How to Use an Indoor / Outdoor Thermometer to Save Money!

So you just got your first indoor-outdoor thermometer. Yes, it's great to know whether you need a coat that day without stepping outside in the morning. But did you know that this device can also save you big bucks in heating and cooling your house? It's true and you can save with just a couple of easy steps.

First, think of your house as a big thermos (a container flask that preserves temperatures of hot or cold drinks). It's insulated and airtight like a thermos. So what goes in, stays in until you unscrew the top to let it out. During the Summer, most people run their air-conditioner all the time to maintain a comfortable temperature in their home. Your home is loaded with heat producers your air conditioner must overcome such as appliances and electronics. Even the people within it are like moving ninety-eight degree furnaces. Your house, like the thermos, will keep all this warmth bottled up inside. So even at night when the temperature outside gets cooler than the indoor temperature, people still run their air conditioner to cool themselves and their belongings.

Now with the in/out thermometer, you're in control! In Summer the nights are often still cool. The moment in the evening when the temperature outside drops to the temperature inside, turn off the air conditioner and open your windows. Voila, instant free and naturally fresh air-conditioning. If the air is too still, circulate it through with a box fan in a window at one end of the house. For an even greater effect, put a second fan at the other end of the house with one blowing in while the other blows out. All of the air in the house will be replaced with fresh cool air every few minutes. In essence, you've opened your thermos to pour out the warmth and bring in the cool. If you get too cold, lower the fan settings and close the windows partially or completely. Conversely, in Winter when the day time temperatures rise, turn off the heat, open the windows and let Mother Nature pay the heating bill. If you can lay off heating and cooling in the Spring and Fall, you should only need to heat or cool your home for just a few hours a day in the Summer or Winter. No muss, no fuss, All wuss!

So, whether you have an indoor / outdoor thermometer or not:
In Summer, turn off the air conditioner and open the windows when it is cooler outside than in.
In Winter, turn off the heater and open the windows when it is warmer outside than in.

Of course, you can already tell when it is cooler outside than in without the thermometer but the thermometer takes the guesswork out. Using it, you know the exact moment it will benefit you to open the windows and thus maximize your savings. Watching the thermometer and acting accordingly quickly becomes a money saving habit. So, be cool like Fonzie and use an indoor / outdoor thermometer to lower your heating and cooling bills.