About a year ago, I upgraded to a smart thermostat that offers all sorts of energy saving features.
It provides helpful information such as energy tracking, then because of the thermostat, I was able to see our annual household consumption.
It was a little surprising to see that every one of us use a lot more energy while in the Wintertide than the summer. Both the gas furnace & air conditioner are fairly new, Energy Star qualified & top-of-the-line in efficiency ratings. I did some research & l earned that there are really good reasons why I spend more on heating than cooling. For starters, I keep the thermostat at approximately 80 degrees all year round. The highest Summer temperatures get to the mid to high eighties. That’s a difference of about fifteen degrees for a week or several. In the winter, the temperature is normally below chilly & occasionally drops into the setback digits. The gas furnace needs to bring up the indoor temperature anywhere from forty to sixty degrees. The heating program needs to work harder & run more often than the cooling unit. Plus, the cooling process is fairly straightforward. The air conditioner simply pulls heat out of the air & transfers it outdoors. The gas furnace burns fossil fuels to create heat. The process is way more complex & requires a great deal more energy. I have taken extra measures to reduce demands on the heater. I’ve caulked around windows, weatherstripped exterior doors & added insulation to the attic. I use ceiling fans to help push the heated air down toward the floor, however despite all my efforts, I’m never glad with the cost of my Wintertide biweekly bills.