Why does your thermostat matter? The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills, with nearly half of this going to heating and cooling costs. The average house is responsible for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as the average car.
What can you do? You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting. A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly.
During winter, the lower the interior temperature, the slower the heat loss. So the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save, because your house has lost less energy than it would have at the higher temperature.
The same concept applies to raising your thermostat setting in the summer — a higher interior temperature will slow the flow of heat into your house, saving energy on air conditioning. Check out our home heating infographic to learn more about how heating systems and thermostats interact.
When should you adopt Energystar efficiencies? If some rooms are too hot or cold. If you have humidity problems or rooms that don’t have comfortable temperatures. If your equipment is more than 10 years old, needs frequent repairs or your energy bills are going up. If your thermostat is not programmed.
What is the recommended way to use a programmable thermostat? Start with a program such as that shown below. Adjust it for your family’s comfort. Keep the thermostat set at energy-saving temperatures for long periods of time, such as when no one is home and at bedtime.
| Setting | Time | Setpoint Temperature (Heat) | Setpoint Temperature (Cool) |
| Wake | 6 am | <70 ◦F | >78 ◦F |
| Day | 8 am | Setback at least 8◦ F | Setup at least 7◦F |
| Evening | 6 pm | <70 ◦F | >78 ◦F |
| Sleep | 10 pm | Setback at least 8◦ F | Setup at least 4◦F |
Additional Information and References
EnergyStar.gov website with information about thermostats and other residential energy efficiency measures: HeatingCoolingGuide FINAL_9-4-09.pdf
Focus on Energy Free Energy-Savings Packs: Free Energy-Saving Packs | Focus on Energy