5 Benefits of Lowering Your Home Temperature For Energy Savings

Everybody loves coming home to a comfortable temperature. Your personal definition of the perfect “room temperature” depends more than anything else on your personal preferences. Be aware, though, that that comfort can cost. Heating and cooling typically account for a full half of your home’s energy costs – they consume more electricity than lighting, appliances, and electronics all put together. This is why monitoring your temperature is important according to Temperaturesensei

Wouldn’t you like to cut that expense without compromising on comfort? It’s easier than you think! Surveys show that over half of us use inefficient thermostat settings that waste power (and money!) without making our homes any more comfortable.

Learn to strike a better balance between comfort and economy in the cooler months! You can maintain ideal room temperature throughout the winter without wasting money or choosing to set your thermostat to “arctic igloo” for months on end!

Now, we have to be honest: When we talk about reducing your heating costs in the winter, we are talking about setting your thermostat to a lower temperature. You’d be surprised by how much of a positive impact a minor change can make, though! But the good news is, a lower energy bill is just one of the benefits you get from turning your thermostat down.

You don’t even need to commit to cooler temperatures 24/7 to enjoy the benefits outlined below. Simply dropping your home temperature at night or during working hours (when the house is empty) can make a difference.

Based on scientific research, as long as you can drop temperatures for at least four hours every day, you’ll enjoy these five key benefits of lowering your home temperature for energy savings:

1. Houseplants Live Longer (Under 75 °F)

You’ll find that your houseplants thrive if you keep your thermostat set below 75°F. This might look counter-intuitive at first glance, but it’s backed by science: Keeping them cool cuts down on plants’ water requirements. That makes a lower thermostat setting ideal for your plants if you’re leaving them unattended for a while, for instance, when you take an out-of-town trip. Note that this tip is not universal – some tropical plants absolutely demand higher temperatures.

2. You Burn More Calories (Under 70 °F)

While it can’t completely replace eating healthy and exercising regularly, a low environmental temperature is surprisingly helpful when you’re trying to lose weight. Keeping your thermostat under 70 degrees will increase the amount of energy your body uses.

You can expect to burn about 100 more calories every day when you keep your house cool. Every 3,500 calories you burn translates into a pound of weight lost. You don’t need to keep your house cold enough to cause shivers in order to unlock this benefit; as long as it feels like light sweater weather in your house, you’ll be burning more calories.

3. Your Fridge Lasts Longer (Under 65 °F)

The job of your refrigerator and freezer is to keep your food fresh at near or sub-freezing temperatures. Obviously, this job is harder for them to do when your home is very warm. Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can reduce your monthly energy usage by one to three percent. If you can commit to turning the temp down by five to ten degrees when you sleep every night, you could discover savings of up to 15 percent on your next heating bill!

Another way to save energy cost is to get a new provider. We recommend to do an energy comparison online to see what deal you can get. Although it might seem complex and overwhelming, it is surprisingly easy to compare electricity suppliers thanks to online comparison sites like Electricityrates.

Once again, when you’re leaving your home empty for a span of several days, try dropping the temperatures further than you normally would. The lower bound here should be 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Pushing your thermostat any lower than that risks causing damage to your plumbing system. 

4. You Sleep Better (Under 65 °F)

Taking the temperature of your home down by roughly five degrees can translate into a better night’s sleep. This is a matter of simple biology – you fall asleep faster and more peacefully when your body and brain reach a low temperature. The cooler the room around you is, the easier it is to reach this “set point.”

5. Your Energy Bills Are Lower

Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can reduce your monthly energy usage by one to three percent. If you can commit to turning the temp down by five to ten degrees when you sleep every night, you could discover savings of up to 15 percent on your next heating bill!

Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EcoMENA. He is a consultant, ecopreneur and journalist with expertise across in waste management, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biomass energy, biogas, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. He has participated in numerous conferences and workshops as chairman, session chair, keynote speaker and panelist. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability across the globe Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org

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