At Home: Ideas for cutting home heating costs

As the temperatures drop, the cost of keeping warm can heat up your wallet to a painful level. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household spends approximately $2,200 on energy costs, with half going towards heating and cooling. However, there are ways to keep costs down, and many are simple do-it-yourself projects.

A Good Place to Start

One easy way to keep costs in check is to install a digital thermostat. This simple gizmo can automatically change a homes temperature while the occupants are away or asleep for optimum energy efficiency. Plus, because homeowners can set the times in advance, there is less chance they will forget to dial down the heat while everyones gone or in bed.

For every degree a thermostat is set back during an eight hour period (or up during air conditioning season), the energy savings equals up to one percent. Set the thermostat back ten to fifteen degrees for the eight hours and the savings can reach fifteen percent. The EPA recommends you start with a temperature of 68 to 70 degrees and then program the thermostat to set the temp back by at least 8 degrees both during the day and at night.

Programmable digital thermostats come in three types:

A 5+2 has one setting schedule for weekdays and another for weekends.

The 5-1-1 model has one setting schedule for Monday through Friday, one for Saturday, and one for Sunday.

The flexible 7-day model allows a different daily schedule with up to four different temperature time periods each day.

There are many how-to instructions on line for installing a digital thermostat. However, Greg Hunsicker of McElroys Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air cautioned, The technology with digital thermostats and your heating systems control wiring in many cases dictate a homeowners need to call a professional to complete this task.

More Cost-Cutting Ideas

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At Home: Ideas for cutting home heating costs