Mild weather lowers heating costs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - After a weekend that featured snow and dense fog, we had the pleasure of brighter and warmer weather on Monday.

Beautiful sunshine, a warm breeze, temperatures into the 50's felt more like early November than early December.

Average high temperatures this time of year are in the lower 40's. By ten o'clock Monday morning we were already in the lower 50s, much warmer than we should be this time of year.

By Monday afternoon high temperatures reached 57 degrees, it was almost record breaking warmth, but not quite.

The current record stands at 59 degrees.

These warm temperatures are being felt across the east, ahead of colder air working into the middle of the county.

"We're going to go to a friend’s house and play outside with a bunch of kids. You've got to take advantage of this kind of weather because the winter you get stuck inside with your kids and they get stir crazy," said Kate Gray in Springfield.

The warm air certainly saves your heating bill; many people could enjoy their day outside without having their heat on at all.

"If we're home like today, we will turn it down probably to 68 and if it kicks in it kicks in. it might not today, I haven't heard it come on today,” said Rachel Patterson from Springfield.

But you don't need to fiddle with your thermostat at all; if your house is warmer your heat will stay off automatically.

If you have good insulation around your home, on days when it’s warm during the day and cool at night, you won't notice much temperature change inside.