Baby, It’s Cold Outside is my wife’s favorite Christmas/winter song, but she actually hates being cold. It’s the paradox of women right there, folks. I don’t mind being chilly, I’ll toss on a sweater, turn the heat down, and save some pennies. It’s how dads roll.
My pal Aaron from Daddy Files went viral last year because he’s stubborn. He keeps his thermostat down as low as possible as long as possible.
It was 60 degrees in our house today. I’m writing this in slippers, wool socks, fleece pajamas, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. My wife and kids are dressed in a similar fashion. We have scarves, long johns, blankets, and electric blankets at the ready at all times.
15 degrees Celsius is about where I drop my overnight temperature – not the one during the day – and my wife hates me for it. We’ll wake to cold floors, chilly noses, and a grumbling look. If you’re sleeping does it matter?
I recently had Direct Energy come by and give my furnace a tune-up and found, to my wife’s pleasure, that my overnight chill was the absolute wrong way of doing things.
With near 15 overnight and near 21 when we’re awake and home, I had my Nest thermostat set to swing too wide.
Going from colder to warmer takes the furnace a lot of energy to get things heated up in the morning. It’s running longer, and working harder than it should.
Keep your temp settings no more than 4 degrees from hottest to coldest to make sure your furnace isn’t chugging longer than needed.
My furnace tune-up also shed light on my problem with cold air upstairs in our house. We blame it on poor insulation, but later found out we’re blocking cold air returns in the house – these need to be open to the air to suck cold air out, bringing warm air down from the ceiling.
We unplugged our humidifier a couple of years ago, frustrated by the constant leaking. Had I gotten it fixed (or installed a new one), I could save money on heating too.
Moister air is warmer (think about how you feel when you enter the tropical zones at the zoo) and living on the dry prairies means baby it’s cold outside. The humidifier can also be plugged in to my Nest smart thermostat, so that’s handy.
The audit also showed me I need to start thinking about new equipment as mine has reached the 10 yr. mark.
They pointed specifically to my hot water tank. We had a tankless in a previous house, loved it and it’s time to swap out our old beast and get back to that technology.
But that can’t be all I can do to save money on winter heating.
I asked my kids to chime in. To appreciate that energy needs to be saved, and is part of being good to the planet. They’re environmentally conscious and want to make sure the planet is perfect for Mother Nature and all her animals.
Here’s how Zacharie thinks we can save money on winter heating:
Wouldn’t you know it? The kid got a couple from the ‘official list’ exactly right without prompting!
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Here are more ideas to save on your electricity and energy bills this winter:
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CONTEST
One of the best ways we’ve saved energy in our home is with the Nest Smart Home Thermostat. I’ve got one from Direct Energy to give away!
CONGRATULATIONS to the contest winner, JOAN B.
Terms: Contest open to Canadian addresses only. Void where prohibited. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Any “egg” Twitter accounts, or contest only Twitter accounts, will be disqualified for entry. I put the effort to create genuine content, please put forth the same effort to genuinely share it.
[infobox title=”About Direct Energy”]
Direct Energy’s home service maintenance plan is piece of mind for any future issues.
For just $9.99/month you can ensure that your HVAC equipment is always in peak condition which can help keep your energy bills down and make sure you’re covered under your furnaces warranty.
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My #LiveBrighter energy savings tip is to seal around your window and door frames with a silicone or similar type sealant to prevent drafts from sucking all that heat out of your home that you’re paying for!
I use blackout blinds and we are at the stage we need to change our windows (they are 27+ years old)
If your cold add a sweater layer #LiveBrighter
I do laundry from 7:00 p.m. onwards BUT stop doing laundry the next day at 7:00 a.m. I always look forward to doing the rest of the laundry on Saturday and Sunday. You can save on electricity by doing this.
my energy saving tip is to make sure to turn off all lights before going out and make sure to adjust thermostat before going on a trip. #LiveBrighter
#LiveBrighter, turn off the lights and get used to being chilly in this house.
#LiveBrighter She said to close the fridge door!
my tip is to wear socks and a sweater more often indoors
I keep the house pretty cool, and use a small space heater in the evenings in our living room.
Close vents in spare rooms
I swear by LED lights.
Change those dirty furnace filters & have your vents cleaned at this time of year! #LiveBrighter
My son says to wear more sweaters and socks. #LiveBrighter