The thermostat can sometimes feel like your best friend on a cold winter day, but ...
"The thermostat is probably the most common issue with our customers when it comes to their high bills in winter, because they're heating their house too much," says NV Energy Program Manager, Chad Piekarz.
So, when our homes are empty, our thermostats should be programmed to keep things cool.
"Fifty-eight would be your low when you're away at work or away during the day and then sleeping at night, allowing that house to heat up and cool down,” says Piekarz
And your high should be no more than 68 degrees.
If fiddling with your thermostat sounds complicated, NV Energy has a program called Powershift; "It's actually a smart thermostat. You can modify it from a handheld device from a remote location and actually monitor what's happening in your house and it's free.”
To qualify you need Wi-Fi in your home and air conditioning. The system is linked to NV Energy and in summer, the company asks participants to reduce use during peak hours, but; "it's not an iron fist with these thermostats,” explains Piekarz. “You can control it. You're supposed to participate in the event, but yeah, it's something the customer can override."
In winter, keeping the temperature at 68 will keep your bill from creeping up.
“It could be 1%, it could be 5% - it could be a lot more than that. It depends how much glass is in the home, what the insulation is like, there's a lot of things that obviously affect this but it can be a huge difference in the bill by keeping it above that,” says Piekarz.
Another free offering from NV Energy is a home energy audit. A certified technician will come to your house and check out everything from insulation and duct systems to appliances and windows.
For more information go to https://www.nvenergy.com/save-with-powershift.html
