Put on a sweater!

I used to hear it every time we spent Christmas at our grandparents' house. They kept the thermostat somewhere around 65 degrees and one touched it only on the pain of death. As kids, we didn't understand. If it is in the low 20s outside, why not crank up the heat? For our grandparents, who were children of the Great Depression, it was purely an economic calculation. 

Energy prices are even higher today, so by being a little more thermostat conscious we could all stand to save some real money each year. By most estimates, for each degree you lower your thermostat, you will save 1% off your energy bill. The US Energy Information Administration reports that the average annual household heating bill runs about $1000. So, if your heating bill runs around $1000 in winter, and you typically keep your thermostat at 75, by lowering it to 65 you can save  $100 per year...just off of your heating costs! Just think of all the sweaters that would buy! Turning the thermostat down further at night and when you are away will help you save even more.  It is easiest with a digital thermostat (fairly inexpensive to buy and easy to install) which will automatically set temperatures throughout the day, although you should keep the house no lower than 55 degrees to keep your water pipes from freezing. In addition to saving some real cash, you'll be reducing your portion of carbon emissions by thousands of pounds per year (see http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/carboncalculator.asp)! 

For a more detailed account of how to become a world class thermostat tinkerer, see Annie Bond's post at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-thermostat-tips-save-money.html