The 2 Things Everyone should do to Lower Heating Costs this Winter
When heating gas costs were absolutely out of control a few winters ago (when the average American spent over $1,200 a year just to heat their house), I did two things to save money that I would recommend EVERYONE do EVERY YEAR:
1. Bought a programmable thermostat.
2. Programmed it to much lower temps than I was used to.
Programmable Thermostats – A Beautiful Thing
Here’s how I programmed my thermostat. When at work and during sleeping hours, I programmed the thermostat to 62 degrees F. I probably would have lowered it to 55 degrees if not for the fact that I have pets and I don’t want them to freeze. Note that you probably don’t want to ever go below 40 degrees even when on vacation because your pipes might freeze and burst – driving all your savings in heat costs out the window.
Remember that your basement (where most of your pipes are located) is usually 5-10 degrees cooler than the floor above it, where the thermostat is usually housed. This only applies to a traditional multi-level house, of course.
At all other times (when I was there and awake) I set the thermostat for a balmy 64 degrees farenheit.
What Temperature should you Set your Thermostat to?
There’s a great deal of personal comfort that factors into this equation. I like layering up in the winter, it makes me feel cozy. I also like a warm comforter and cold while sleeping. 62 and 64 degrees is ideal for me in the winter. You may have different preferences. Regardless of preference, how much can a strategy like this typically save you?
For each degree you lower your thermostat, you can expect to save 3% on your heating costs.
In my case, just programming and lowering my thermostat temperature saved me about 21% on my heating costs. Not bad! Heating costs have since gone down, but the money saving habit has remained.
Frugalhead Discussion:
- What is your temperature set for in the winter months?
- How low can YOU go?
- Are you using a programmable thermostat?
- What other ways are you saving money on heating costs?
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I live alone, and on a very fixed budget.
When I am asleep & out, my thermostat is at 50 degrees; when I am at home, it is set to 55. When I have guests over, i turn it up to 60 for them.
I live in Phoenix, so I expect my winter electric bill to be $40 or so per month.
@ Honey – Lucky (in the winter).
@ Allen – You turn it up to 60 for guests? Good god man, why not just stick them in an ice chest? =)
@G.E. Miller: My Ice Chest is kept at a safe-food level, not at SIXTY, jeeze.
There is also a reason why I tend to go to other people’s places to do things & study in the winter… LOL
I was once told by a friend of mine (who is an HVAC tech) that if you adjust more than 8 degrees plus or minus you will decrease efficiency, and therefore your cost savings. Not sure if this is true with every furnace/house out there, but I program my thermostat by this rule. 60 while away/sleeping, 65 during weekend days, and 68 weekday evenings.
We also keep our house fairly cool… 57 at night, 62-64 during the day. We also just purchased a new heater/heat pump that’s much more efficient than the 18-year old heater that was in our house when we bought it.
Another money-saving tip? If you’re a homeowner, make sure that the insulation in your attic is adequate. In our last home, we had only a few inches of insulation in our attic. We bought a few bags of blow-in insulation (got the blower rental free w/our purchase) and blew about 15″ of cellulose into our attic. It cost us $220 and an afternoon, and we estimate that we saved about 1/3 of our heating costs after all was said and done – a pretty good deal, since our winter heating costs in Minnesota approached $300/month. (You can read all about our adventures in insulation here: http://homeinthecountry.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/insulation-drama/).
We keep our house at 63 at night, 60 when we are gone, and 65 when we are home in the afternoon. It was a warm 75F outside today so our heater did not kick on at all during the day.
55 during the day when I’m out.
57 when I’m in.
55 when I go to bed.
60 when I wake up, so I can make it out of bed.
I use my heater about a week or two during the winter (set at about 58) and I don’t have air conditioning (I live on the beach in southern California). My total gas and electric bill is $40 during the summer and about $65 on the month I use the heater (which the heater is from the ’60s)
And a good thing, too, Chad, since your rent/mortgage is probably 3 or 4 times what a similar apartment/house would cost in most other places in the country
I like to keep my thermostat extremely low when I’m gone and at a sensible temperature when I’m home. If you have animals, I’d suggest keeping it a little higher for their sake, but otherwise keep it low and save some dough.
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