How to Get a 30% Discount On Your Heating Bill This Winter

You've heard it all before-- "turn down your thermostat and save a bunch of money", but typically the person telling you this lives in an ice box and you're just not prepared to give up comfort to save a few bucks. There are some bloggers who will tell you to wear a hat and coat in your house to capitalize on savings... I am not one of them.

You don't need to freeze to save money, but you should be turning your thermostat down. Still don't believe me? Keep reading to see how much you can save this year.

The Data

Depending on the climate you live in, your savings can range from 1.5-5% per degree you turn down your thermostat. Obviously, the colder your climate, the more you will save by keeping the temperature lower.

Energy.gov states that you can save as much as 10% on your energy bill by turning down the thermostat as little as 7 degrees for 8 hours a day.

Meanwhile, the Agricultural Engineering Department from Purdue University has put the figure at around 3% per degree lowered and has published the following table:

Visit their site here if you need help finding the average temperature.

If you live in Wisconsin, the public service there offers a calculator for estimated energy savings which can be found here.

Benefits

• Save 1.5-5% for each degree you turn down your thermostat. That could be substantial if you have been keeping your home at a balmy 75 during the winter, but even a few degrees can add up. Savings will vary based on climate and furnace fuel type.
• You'll get better sleep in a cooler environment.
• The house won't be quite as dry. Running the furnace reduces humidity.

How to Save on Heating Bills

• Not sure how low to set your thermostat? Try reducing the temperature 1 degree every couple of days or every week until you find what your comfortable with.
• Weatherproof Your House
• Fix any leaking windows or cover windows will plastic. Add weather-stripping to doors and windows. Use  a draft blocker on exterior doors. Consider adding insulation if you live in an older home.
• Arrange furniture so as not to block air vents.
• Programmable Thermostat
• If you have one of these, actually use it properly this year. Most people do not take the time to set up each day of the week and the different times. This means you are keeping your house much warmer than you need.
• Program your thermostat to drop as you leave for work and back up about 15 minutes before you typically arrive home. Then push it back down around bedtime and up 15 minutes before your alarm goes off. This means anytime you're awake at home, you will have a comfortable temperature without wasting energy (and money).
• Below you can see a table with program suggestions taken from "A Guide to Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling" published by Energy Star.

Table from EnergyStar Thermostat Guidance

• Regular Thermostat
• Don't have a high-tech thermostat? Don't worry. Though this will require you to remember to adjust the heat a few times a day you can do the same process. Leave yourself reminders (a sticky note on the fridge perhaps?). While it may be colder when you wake up or when you first get home, houses heat up fairly quickly and the few minutes of cold are worth the savings.
• Window Shades
• Open your shades in the winter. It is surprising how few people take advantage of solar energy in the winter. We find that on a sunny day, our house will rise up to 5 degrees warmer than what our thermostat is set at. Be sure to capitalize on this all winter (and do the opposite come summer).
• Close the Vents
• Do you really use all the rooms in your house? I know we don't. Close the vents in those rooms to focus the heat where you really want and need it.
• Space Heater
• While closing the vents helps, sometimes there is one room that you really want warmer than the rest. This would be a great place to use a space heater rather than increasing the temperature in your entire house. We use a wall heater in the bathroom and a small space heater near our desk. This allows us to work and shower in comfort without making the kitchen (which is usually warm from cooking) uncomfortably warm.  
• Electric Blankets
• Want to be warm watching tv or when you first go to bed? Try using an electric blanket. The cost of using the blanket is much less than heating your whole house. Plus, even after the blanket shuts off it will retain heat! Who doesn't love to snuggle up and watch a movie or snuggle up and sleep?
• Clothing Choice
• This is probably the easiest this to change. No, I do not want you to wear ten layers of clothes or hats and gloves, but you should dress sensibly. Do you need to be wearing shorts and a tshirt in the winter? Probably not. Wearing socks (or slippers), pants and a long-sleeved shirt will allow you to drop the temp in your house by a couple degrees.

What We Do

We have a programmable thermostat that we use time feature (morning, day, evening, night). We also use the hold feature when going on vacation. Here's our settings:

• Morning: 68
• Day: 60
• Evening: 68
• Night: 58

Yes, the night setting is quite cold, but we sleep much more soundly when it is cooler in the room and I love covering up with blankets. For many that may be too cold, try to slower lower it until you find a temperature you're comfortable with (maybe start at 65). On days when we are cleaning or working out inside, we also lower the temperature because 68 can actually feel warm if you carrying laundry up and down the stairs or baking cookies.

While we are on vacation, we use the hold feature at 58 degrees. This means it is cold when we return home, but as previously mentioned, it doesn't take long for the house to warm up. In the meantime, spend 5-10 minutes unpacking by your space heater.

We keep electric blankets in the living room and in our room in case we get a little chilly and as previously mentioned have a wall heater in the bathroom and a space heater near our workspace. I do typically wear sweatpants, slippers, and a sweatshirt, but that's more comfortable to me than a tshirt anyway.

Hope this helps you to save a bit on your heating bill this winter. Have more ideas on how to save money? Let us know!