Rituals
Before I leave the house in the morning, I turn down the thermostat. Not too far, because I’m from the camp that believes that it costs just as much to bring your house back to toasty after letting it cool down all day, as it does to keep it on the low end of normal all day. I read a completely sane and well argued item that tells me this is a complete falsehood. I don’t care. This is how I do it.

Also, I can’t turn it too low while the husband is still home because if he gets cold, he’ll crank it way up and then go off to work and now we’re paying for a toasty house all day long. The only time it occurs to him to touch the thermostat is when he is cold. Conservation is not part of the equation.

Another thing I do is crack the blinds in the bedroom. The people who lived here before us had their bedboard against one of the windows so they didn’t open the blinds for who knows how many years and there was furry band of mold growing around the window panes when we moved in. The idea behind the crack is moisture control.

I check the rolled up towel at the bottom crack of the front door to minimize chilly draft. This is another item spouse ignores because he doesn’t like bending.

I put any stray cups or dishes into the dishwasher so the counters will be clean when I return home. Then I turn out all the lights and head off to work.

When I return home I do almost the same drill in reverse. Punch up the thermostat. Close blinds. Turn on a few lights.

The summer is opposite. I close the windows and blinds in the morning and open them all up when I get home because sunlight and fresh air are my favorite.