50 Acts of Green: Day Thirty Four - Programmable Thermostats

One of the many things which changes rapidly is our weather. Everywhere I have lived people have said some variation of the following, "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes, it will change." I am not sure I have actually chosen to live in weather diverse locations, but having been to all fifty states, I can tell you that most people think this about their weather. In the few places where weather is predicable and steady, they have no thought of the weather at all. 

The long term weather patterns, our climates, and their recent changes due to human environmental impact is one of the things pushing people to be more environmentally sensitive these days. As the weather and long term climates outside of our houses change (and not always for the better!) we are starting to realize we have made as much of an impact on our environment as it makes on us. 

One of the many things we can do to help our impact on our weather is to change our indoor weather. Our indoor heating and cooling system choices can affect our environments through the amount of energy it takes to run them and the kinds of wastes they give off. Heating and cooling systems give off waste heat, exhaust chemicals (depending on your system) and water vapor. Making changes to your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system when you have the chance to be more environmentally friendly saves energy and reduces excess heat and exhaust chemicals. 

If you have the choice to get a programmable thermostat, please do! They can help keep your indoor weather appropriate and save energy. Programmable thermostats will allow your house to be warmer/cooler during the times when you are not present in order to save energy. You can also simply set it a couple of degrees warmer or cooler regularly to help conserve energy. 

One small act of green, energy saved!