How your thermostat costs you money

There are several things you may be doing right now that are costing you more money than need be. How your thermostat costs you money is a question you should look at. Heating and cooling your home is a very large portion of your utility bill. If you’re looking to cut back on expenses, stop doing these things with your thermostat that waste energy.

Trying to heat or cool your home “faster” 

You get home from work and your house is hot. The thermostat is set at 79 and you feel most comfortable at 75, so you set it at 72 to cool off faster. Good idea? NO. Bad idea! This does not make your air conditioner work faster. It just makes it run longer – which costs you more money.

Leaving your thermostat at the same setting

Do you set your thermostat at a specific temperature and never touch it? You could be wasting upwards of $180 per year. Instead, you should be adjusting your temperature setting when you will be away for 6-8 hours. Set your thermostat 5-8 degrees higher in the summer and 10-15 degrees lower in the winter. There is no need to heat or cool your home when you’re not there. You can reset it when you come back home.  Doing so can save you 10 to 15 percent on your yearly energy costs.

Of course, remembering to reset every time you leave or come home can be difficult. That’s where a programmable thermostat will fit your needs. You can actually program it to turn up or down 15 minutes before your arrive home, making your home as comfortable as you need it.

Messing with your thermostat too much

People who micro-manage their thermostats use more energy than people who set them and leave them. Constantly changing the temperature will cause your air conditioning or heating system to start and stop too often, which causes them to run inefficiently.

If you know how your thermostat costs you money, you can take steps to correct your behavior and save money!