Put On a Sweater

By setting your home and office heating systems just a few degrees lower, you’ll save a sizable amount of energy. And you’ll make your mother happy by wearing that sweater she gave you last Christmas.

Back in the heady green days of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, the former peanut farmer made headlines by turning down the White House thermostat and donning a sweater to stay warm. Still, many of us continue to overheat our homes because we don’t like the idea of sensing a chill, or we just don’t think about putting on another layer. But when the air starts to turn cool, remember that the natural cycle is to get your warmer clothes out of storage and layer up.

You can save big. Most households shell out 50 to 70 percent of their energy budgets on heating and cooling, reports the Department of Energy. Yet, for every degree you lower the thermostat, you'll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill.

A light long-sleeved sweater is generally worth about 2 degrees in added warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about 4 degrees.

Related story:
Watch That Thermostat

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