Turn Down the Heat - and save

We seldom want to turn down the heat in the middle of the winter, but we often have to if we're going to save money on energy.

It's easily done by simply turning down your thermostat. It's low tech. It's easy.

This is an energy saving tip we have been told for years so it shouldn't be any surprise to see it here.

There are two situations in which you should turn down your thermostat.

While You're at Home

The first situation that involves your turning down you heat is when you're home. You can generally lower the temperature setting of your thermostat while you are home and save money by living in a house that is 68 degrees instead of 74 degrees.

Put on a sweater or additional layers of clothing and you'll stay warm without the house needing to be the temperature of a nice summer day. There is an advantage to this approach that you might not have thought of.

If your house runs a little cooler, then it won't feel so cold when you venture outdoors. Also, when you return inside, the house will be comfortable without feeling hot. Essentially, you are reducing the extremes that you would otherwise experience.

Turn down the heat to the point where you are still comfortable if fully clothed. If you feel that you need to wear a jacket in the house, or your hands are getting cold, you're probably turning it down a bit too much.

You won't be saving money if you save it on the heat bill and shell it out on medical bills, so don't turn down the heat to the point where your home turns into a meat locker.

While Sleeping or Away

The second situation where it's appropriate to turn down heat is when you retire for the night or leave the house. In either case, you won't need to have the house warm because you aren't using it as you normally would.

I always find it much more enjoyable to sleep in a room that is cool rather than one that is warm. At night while you are tucked in your bed, you probably don't need to have the rest of the house heated, so set the thermostat to something like 55 degrees.

If you aren't going to be home for the day, lower your thermostat while you are gone. If you're leaving for work in the morning, just leave the thermostat on the night time setting until you return home to spend some time.

Others in the House

Be mindful of your "other" roommates. If you have birds or house plants that need a certain temperature, then you might want to crank up the heat a bit so they are more comfortable. Neither of these type of roommates can don a sweater. Energy saving tips aren't worth much if your plants and pets can't handle it.

Turning down the thermostat works well if you have a well insulated home. If you don't, then you'll be letting it drift down to a sufficiently low temperature that it will require quite a bit of energy to get it back to where you want it. This can be quite a roller coaster ride.

Insulation is the first thing you should do if you want to cut down on home heating costs.

Done with Turn Down the Heat, back to Ways to Save Energy