3 of 7

Write now Article Tools

Smart energy management begins at your thermostat. Simply changing your settings by a few degrees can slash your yearly heating and cooling bills by 5 to 10% or more. Programmable clock thermostats make it easy and qualified Energy Star thermostats are eligible for $25 rebates. Check with your local utility or municipality for details.

Energy Star programmable clock thermostats adjust to your lifestyle automatically and maintain your set points within 2 degrees. You won't sacrifice comfort and you won't have to fuss with the settings constantly because your new thermostat does all the work of remembering for you.

You won't wake up to teeth chattering cold on a winter morning and you'll come home to a warm house at the end of your work day. And when you come home at the end of a hot, summer day, your house will be nice and cool.

During the heating season, a 10 degree setback for 8 hours, while your home is unoccupied, can save you 10% annually. And you'll save even more if you lower the temperature while you're asleep, and who doesn't like to burrow under the blankets on a cold winter night?

You can be perfectly comfortable with a setting of 68 degrees while you're awake or home on the weekend, because the lower settings only kick in when they're needed. You can easily override the automatic settings anytime you feel uncomfortable.

You can use similar energy saving strategies during the cooling season. Why run your air conditioner when no one is home? The recommended summertime thermostat setting is 78 degrees for maximum energy efficiency. Setting the thermostat for 85 degrees while you're out and about can take some of the pain out of your peak summer electric bills, and will save wear and tear on your system.

Of course, these are suggested starting points. You'll find your own comfort zone by experimenting. I would suggest one degree changes until you feel comfortable. Programmable thermostats are easy to set up and maintain. They have 6 or more daily temperature and time settings and can run a different program for each day of the week. This gives you the flexibility you need to account for everyone's schedule and for weekends.

Your actual savings will depend on climate conditions, but you can put money in your pocket without sacrificing comfort simply by resetting your thermostat. A qualified Energy Star programmable clock thermostat takes all the work out of climate control, is eligible for a $25 rebate and can pay for itself within the first year. Smart use of a good thermostat is the most cost effective way to bring down high energy costs without sacrificing your comfort.

Learn more about this author, John McDevitt.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about How to set your thermostat for maximum energy savings?
We want to hear your view. Write now!