In the United States, monthly utility costs are at an all time high. In fact, as of 2011, the average American homeowner will pay $163 a month in utilities and, in many places, that number jumps to more than $200. In Staten Island, where residents pay the highest utility rates in the country, the average home pays a staggering $271 a month. These high payments cause many individuals to invest in and install energy efficient home heating systems to try to cut costs in the long run. However, there are many helpful home efficiency tips that they can use to avoid having to install any new products, especially when it comes to a thermostat.

1. Installing a thermostat timer will allow individuals to save money by cutting down the amount of time that a heating system is running when it does not need to be. A timer can automatically raise and lower the temperature that a system tries to achieve depending on time of day, allowing individuals to stay comfortable without having to tweak their thermostat all the time.

2. Along those same lines, turning a thermostat down at night can be a good idea. Once someone bundles up in their blankets and falls asleep, they probably will not even know if the heater is running or not. Though turning it down at night might mean for some colder mornings, it could result in lower energy bills.

3. If a homeowner plans on going out of town for a few days and knows that they will not be home, they should turn their thermostat to the lowest setting. There is no point in keeping a home warm if nobody is going to live there, so not wasting energy on having a heater run is a good idea.

4. When homeowners have company over, they will want to make sure that everyone is comfortable. But when there is a house full of people, turning the heater off can be a good idea. Sometimes, body heat from lots of party goers can be enough to warm an entire home.

Using these four techniques to better manage a thermostat can help any homeowner lower monthly utility bills. However, there are certain times where installing new energy efficient home heating systems can be even more beneficial. Every home is different, so taking the time to determine if new products will make a difference is a good idea.