It's getting hot in here

With the heat of summer approaching, temperatures won't be the only thing that's rising. Electric bills will be increasing by up to 50 percent. If you're like me this is bad news, especially since we've already seen a dramatic increase in electric prices during the winter. Last year we had the luxury of our electric bill rarely being over $100. This year that all changed. Our electric bill was never under a $100 during the winter months, and hovered around the $200 mark. I realize this still is cheap to some who experienced $300-$400 electric bills during this time. I'm pretty sure if I received a $400 electric bill, the electric company could just come cut if off, because that is ridiculous.

So for the first time since we moved into our new house, we had to adjust our thermostat to temperatures that we weren't necessarily comfortable with, but would save us money. During the winter we spent most of our time in the house, huddled under blankets. So, what will we have to endure during the summer? Probably higher electric bills, because a pregnant wife doesn't like sweating. Normally during the summer we would keep our thermostat set to 78 degrees. Many will think this is high, but with savings of around 2 percent per degree, it's worth it. The difference between your thermostat being set at 78 instead of 72, equals to a 10-12 percent difference in your electric bill. Would it be worth it to you?

I'm always interested in the different degrees people are comfortable at. Most would think 78 is way too high. Some would love it as low as 68, but I would be absolutely freezing. What temperature do you have your thermostat set to? Check out the poll to the right? Do you consider the cost when setting it, or do you just place it on whatever you're comfortable with?