We’ve been very busy here at UGI EnergyLink this heating season—and for good reason. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that U.S. households that use oil to warm their homes should expect to pay close to a whopping $2,500 in heating bills this season. It doesn’t get much better for homes that use propane—the total estimated heating costs for these households is set at $2,384. Households in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading, PA (and all throughout the Keystone State) that use natural gas heating, on the other hand, can expect to pay about $1,000 this heating season, according to the EIA. This is far less than the costs associated with the other heating fuels.

Now, our customers throughout Pennsylvania enjoy the savings opportunity offered by transitioning from either oil or propane to natural gas heating, but they want to truly minimize their expenses. An excellent way to do so is by investing in a programmable thermostat.

How Programmable Thermostats Keep Natural Gas Costs Down

When you install a programmable thermostat, you can preset your home’s temperature setting for different times of the day. During the wintertime (like now!), for example, you can set the temperature to be lower when your family members and other home occupants are away at work or school, minimizing energy consumption for those hours and providing your gas furnace a break. Program your thermostat to increase the temperature a short while before you and your family are set to arrive home. Not only will you save money on your heating bills, you and other home occupants will be greeted by a comfortable home after a long day.

Through proper use of a programmable thermostat, you can save about $180 every year in energy costs, according to Energy Star.

Want a useful piece of advice about programmable thermostats? Many homeowners mistakenly believe that turning their thermostat way up will warm up their homes more quickly. The fact of the matter is that this practice only uses more energy. A thermostat turns the furnace on and off—it doesn’t control how much heat the furnace produces. A home will heat up just as quickly at a thermostat setting of 72 degree as a thermostat setting of 79 degrees.

Homeowners’ best bet to minimize heating expenses this season is to transition to natural gas heating (if they haven’t done so already) and invest in (and properly use) a programmable thermostat.

UGI EnergyLink Keeps Natural Gas Costs Down

If you haven’t yet transitioned to natural gas home heating, know that UGI EnergyLink can take advantage of market opportunities unavailable to tightly regulated utilities. We can offer you both fixed and variable rate pricing options on natural gas. Over any given year, natural gas rates fluctuate based on availability and demand. You can rest easy though, knowing we have a proven track record of saving our customers money as compared to other Pennsylvania natural gas companies.

It’s very easy to take advantage of our natural gas service—just fill out our simple enrollment form to get us on your side. This is the first step you can take to save money on your heating bills. Don’t forget to invest in a programmable thermostat as well.