Transcript:

Summer blazes on and boy, is it hot. I just got my July energy bill, and it was nearly $500!

But as high as my bill is, it would be a lot higher if we weren’t careful about some things, like raising the temperature in the house and setting our programmable thermostats.

Instead of setting the house temperature at 73 during the day, we often set it at 75 or even higher. The first floor is typically warmer than the second floor, but often we’ll keep the whole house warm during the day. I’d rather spend my days warmer and nights cooler, so we turn down the second floor zone to a quite comfortable temperature at night.

According to the Department of Energy (Energy.gov), raising the thermostat by 2 degrees can shave 10 to 15 percent off your energy bill. We’ve done better than that this summer. I’m guessing we’re saving $50 to $75 per month.

With practical, informative consumer advice, I’m Ilyce Glink, News-Talk 750 WSB