Save money on heating bill?? How low would you set your thermostat?

Question

Okay, we have three young kids! How low should it go? Is 65 too low? Lower? Higher? What is your thermostat set at? Energy prices are rising!

Answer 1

We have ours set at 64*

Yes you read the correctly 64 degrees. We wear an extra shirt and have on either slippers or house shoes.

SAVE SAVE SAVE !!

Answer 2

The rate of heat loss has more to do with your insulation in your home and the size of your home rather than your actual thermostat setting. Keeping your home even 3 degrees cooler (or warmer, depending on the season) can have drastic yearly impacts on your electricity bill (and gas bill if you have a gas operated system). A home of 1500 square feet can expect to have $350 cheaper per year bills based on 3 degrees of difference on their thermostat. If you are feeling a bit cold, but still want to watch your money, just wear a few more clothes (or less clothes if in the summer). I hope this helps.

Answer 3

I would buy a programmable thermostat, They typically have 4 settings. A setting to warm the house up befor you wake up (Wake). A (Leave) setting which drops the temp for when you leave the house for work or school. A (Return) setting that warms the house back up for when you come home. And a (Sleep) setting that drops it after you go to bed....it is suppose to save you up to 30% on you heating/cooling bill and is programmable for a full 7 day cycle. I typically set mine at 72 for when I'm home and 68 for sleeping and when I'm gone....I would think that anything more than 4 or 5 degrees would make it less efficient for the system to try to heat or cool a larger tempature difference...hope this helps

Answer 4

If you have 3 young kids you need to set that thermostat up becuase if doctors find out your keeping that too low and your kids get sick thay can report you for that. It needs to be set anywhere from 68-70 for them. When you set it too low that affects your health becuase your body gets cold from that temperature and it could affect the brain.

Answer 5

I think 70 is a good temperature. Of course you can go to 65 but you have young kids.

Anyway if you really want to save, you can go further than that. I have this article I use as a reference. You can get a few ideas there :

http://financialbasics.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-to-simplify-your-living-expenses.html

And of course, since we're in the holiday season, I thought I should throw this one in, for good measure :

http://financialbasics.blogspot.com/2006/12/holiday-spending-tips-ten-ways-to-keep.html

Good reading :)

Answer 6

65 degrees is about right. That is the average temp. it is perfect because it offsets the typical human being at 92. So 65 is perfect at all times. Keep doors and windows shut too!

Answer 7

thank god I moved to Cali. I used to live in Mass. and had to keep it low like 65 until luckily I had a baby and raised it to 74 but I froze all the time. 65 seems low it depends on your windows to I used to cover them with blankets

Answer 8

We keep ours at 60 & wear light jackets.
But at night we turn it up to bath(72) & then back to 60.
Just be sure to get your children Flu & phenumonia shots.

Answer 9

69 it not to cool or to hot just right!