How to save on heating costs this winter

Oh, the weather outside is NOT frightful, yet. But fall has begun and now is the best time to prepare for the impending winter. We want to stay warm, but also prevent our bank accounts from draining empty with heating costs.

One of the easiest things to do is turn down the thermostat when nobody is in the house or when you're sleeping. According to the US Department of Energy,

... turning your thermostat back 10° to 15° for 8 hours, you can save 5% to 15% a year on your heating bill -- a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long.

Except if you're like me? You forget to turn it down or turn it back up. You either find yourself keeping your kitchen table warm when you're not home, or sweltering under a pile of blankets in the middle of the night. Or returning home to a freezing house because you DID remember to turn the heat down, but not back up.

Let's face it, we're busy folks and the last thing we want to do is continually adjust a thermostat. Programmable thermostats are a great start, but only if you remember to program them and don't take into account any diversion from the pre-set schedule. If your life is like mine, and you're of a green mind, you've packed your own lunch, you've got a reusable bottle of water and a thermos of coffee, not to mention a briefcase and electronic device. The last thing your typical dash out the door every morning needs is one more thing to do. You have kids to drop at school, a conference call waiting, and oh yes, you started a load of laundry. Like you have time to fiddle with the thermostat. Honestly, this green living stuff seems to be just one more thing to do after another and we easily dismiss what isn't convenient to do, wasting energy and subsequently money in the process.

If only... there was an APP that would control our thermostat.

The great news is... there is. There is a fantastic new innovative thermostat called the Nest Learning Thermostat. The Nest Learning Thermostat is like a personal butler, adjusting the temperature in your home with a simple tap. You can set the thermostat lower when you leave the house, and even if you forget, you can adjust it remotely with a smartphone. The Nest learns your patterns and will even adjust your temperature within a week.

Direct Energy has teamed up with Nest to save you money and perhaps even a little bit of sanity, taking that "one more thing to do" right off your plate. Even better, they are sponsoring a giveaway of FIVE Nest Learning Thermostats. To enter the sweepstakes, visit the campaign landing page and simply fill out the entry form. The giveaway will take place from Wednesday, October 1st to Wednesday, October 22nd. Winners will be selected in Mid-November.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is also available free of charge to new customers who sign up for Direct Energy's competitive Comfort & Control Plan. (available to residents of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois).

Stay tuned next week and Our Daily Green will be sharing more tips for keeping warm and keeping your sanity as we approach winter.

Thanks to Direct Energy for sponsoring today's discussion

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