by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Students are taking different approaches to dealing with cold weather and high natural gas prices.
Student Raquel Otero bought a programmable thermostat that turns on and off at preset times during the day, she said.
"I really like it," she said. "I don't have to worry about it - I get home and my house is warm."
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Her natural gas bill dropped from over $100 to about $75 after she installed the thermostat, she said.
Installing a programmable thermostat is the best option available to save on gas this winter, said Catherine Carlton, PNM spokeswoman.
"Instead of just keeping your thermostat at 70, you can have it turn back when you go to class, or when you're in your bed with your blankets keeping you warm," she said. "There's an initial cost to install it, but it will save you money in the long run."
Otero paid about $75 for her thermostat, she said.
Carlton said natural gas prices are about 60 percent higher this year than last year.
Installing a programmable thermostat is one of many things on a list PNM compiled on how people can save on heating bills this winter, Carlton said.
She said the second best thing to do to save money on heat is winterize a house by doing things like caulking cracks in the walls and putting weather stripping around the windows.
It is best to seal anything where hot air might escape, she said.
"You need to fill in all those nooks and crannies. That's where hot air will escape your house," she said. "Caulking and weather stripping are pretty inexpensive ways to seal those holes."
Heat can escape from light switches and electric outlets, she said. She recommended buying seals that go between the faceplate and the wall to keep heat from escaping.
Student Meagan Purcell said she was not concerned about heating costs this year.
"Actually, I'm not doing anything about it," she said. "I have a steady job, so I'm not too worried."
Student Morgan Estill was also not concerned.
"We use a wood-burning stove," he said. "So the natural gas prices don't really affect us."
Estill said it costs about $400 to heat his house all winter with the stove.
"It keeps the house pretty darn warm," he said.
PNM gives away free kits with the tools to weatherize a house, Carlton said.
She said cutting down on hot water use is also a good way to reduce natural gas use. She recommended installing a low-flow showerhead and washing clothes in warm or cold water, not hot.
The kit includes a low-flow showerhead, Carlton said.
It is also good idea to turn down a water heater to 140 degrees, she said.
PNM has given away about 18,000 of the kits so far, she said. She said it would cost about $30 to buy the materials provided in the kits. She said to check PNM's Web site to find out where kits are available.
Carlton said students should consider picking up one of the kits and taking all the steps they can to minimize natural gas use this winter.
"It's extremely important for all of us to be efficient this winter," she said. "We can't really do anything about the price of natural gas, but we can all take steps to reduce how much of it we use."