Tip
Thermostat setpoints & schedules
Winter (heating season)
- Daytime, occupied: 68°F
- Daytime, unoccupied: 60-62°F (4-7°F setback)
- Sleeping: 60-62°F (people sleep better in cooler temps; saves significant energy overnight)
Each degree lower in winter saves 1-3% on heating energy. The biggest savings come from setbacks during sleep and away periods, not from holding 68°F continuously.
Summer (cooling season)
- Daytime, occupied: 78°F
- Daytime, unoccupied: 82-85°F (4-7°F setup)
- Sleeping: 76-78°F (slightly cooler for sleep quality)
Each degree higher in summer saves 1-3% on cooling energy. AC has bigger marginal savings than heating because cooling has higher COP with smaller load.
Heat pump exception
Heat pumps prefer steadier setpoints than gas furnaces. Recovery from a deep setback often kicks on the (inefficient) electric resistance backup. Best practice with heat pumps: smaller setbacks (3-4°F) or skip setbacks entirely if your COP is high.
Smart thermostat learning
Modern smart thermostats (Nest, Ecobee) learn your schedule over 1-2 weeks and auto-adjust. They also use occupancy sensors and geofencing to pre-cool or pre-heat based on when you're returning. Both approaches typically save more energy than rigid manual schedules.