Don't Sweat It

The other day, my friend commented how she always has her air conditioner set at 78 or 79 degrees. Are you kidding me?? Do you know how hot it is outside?! She said that she had weened herself away from air conditioning, because it makes you think it's hot when it really isn't. Hmmm. I had to think on this for awhile, because I was pretty sure that I was roasting!

But the more I thought on this, the more it made sense. We keep our air conditioning at 74 degrees at all times. But, there have been times, even in the summer, that I find I am looking for a sweater or putting on shoes or long pants, because I am a little chilly. Hmmm. Had to think a little more on this.

I decided to try and experiment. (We are homeschoolers, after all, so we experiment with EVERYTHING!) I decided to try raising the thermostat by just one degree and see how unbearable it became in the house. Much to my amazement, the day went by and I hardly noticed the difference in the temperature. I did this for 2 or 3 days, and then decided to go up again by one degree. This time, I have noticed a bit of a change, but not really in a bad way. I now notice that I'm comfortable, and I'm not looking for a sweater in the middle of the summer!! The house isn't unbearable and it isn't stuffy. So in another day or so, I will raise the thermostat once again by one degree and see if I notice a difference.

I know by now most of you are probably thinking I'm not thinking clearly - probably due to the heat! But before you write me off as a little loopy, think of this. Entergy has proven that each degree below 78 increases your bill by as much as 3%. Wow! Just from moving my thermostat from 74 to 78, I will be able to see a HUGE savings on my electric bill. And I ask you, who doesn't need to save money in that area?

So my challenge to you is this. Try adjusting your thermostat by just one degree, and see if you notice a difference. Experiment with this for at least a week before calling it quits. You will be helping out your environment by not using more energy than you really need, and you will be saving a great deal of money in the process. Money, I might add, that can always be put to use in some other way in these hard economic times.

I would love to hear from you after your experiment and see how well you made out!