Davey Pockets Best Financial Freedom Blog

It’s not rocket science, but just by setting my thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer you can save yourself some big bucks! One of the best ways to give yourself a pay raise without taxes is to simply keep your a/c and heat off longer. The best thing is half of this change can be done while you are gone from your home!

All you have to do is find the setting you normally have set and start raising or lowering (depending on the season).

If you are skeptical try 1 degree difference at first. Pretty soon you will notice it takes about 3 degrees for your body to even feel a difference!

Next start pushing the boundary even more and try 5 degrees, then 10 degrees. Eventually you will start getting used to coming home to a slightly warmer or cooler home which is when you can take the next step.

The next step is to start saving even while you are at home. Winter months wear- socks, undershirt, shirt, and a hoodie with comfortable long pants. Summer months- barefoot, shorts, and a tank top. Attire alone can give you the feeling of 5 degrees and help you keep your system off longer, saving you big time money!

It will vary where you live but here in the Midwest I was able to go from a combined average bill of $187.12 in 2012 to $91.13 for 2013! That’s an extra $100 per month, $1200 per year and repeat this over 50 years and I’ve got myself a free $60,000 un-taxed without doing ANY work!!

Who wouldn’t mind an extra $60,000 in their pocket over a lifetime?

Bonus tip- for cold days of winter let’s say your going to be home all day and want to set house at 60. Do not leave you thermostat set to 60 with the “auto” setting which will constantly kick your furnace on and off. This is not efficient. Imagine going and starting your car on and off 20 times throughout the day without driving anywhere. This would not only be hard on your car but it would also kill your gas mileage!

So instead try setting your thermostat to a low number you can temporarily tolerate, say 55. Once it hits 55 flip the furnace to “on”. Little known fact is that your furnace puts out MORE HEAT WITH LESS ENERGY while in the ” on” setting as compared to “auto”. Knowing this fact, you will want it to stay in “on” longer to take advantage of your furnace’s efficiency. So rather than hitting your objective temp of 60 let it run up to 65 or more! As soon as it reaches your desired temp shut it off. Once you reach 65 you MUST shut it off in order to see a savings. Then just kick back and enjoy the warmth!

So let’s recap a bit…

While gone from home- try to keep your A/C and furnace off. If you must have it on, set it to “auto” and stretch the temp a few degrees in order to save from running as much when you are not home!

While home- set to “on” and have it run past the temp you are interested in having, then keep it shut off for as many hours as possible. Avoid keeping it on “auto” which will constantly cause your system to click on/off.

Also match the clothing you wear to the season even while indoors to experience and additional savings!

If you have tried this or are trying it let me know and I will share your story in future post!