Every winter homeowners ponder what temperature they should set for their thermostat in the winter. However, answering this question isn’t as easy as citing a specific temperature. This is because every family’s budget and energy usage is different.
Recommendations for Your Thermostat in the Winter
There are some general recommendations for what’s the best temperature to set your thermostat during the winter. When you’re at home during the day it should be set between 68° F (20° C) – 72° F (22° C). If everyone is away from home during the day or sleeping at night it should be set between 62° F (17° C) – 66° F (19° C).
Managing Your Thermostat in the Winter
Instead of finding the “perfect” number, you should create an energy-efficient winter heating strategy. This keeps your thermostat at a reasonable setting so your home is warm. It also keeps you from facing a large bill from your electricity company. Some important tips here, include:
- When you and your family are acclimated to the colder weather, start lowering the temperature in your home one degree each week. Maintaining this lower temperature for 8 hours a day will cut down your electric bill by 1%. Of course, you can increase this savings by preserving this lower temperature for a longer time. Since this is a slow, gradual change, you’ll never even notice the difference.
- Invest in a programmable thermostat. This will automatically reduce the temperature in your home when nobody is home. Since you’ll probably forget about doing this, the thermostat will never forget to do it for you.
These are some great ways to get your wintertime electricity bill under control. Since there’s no “perfect” temperature for your home’s thermostat settings during the winter, you should heed these electricity saving tips. They really will make a big difference.
[…] Raising the air-conditioning thermostat by a degree or more, using the toaster oven instead of the big one for small meals, and even cutting down shower time by a few minutes all save on electricity costs. Small economies add up. Thinking small is usually a great way to save money on expensive electricity. […]