Money Saving Monday - tips at home

Another money saving post.

Keep your thermostat set 1 or 2 degrees LESS than normal in the winter, and 1 or 2 degrees HIGHER in the summer.  Most people don't notice the difference of 1 degree, and it really can help you save money. We keep our furnace at 18 degrees celsius most of the winter (we wear a sweater and socks) - if it is particularly damp or we are sick then we will raise it - but we generally lower it as soon as possible.

In the summer, we try and stick to around 23 degrees - if it is SUPER humid, then we will put it down to 21, but we really try not to. There are many days where I actually turn it off - if it gets too hard to take, I can always turn it back!

Also - we try our best to leave the furnace off until after thanksgiving (2nd weekend of October) - we almost made it to Halloween this year - but we did have a week or so in November that we were able to turn it off.

Also - look into Time of Use rates with your hydro company. Ours has a 3 tier charge system - 7pm-7am is off peak, meaning it is the cheapest time to use electricity; 7am-11am and 5pm-7pm are mid-peak hours; 11am - 5pm are on peak (meaning highest charge)