It\u2019s a wintry mix outside. You might have the fireplace going, as it\u2019s the perfect weather to grab a hot chocolate and cozy up with a good book. Full of hot cocoa, you\u2019ve fallen headlong into a page-turning memoir when a sudden and intense heat sweeps you out of the story. Dazed, you realize you\u2019re a sweaty mess, you\u2019ve profusely sweat through your shirt, and now you\u2019ve got to get up and track down the family member who tampered with the thermostat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let the thermostat wars begin!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Look to\nyour left. Now, peer to your right. That\u2019s correct: It\u2019s the very people in\nyour daily life who will turn on you. They\u2019ll go behind your back, creeping\nover your shoulder to *click* *click* *click* the thermostat because they\u2019re\neither too cold or too hot. You change it back. Then they mess with it again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all\nbeen there. Everyone has an opinion on what should be a reasonable temperature\nfor a house in winter. This is especially true in Texas, when one day it\u2019s 80\ndegrees and the next it\u2019s 40. This constant flux in temperature doesn\u2019t paint a\npretty picture for your utility bill, nor for the cold family member who\u2019s\nabout to get an earful for messing with the thermostat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\nthat\u2019s the point. There\u2019s no hard-and-fast rule for determining the perfect\nthermostat setting so your entire family is comfortable. It depends entirely on your family.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily,\nthere are many helpful temperature guidelines you can follow to help save you\nmoney and keep (most) of the family happy. Let\u2019s discuss the four big ones that\ncan boost your home\u2019s energy efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start\nwith 68\u00b0F while you\u2019re awake. This is the recommended home temperature set by\nthe Department of Energy (DOE) to save on utility bills in winter. If a family member\nis cold-natured, ask them to put on a sweater or pair of sweatpants. If that\nperson still isn\u2019t comfortable, then, of course, turn the room temperature up\nto meet their comfort level in conjunction with everyone else who might not\nwant to be that warm. You don\u2019t want to start yet another temperature war! <\/p>\n\n\n\n But when\nno one\u2019s home, you should set it even lower (61\u00b0F to 65\u00b0F) to maximize your\nenergy savings. In fact, according to the DOE, you can save as much as 10% a\nyear on cooling and heating costs by turning your thermostat back 7\u00b0 to 10\u00b0F\nfor 8 hours a day from its normal setting. And if you\u2019re in a milder climate\n(like Texas), the percentage of savings is even greater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now,\nsaving on your electricity bill is great, but constantly remembering having to\nadjust your thermostat all the time can be a bit much. When it comes to the\nthermostat, most of us really just want to \u201cset it and forget it\u201d \u2014 the easier,\nthe better. That\u2019s why having a programmable thermostat \u2014 a thermostat that\nautomatically adjusts temperature settings throughout the day \u2014 can do this for\nyou. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\nseveral high-tech options out there: Google Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell, Lux. Some\nhave Amazon Alexa, some have Siri, some have Google Assistant. Heck, Google\u2019s\nNest Learning Thermostat can program itself based on your lifestyle and energy\nusage habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be clear, you don\u2019t need to buy the latest and greatest gadget on the market today. However, if you\u2019re tired of manually adjusting the thermostat every time you leave the house, you should consider a small investment in a decent programmable thermostat. Just freeing yourself from having to think about your thermostat settings is worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The DOE offers a great base programmable schedule that you can adjust based on your lifestyle, which we\u2019ve included below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s how a weekday schedule might look\nfor a family with adults and children that are out of the house all day for\nwork and school:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n None of\nthe above efforts are worth it if your home isn\u2019t well-insulated. It all starts\nwith checking the weatherstripping around your doors and windows to determine\nwhether or not you have any drafts in your home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bad weatherstripping can cost you up to 30% in air conditioning costs, but luckily, drafts are easy to fix. Just visit your local home improvement store, pick up a roll of weather stripping for $7 or $8 from Lowes. It\u2019s essential that you choose the right weatherstripping for the right places in your home and then install it properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are many ways to save money on your electricity bill (we even wrote another blog on the subject), it could be time to switch to a new electricity provider if you don\u2019t see the savings you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We know what you\u2019re thinking: We\u2019re just saying this because we want you to switch to Chariot Energy. While that\u2019s true,\u00a0 we fundamentally believe that the right energy company can make all the difference in your electricity bill. If you\u2019re actively taking steps to reduce your energy usage and you\u2019re not seeing results, you need a new plan or a new energy company. Here\u2019s our guide on how to shop for electricity in Texas<\/a> that makes it easy for you to decide and take that next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Set Your Thermostat to 68\u00b0F in Winter (Then Adjust to Your Family\u2019s Comfort Level)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Get a Programmable Thermostat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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3. Change Out Your Weatherstripping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Consider a Change in Energy Companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n