Just turned on the upstairs, zone II, thermostat.  Not so much because we were cold, but to protect the pipes as it gets colder.  Also reprogrammed the thermostat to take out quite a few hours of heating, same as I did downstairs.  It will be interesting to see if I can notice any difference  in the heating bill.  Already noticed a reduction in water use with both our daughters now out of the house – one at college and one living alone – though the college one will be home shortly for the holidays.

As I have said before, always think in terms of where you can save energy.  Good for your finances and good for the planet.

Also, as I change my holiday lighting over to L.E.D. lights, that should reduce my electric bill along with my heating bill.

One of the best places I’ve found to buy holiday lighting is from my partners at 1000bulbs.com. They have an amazing selection – make sure your buy the L.E.D. type – and always have what I’m looking for. They also have a great selection of plug -in timers so you can easily and automatically control when your holiday lights turn on and off.

In addition, they have an outstanding article about disposing of CFL bulbs. Many people are concerned about the small amount of mercury that is in CFL bulbs, but this article shows that it is insignificant, and even breaking one would only expose you to much less mercury than you might get by eating a tuna salad sandwich – and that’s not much! You should, as I have mentioned, always dispose of them properly – use the drop off point at your local home improvement store or check with your local recycling center. But the savings are well worth the effort! Read this great article here.