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Setting the Thermostat with Birds in Mind
Climate-friendly heating and cooling choices save energy and help birds, too.
© pchoiu
If you’ve already done things around the home with birds in mind, consider one more action that might be less obvious. Turning the thermostat down a degree or two in the colder months and up a degree in the warmer months might seem more about personal preference or energy bills than birds. But climate change is a grave threat to birds, putting two-thirds of North American bird species at risk of extinction. So anything that decreases carbon emissions is a step towards a better future for birds — not to mention people.
BirdNote®
Setting the Thermostat with Birds in Mind
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
[American Redstart song]
If you’ve already done things around the home with birds in mind — like hanging up bird feeders or nest boxes, turning off the lights at night during migration, keeping cats indoors — consider one more action that might be less obvious.
[HVAC fan turning on]
Turning the thermostat down a degree or two in the colder months and up a degree in the warmer months might seem more about personal preference or energy bills than birds. But climate change is a grave threat to birds, putting two-thirds of North American bird species at risk of extinction. So anything that decreases carbon emissions is a step towards a better future for birds — not to mention people.
Of course, not everyone can change their thermostat settings, depending on building policies and health concerns.
But if you are able to, turning thermostats down in winter and up in summer, and using alternative ways to stay comfortable, can save up to ten percent on a home’s yearly energy costs.
And programmable thermostats can help keep your heating and cooling efficient without much input from you.
[American Redstart song]
BirdNote has inspired millions of people to take action for birds. Learn more and join us at BirdNote.org. I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. American Redstart ML534361 recorded by Wil Hershberger.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2024 BirdNote June 2024 & August 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# actions-08-2024-06-07 actions-08
Ariana Remmel
Narrator