Tuesday, November 25, 2008

TMR Frugal Living Tip #48

Today's thrifty tip is keep your thermostat lower to conserve heat. For each degree lower it will save you 2% on your heating bill according to most institutes. I don't run my heater as much during the winter since I live in sub-tropical weather. When I do have to run it, then I keep it set at 65 degrees during the day. It does get chilly in the house so I just wear warm clothing. At night I still keep it around 65 degrees. Many experts say you should turn the heat down to 55-60 degrees at night. My husband would never go for this. I am on natural gas so my bills aren't extremely high. There are many days we don't even turn on the heat like yesterday and today. My monthly average over the course of a year is right under $50/month. I pay $25 during the summer months for my gas water heater, dryer, and stove. I don't use the dryer that much either except during winter.

Investing in a programmable thermostat is another great way to keep your house energy efficient. If no one is in the house during the day, then you program it to keep the house cooler during the winter and warmer in summer. You can also program it to have it start warming the house up right before you wake up in the mornings. Have it get colder when it's time for bed. I need to invest in one for myself.

1 comments:

Corrie at "Cents"able Momma said...

We do that. We live in a quite cold region, but I still keep the thermostat at 68 during the day and 66 at night (for the kids...when it was just my hubby and I, we did 60). I just wear sweaters and use blankets when I'm sitting down.

We also have a programmable thermostat that we used a lot when we were both working (not so much now that I'm home most of the day).