Right now most days are still warm and the evenings are just a tad on the cool side.  Here in Hoover Alabama we can still wear shorts during the day - or at least all the High School students think so.  Today it looks like it might rain again - a sign that a cool breeze is on the way.  I'm thinking winter is right around the corner.  YEA!!!!!

Winter though brings higher heating bills and higher bills is NOT something we are looking forward to.  The average American household spends $2000 on energy bills - half of which goes to heating and cooling.  With winter coming there are some things we can do.  We can turn the thermostat down and put more clothes on when in the house.  Many people have their thermostat turned up to the mid 70s.  Set your thermostat to below 70 degrees.  It will not be too uncomfortable (just put on some more clothes).

You may want to look into getting an Energy Star programmable thermostat.  There are basically 3 kinds:  The one that sets the temperature the same for all 7 days, the one that has the same temp for 5 days, then a different temp for 2 days, and a third that has 5 days, 1 day and 1 day.  That way the thermostat lowers the temperature in the middle of the night when you are toasty under the covers and then raises it before you get up so you will be comfortable when you get out of bed. You can also set the temp to go back down after you leave for work or school.  I have heard you can save $180 per year by properly using a programmable thermostat.

 If you would like to get information from Energy Star on programmable thermostats click here.

 When buying a home in the Hoover Alabama area, you can shop for a home with a programmable thermostat.  That is one of the features that is published on the realtor's MLS data sheet. Looking for a new home to buy?  You can shop for homes in the Hoover Alabama area on my website at www.tonibird.com. If you would like to know if a house has a programmable thermostat, let me know and I'll find out for you.