Lowering your thermostat will save more than just money

You’ve seen it all over websites, you’ve heard it on the news, and you’ve even read it in some magazines.  Lowering your thermostat will save you money.  Everybody knows that.  But what if we told you there are more benefits than just a smaller utility bill? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) 

In an article recently posted by BrightNest, we learned about four additional advantages that will encourage you to actually lower your thermostat, and not just think about it. The following facts got us excited about energy reduction in a new way and we just knew we had to share them with our readers.  Here we go…

LOWER YOUR THERMOSTAT TO:

1. EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR HOUSE PLANTS

It’s pretty easy to kill your plants, so take their advice and set your thermostat below 75 degrees to ensure they live a long life.  Simply put, plants require less water when they’re in cooler conditions, similar to humans.  But don’t deprive them of water completely!  Plants get parched, too.

2. HELP YOU BURN CALORIES

It’s a scientific fact: your body works harder to keep you warm when in cooler conditions.  Now, BrightNest doesn’t advise extreme temperature drops, but just enough to keep you comfortable wearing a couple layers will suffice.  They calculated it out and estimated your body will burn about 100 extra calories per day in these cooler temperatures.  After a few weeks, that will add up to 3,500 calories, equivalent to one whole pound…just from turning the heater down!

3. PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR REFRIGERATOR

Your refrigerator functions opposite from how your body does- it has to work harder in warmerconditions.  And what happens when your appliances have to work harder?  They produce more maintenance problems and have shorter life cycles.  Lower temperatures will make it easier for your fridge to keep your deli meats fresh and your waffles frozen.

4. HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER

Lots of people are more comfortable sleeping in cooler conditions.  According to BrightNest’s article, reducing the temperature of your house by five degrees will help you to quickly meet your “set point,” or “the temperature your brain needs to reach before going to sleep.” If these four incentives don’t convince you to lower your home’s thermostat, we’re not sure if anything will!

http://theenergycollective.com/sbattaglia/345076/lowering-your-thermostat-will-save-more-just-money