We have all become accustomed to the convenience of central heating and air conditioning, and very rarely do we consider the implications of that extra 1 or 2 degrees.  Certainly the workplace is generally heated to around 22C, and most of us expect to work in our shirt sleeves, not rugged up with winter woolies.  With most newer dwellings having air conditioning or central heating, and with most of us leading increasingly sedentary lives, we rely on artificial heating rather than an extra layer of clothing.  Or chopping wood to feel warmer!

use an energy saving thermostat

Is it enough to hope that someone else out there is installing enough solar panels to be able to reduce our carbon footprint? Apparently part of the problem isn’t just that we are heating our houses more,  its that we are heating more rooms in the house and for longer, our houses are getting bigger, and we really aren’t taking advantage of those very smart thermostats that many devices now have.  I suppose it doesn’t help that they can be as hard to program as the older VCRs.   A recent article published by the BBC  3 March 2011 speaks about our increased expectations due to increased affluence, but also makes the point that average indoor temperatures have risen from an average 12C in 1970 to 17.5C today.  In my childhood, the living room was heated but not the entrance hall or passages.  And the bedrooms to a much lesser degree.  Are we ready to give up a bit of comfort to save on energy?

Another factor is that open plan living results in higher heating costs, as we land up heating larger areas than we actually need.

Certainly if we need to drop our emissions substantially, we all need to take bigger steps.

heating an open plan living space is costly

The overall passive design of our homes needs to be  more in our  consciousness, and the fact that our homes are better insulated is only part of the issue. Designing our homes, or adapting existing homes, to ensure that we only heat the areas we use, is certainly one step we can take.  Getting our children to program the thermostats will help, as well as running  at lower temperatures.  Overall, if we all take steps to introduce wind or solar  energy to replace coal or oil fueled electricity  we surely must be able to make a difference!

Tags: Energy conservation, reduce costs with thermostat, Thermostat