Challenge: Turn Down the Thermostat

Keeping control of your thermostat is one of the simplest ways you can save a great deal of energy--and money--all year round. The recommended winter setting for heaters is 68°F in the daytime, 55° (or off) at night and when you're away.

What You Should Know

• For every 1°F that you lower your thermostat (if it's set between 65° and 72°) , you will save 350 lbs of CO2 per year, roughly 2% - 3% of the energy your furnace uses.

• The average home heating system in America was built to be only 60% efficient, meaning that only 60% of the natural gas or electricity consumed gets converted into useful heat. Today's newest furnaces or boilers are built to be 95% efficient.

• If just half of the American households who heated their homes got a tune-up on their heating systems this year, they would prevent 30 million tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Easy Things You Can Do

Adjust the thermostat as you come and go each day:

• When you awaken each day, or when you're returning home after an extended period, turn up the heat to no higher than 68°F.
• Before you retire to bed at night, and before you leave your house for an extended period, turn the thermostat off or to 55°F.
  

Tune up your heating system, it is the best thing you can do to improve its efficiency and cut your energy costs (next to upgrading to a more efficient model). A $50 to $100 tune-up will also extend your furnace's life span. Tune up guidelines:

• A system that runs on oil should be tuned up once a year
• A system that runs on natural gas should be checked every two years
• An electric heat pump or resistance heater should be tuned up every 2-3 years.
  

Avoid heating unoccupied areas. If you have rooms in your home that are used minimally, such as a spare bedroom, try blocking off the vent in that room to lower the temperature of that area and reduce energy use.

• Some vents have a switch that closes the louvers: Try to remember to open and close a vent every time you enter a room.
• Or you could use magnetic vent covers, found in many home improvement stores to keep vents closed off in rooms that are not being used often.
• In a pinch, duct tape works well if you want to close a vent for extended periods, but is less practical if you use the room occasionally.
• Caution: Never close off more than 25% of your vents at any given time, you could damage the heating system. Check the owner's manual for more specific information.
  

Wear a sweater and cozy slippers when you're at home during the winter months instead of raising the thermostat temperature.


Sources: PG&E, PGCCAN: Phinney/Greenwood Climate Change Action Now, 51 Easy Ways You Can Prevent Global Warming and Save Money by Jeffrey Langholz, PhD and Kelly Turner.