GreenTechGrid: Vermonters Save 20 Percent on Winter Energy Bills Compared to Texans

“Put on a sweater.”

By Katherine Tweed

If you grew up in New England, you know the response to the often-heard wintertime comment, “I’m cold.”

“Put on a sweater” was usually the first answer. It could be followed by “put on a hat,” “put on slippers,” or “get another pair of socks.” A parent might have even have told you to go outside (where it’s far colder) and run around to get your blood flowing.

Whether it’s Yankee frugality or a testament to the rugged Northern disposition, Vermont leads the U.S. with the lowest average set point on their thermostats, with Oklahoma and Texas at the high end, according to data compiled from more than 100,000 thermostats running on EnergyHub’s Mercury platform.

This should come as no surprise to anyone from New England, including this reporter. My father would remind us before a walk to the bus in single-digit temperatures, “There’s no such thing as cold weather, just badly dressed people.” He’s probably wearing shorts right now.

Maybe Texans need to invest in sweaters. While the average winter temperature set point was 63.4 degrees F in Vermont, and about 65.5 degrees F in Maine, it jumped to 69.9 in Texas and an even 70 in Oklahoma. The difference in the two extremes means that Vermonters are saving about 20 percent on their heating compared to the cost if they set it at 69.9 F, which comes out to about $500 a year.

To read the full article about how the EnergyHub Mercury smart thermostat platform analyzes regional patterns in temperature settings, visit GreenTechGrid.