The rising cost of energy affects everyone and everything in our lives. Whether it is fuel for the car, shipping a parcel, or heating your home, the ever increasing costs of energy are a significant part of our household budgets.

Looking for ways to save on energy is worth the effort. You can find the lowest price for gas, though it may mean driving around, thereby negating your savings. A better plan is to plan your trips to be more efficient or leave the car at home whenever possible. It might be more cost affective for some to take public transportation. You can use the post office as the least expensive method for shipping a parcel, or shop online, as many retailers offer free shipping (not always, but as a promotion). Heating your home is a large expense for most parts of the country. Converting from all electric to oil or gas can be expensive and will take a few years to realize the savings. By far the easiest method to save on heating is to turn down your thermostat. Some people like to sleep in a cool bedroom and this is definitely the healthiest way to sleep, but some prefer just a sheet or cotton cover and keep the heat up above 68 degrees. This is both costly and unhealthy as high heat can dry out your sinuses. It is also not good for your skin.

Sleeping under a high quality down comforter with a style and filling to suit the way you sleep is the best way to turn down the thermostat. A bedroom of average temperature 65 is very comfortable. A down comforter with a fill power of 750 or more, would allow the thermostat to be turned down to 60 or lower. This may sound scary to some, but a really good down comforter will keep you toasty warm in winter and cool in summer. The higher the fill power (the measurement of a down cluster's ability to loft up and trap air), the warmer you will be. You will have a light as air cover with maximum warmth and it feels so much better than any other bed covering. Those of us who like to sleep with the windows open would need the high fill power down for maximum comfort. 

Make sure you have a timer on the thermostat, so that when you get up in the morning the other rooms are at the temperature you prefer during the day, especially the bathroom. Turning down your thermostat at night will show up right away in savings, which in a relatively short time will pay for that high quality down comforter which with proper care of cleaning and renovation will last a lifetime.