DJ Hassan’s Financially Fit Interview: How a Smart Thermostat Can Help Cut Your Monthly Bill

Everyone wants to manage their money better and save, so I'm embarking on a series of interviews with KeyBank about financial fitness. You can catch them on air between 10 am and 2 pm each Thursday or online HERE.

In this week's interview, I talked to Aaron Hayes, vice president and consumer service department manager at KeyBank, about ways people can cut their heat budget and maximize what they do use in order to save money the rest of the winter.

Aaron started off by telling me about smart thermostats and how they can help make a positive impact on your monthly heating and electricity bill:

Smart thermostats can be programmed from your phone and recognize your personal habits, adjusting themselves to the temperature of your house accordingly. Installing a smart thermostat can cost you between $50 and $200 but they practically pay for themselves over the course of just a few months. Smart thermostat models can be programmed to lower your house temperature overnight and during the day while you're at work. This keeps your house at a comfortable temperature while you're awake and in the house while saving you money while you're asleep and are away.

He also talked to me about ways people can stop the cold from coming in through their doors and windows:

Homes with adequate insulation save an average of 15% off home heating and cooling costs. Ensure that your windows and door frames are properly sealed, reduce drafts and leakage by sewing the inside of windows and unused doors with plastic wrapping tape, which can be found at hardware stores and provide a quick and easy introduction to cutting heating costs.

Aaron also made a pretty good point about dressing in the right clothes:

Dress in layers. If you're serious about cutting heating costs, consider lowering your home's temperature by a few degrees and just throw on an extra sweater on top of whatever you're already wearing. After all, you'll be wearing extra clothes during the winter anyway, so why not wear them indoors as well? By doing so, you can be saving that 5% per degree all day long every day.

Ready to take that next financial step? Learn more about KeyBank Plus Check Cashing and account options at key.com/personal/index.jsp or stop by one of their convenient locations. You can search for the nearest location here.