Winter is upon us, and one expert recently took to TikTok to share a tip about heating your home during winter, which may seem counterintuitive but could end up saving you a lot of money on your electricity bill.
The scoop
"Everybody wants to save money during the heating season," the purveyor of Coastal Air Conditioning, NJ (@coastalac_nj) begins his video.
The way to accomplish this, he goes on to explain, is not to turn the temperature down very low when you're out of the house.
"One misconception is … setting your thermostat too low when you leave your home," he says.
@coastalac_nj How to save money during heating season #heating #saving #savingmoney #housetips #heatingtips #savingmoney #savemoney #tips ♬ original sound - Coastal Air Conditioning, NJ
When you set the thermostat to a temperature of, for example, 62 degrees when you're out of the house and then turn it up to 68 when you get back, you increase stress on the heating system, leading to higher heating bills.
"By setting the thermostat to a more average temperature, it will reduce stress and longer run times in your home. This should alleviate some spikes in your gas bill," Coastal Air Condition, NJ says.
How it's helping
Decreasing the amount of energy you use to heat your home is a win for both your wallet and the planet — especially since many homes still rely on dirty energy sources, such as natural gas (also known as methane) which significantly contributes to the overheating of our planet with heat-trapping effects that are many times higher than even carbon dioxide.
There are plenty of other ways that you can cut down on your heating bill as well, including weatherizing your house to make it retain heat more efficiently, switching to "smart" automated appliances, and installing a heat pump.
What everyone's saying
The comment section of the TikTok post indicated that this was indeed a heating tip that people had previously been unaware of.
One commenter asked about turning the system off entirely (which, though unanswered, would also presumably increase stress on the system).
Another replied with a simple grinning face emoji, no doubt thrilled about all the money they were now going to save on their energy bills.
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