Which Way Works Best To Conserve Natural Gas/electricity?

Here are a few things for you to consider. I will show you some of the most advanced thermal imaging in the world to help you do a few things on your own.
A thermostat is just the switch, how much energy you use is dependent on the function of the building envelope. The building envelope is the exterior walls, roof, floor and yes it includes the windows and doors.
I am amazed to look at the different types of heating installation after I am called as a last resort to show them how the building is using energy.
Heat rises, we all know it, why do we try to heat buildings from the top down?
Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-h… and see how buildings use energy. My thermostat is programmed to go to 64 degrees F at
11:00 PM. If the house drops below that, the furnace kicks on until it is 64 again.
At 6:30AM the thermostat is programmed for 71 to heat the house up in the morning, set to drop to 68 at 8:00AM, 64 at 8:30AM because people are gone and back up to 68 at 4:30 PM just before people come home. These are all savings for you.
At the link, you are going to see buildings with heaters on the roof and wondering why their bills are high. If they had used a better design initially, it would have made all the difference in the world.
I just inspected another home where the crawl space wasn’t insulated and the heat loss was incredible to see. Check your doors, windows, check for drafts. If the seals on your exterior doors are faulty, you are losing heated air constantly.
There is lots you can do, seeing it will make all the difference in the world. Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-h… and see the reason your home uses energy in the summer. What you will see here is shocking because California got knocked off the power grid treating symptoms while people got cooked by their buildings.
Your realtors and building inspectors can’t see this, it is up to you to look after your investment.

an automatic thermostat that turns it down at light (when you are under the covers and can withstand a cooler house) and raises the temp when your home will save you money.
keeping it at 58 degrees is good energy wise but will be too cold during the day.

Definitely #1. turning your furnace off will only take more energy to bring the temp back up. However, I in the winter leave the fan on constantly to keep air moving and eliminates cold spots in the house.

turn it off when you’re not home, or if you are in an area that can freeze, turn it way down but not off.
it will never take more energy to heat your home back up from a cooler temperature than it will to keep it a constant temperature.
as a matter of fact, as it cools off, the temperature difference between the inside and outside air gets smaller, and thus the heat transfer rate actually goes down – meaning you lose less energy.

The best method of saving on heating energy is to lower the temperature – even if it is only for short periods.The losses regarding heating is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature. The bigger the difference the bigger the heat transfer (or loss) and thus the more enregy you need to maintain the indoor temperature.
If you want to save on heating expenses, you have to either do your temprature management manually or by means of a programmable thermostat. When you leave the house, you can lower the temperature to about 55 or even 50 degrees without the risk of water lines, etc. freezing. You can turn it back up again when you get home. This will save you a lot on heating expenses. The only downfall – you will be welcommed by a cold home everyday after work.
The alternative – invest in a programmable thermostat (ussually between $50 and $120 – depending on what you buy). These thermostats can be programmed for your temperature requirements. You can program the time you leave and the time you return. This will ensure that the home is heated up by the time you return from work. Most of these have a night cycle as well. This allows you to lower the temperature during night time as well, since most people are nice and warm in bed and you do not need the tempreature to be as high as during the day – this is personal preference and is also another means to reduce your heating somewhat. You can set a wake-up time and you will have a nice warm house when you wake up as well. These thermostats ussually have different cycles for the week and weekend or you can set it day by day – just as you like.
Hope this helps.