating and cooling costs? What is your temperature “threshold?”
