JACKSONVILLE, Fl. – It is so tempting to bump your thermostat several degrees to warm your house, but before you start pressing that arrow button or turning that dial, you should know the impact just a few degrees all at once can have on your monthly electric bill.
“If you raise your thermostat up more than 2 degrees, you will engage your auxiliary heat, which is heat strips. Heat strips can use three to four times more than your heat pump,” said John Funches, manager of JEA’s Conservation and Efficiency Field Services.
Instead, Funches recommends you increase the temperature one degree at a time slowly.
Another mistake is leaving the thermostat set at the same temperature all day, especially if you leave home.
“If you’re away, we recommend that you lower your thermostat by 5 degrees to reduce the amount of run time your heat pump will run,” Funches explained.
He suggests you set your thermostat to 68 degrees when you leave the house for the day.
You may also want to invest in a SMART thermostat, which you can control from your phone when you’re away and to save money in the long run, check for tax incentives and rebates through the Department of Energy. You can learn more by searching here.
Space heater safety
We know many of you use portable space heaters to stay warm but be careful. On average according to the U.S. Fire Administration, fires sparked by space heaters lead to 65 deaths and 150 injuries a year.
The U.S. Fire Administration released six steps to follow before you use one:
- Make sure a space heater is at least a three feet distance from anything that can catch fire
- Never leave one unattended, including when sleeping
- Keep away from pets and kids
- Check for signs of malfunction
- Do not plug into a power strip, surge protector or extension cord
Capt. Eric Prosswimmer with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said space heaters can get very hot, very quickly and can cause fires if something comes in contact with one.
“If you have it by blankets, by papers, by loose items, they’re going to heat up to a point where they’re going to ignite and then you’re going to have a problem,” explained Prosswimmer. “We’re always going to recommend you plug them into a wall, so directly into the wall because if you put them on an extension cord, they may not be able to handle the watts.”
The city of Jacksonville has a partnership with JFRD to provide free smoke detectors to anyone living in Jacksonville. Call 630-CITY (2489) to make an appointment to have one installed.