Thermostats
 Look, one of the best ways to save on your heating and cooling bills is to aim for a mild climate inside year 'round. You do not need to heat your home to tropical temperatures in the winter. Likewise, no-one should have to wear a sweater inside on a 90 degree summer day.
So be tough. In cold climes, turn the temperature down to 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the day when you're home and 55 degrees at night and during days when no one is home. For every degree you turn your home's thermostat down you take about 2 percent off your energy bill. So if you lower your thermostat 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day when you're out and about, you can cut as much as 20 percent of your heating costs. (You'll notice I said "down," not "off." Only turn your heater off when you go on vacation if you like to come home to Lake Mead in your basement caused by your frozen pipes.)
You should be able to set your central air conditioning for 78 degrees Fahrenheit and still be comfortable in light clothing. Turning your temperature up to 78 from 72 degrees can save you hundreds of dollars a year. The savings are greater the hotter the climate.
"But it's cold on my tootsies when I get out of bed" I hear you Northerners saying. (Southerners are saying "It's too hot to get out of bed") Now, don't whine. There's an answer to that problem called an electronic thermostat. This little gadget will adjust the temperature on a schedule you set. You can get models that have the same schedule every day; models that have two settings, a setting for weekdays and a setting for weekends; and models that allow you to program a different schedule for every day of the week. Consumer Reports says the new models are a lot easier to program than older ones.
Hint: if you have several heating or cooling zones in your home, you'll want a thermostat for each zone to maximize savings. Set each to raise and lower the temperature in the zone it controls so that the temperature corresponds to your use of the zone. For example, you probably don't need to have warm bedrooms when you get home from work in the winter, so set their thermostat to warm them up just before bedtime.
If you only use the guest bedroom when Aunt Eunice comes for her yearly visit, close the door for the rest of the winter and turn off the heat to it. Or the air conditioner.
Arrange your furniture and drapes so they do not block air flow from heat registers. If you simply must have your couch against the east wall because your Feng Shui consultant said it would bring you serenity, put a cap on the heat register to redirect the flow of warm air away from, say, the underside of your couch and towards your chilly feet.
Don't forget, you can always put on a comfy oversized sweater instead of boosting the heater. After all, former Pres Jimmy Carter did. And don't forget warm wool socks and down comforters.
For those of you in Florida or other sultry states, if you already have the shades drawn to block out the warming sunlight, who's to know what you are--or are not--wearing to keep cool.
| 
