This is the second installment in a seven-part Eco Tips Series. Go here to read previous installments.
According to Pittsburgh Today’s Regional Environment Survey, nearly 79 percent of regional residents believe there is little or nothing they can do to solve environmental problems. In light of this finding, Pittsburgh Today is producing this Eco Tips series, intended to show steps citizens can take to improve the environment. In today’s second installment, we focus on at-home heating and cooling.
Heating and cooling your home accounts for more than half of the energy your household uses. You can use your thermostat to save both energy and money.
For starters, set your thermostat to temperatures recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- In the winter, set it to 68 degrees while you are awake and at home and lower it when you are asleep and away from home. Turning your thermostat back 10 degrees to 15 degrees for 8 hours can save 5 percent to 15 percent a year on a heating bill.
- In the summer, turn off the thermostat when you are away. And keep it at 78 degrees when you are at home during the day.
Don’t be afraid to turn off the thermostat. It’s a common misconception that a furnace or central air conditioning system has to work harder to return a home back to the set temperature after it’s been shut off, resulting in little energy savings.
In fact, the opposite is true.
- During colder months, the lower the temperature inside, the slower the heat escapes. And the longer the temperature inside stays at a lower temperature, the more energy and money you save.
- Conversely, in the summer, the higher the temperature inside, the slower the heat flows in from outside.
If you’re in the market for a new thermostat, consider a programmable model that can be pre-set to automatically adjust to multiple temperature settings. It’s an easy and reliable way to keep your home at different daytime and nighttime temperatures.
Remember, saving energy means saving money. As a rule of thumb, each degree the thermostat is lowered in the winter or raised in the summer over an eight-hour period results in about a one percent savings on your energy bill.
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This is the second installment in a seven-part Eco Tips Series. Go here to read previous installments.