Most people know that by adjusting the thermostat, the amount of energy saved would likely mean a lower monthly utility bill. In today’s economy, finding viable solutions to save money is imperative. Around the house, you have a variety of options that would help you accomplish this goal, whether you rent an apartment or own a home. In fact, you have a long list of possibilities but we recommend you start by adjusting the thermostat because it is quick, easy, and costs nothing to do. Most people don’t understand how they can save money on your electric bill by adjusting the thermostat
Obviously, the thermostat is what determines when the air conditioning unit and furnace kicks on. During the summertime, to keep the house cool the thermostat would be lowered to the desired temperature but then in the wintertime, it would be adjusted up, again to the desired temperature. One way of saving money is by setting the thermostat high in the summer and low in the winter, which makes for a very uncomfortable environment. Instead, you have other options of saving money while not being miserable.
For instance, it would be to your advantage to purchase a programmable thermostat. That way, you would have the ability to program in different settings not just for each season but also different times of the day and evening. When purchasing a programmable thermostat, make sure you choose one that would allow you to choose a number of settings but also settings in single digits.
Now, if your home is heated with electricity, you may want to invest in individual room thermostats. While there is an initial financial investment, long-term this would save a tremendous amount of money. The great thing about individual thermostats is that if you have one or more bedrooms not in use, you would simply change the setting to the lowest or highest degree possible but in doing this, the remainder of the home would not be affected.
Whether you go with a programmable or traditional thermostat, make sure you change the setting in the spring and fall when windows are typically opened. Sometimes, people forget that at this time, you want the outside air to create a comfortable living environment instead of depending on the thermostat. In addition, you could save money by turning the thermostat down if you ever have a party. Remember, the more bodies in the home the more heat produced so in a situation such as this, you could easily change the thermostat and let people make the room comfortable.
If you plan to be out of town for two or more days, adjusting the thermostat to 55 degrees would be helpful. Now, if you will only be gone overnight, it could cost you more to lower or increase the thermostat only to change it back the next day. Therefore, we suggest you make changes when gone longer Now, if you will be out of town during the winter, be sure the thermostat is never lower than 55 degrees in that you would not want to come home to busted pipes from freezing.
Instead of depending on the thermostat to dictate the comfort of the home you could adjust it, choosing to wear a sweater or jacket in the winter and short sleeves or a sleeveless top in the summer while also running a fan. You could also run fans to help circulate air. In other words, the goal would be to set the thermostat between five and ten degrees at night and three to six degrees in the day, leaning on clothing and fans to make you comfortable. By doing this, savings could easily be as much as 10% each month.
