August 19, 2026

How to Set Your Thermostat to Save Money

You know you’re probably spending more on heating and cooling than you should. Let us teach you how to set your thermostat to save money.

Contrary to what you might have initially thought, it’s not going to mean sweating it out during the summer or bundling up with a blanket during the winter. You can still keep your home comfortable while saving on your monthly energy bill!

Dialing in the best thermostat settings for energy savings by season is as simple as buying a smart thermostat that can handle the adjustments you’d otherwise forget to make. It’ll keep your climate in the sweet spot while you’re not at home, while you sleep, and every moment in between. Learn more below!

Key Takeaways

The DOE says turning your thermostat back 7-10°F for 8 hours a day can save up to 10% on heating and cooling.¹
The recommended thermostat settings for summer and winter are 78°F and 68°F, respectively (when you’re home, that is).
You can save 3% on cooling costs for every degree over 72°F in summer.
A smart thermostat automates setbacks so you capture savings without even thinking about it.
ENERGY STAR estimates the average household spends $900+ on heating and cooling annually, so a smart thermostat can pay for itself in the first year.²
Mysa is the best smart thermostat for your home because it’s easy to install, actually does what you tell it to, and can save up to 26% on heating and cooling costs.

Calculating the Cost of Heating and Cooling

ENERGY STAR is the expert authority on using electricity efficiently, and they say almost half of the typical American household’s annual energy bill goes toward heating and cooling.² But actually learning how to set your thermostat to save money means first figuring out what you’re spending now.

Pull up your utility bill from last January or August. Those are the peaks of winter and summer, respectively, in most regions. Then, you can compare those costs to your energy bill during the mildest months where you don’t really touch your thermostat - say, April, May, or perhaps October. Subtract those bills from one another to see what your HVAC system actually costs when it’s working at its hardest.

The difference may be negligible in some more temperate climates. But you’ll find that summer cooling costs skyrocket somewhere like Arizona, California, Nevada, or Florida. It’s not uncommon to spend another few hundred dollars a month just to run the AC.

There are a few things you can do if you want to keep your home comfortable without spending as much year-round: new windows, insulation, a full system upgrade. These things are super expensive, though. Changing your thermostat settings is way more practical.

You can check out our smart thermostat savings calculator for more insights. In the meantime, let’s get into how to set your thermostat to save money!

How to Set Your Thermostat to Save Money

We want to be very clear in saying that all the recommended thermostat settings for summer and winter below are just that - recommendations.

You might find that you’re willing to save a little less money for the sake of keeping your home more comfortable during summer if you live in Arizona or Nevada, where triple-digit heat waves are expected every year. Or, you may decide the best thermostat settings for energy savings aren’t cutting it - and you take it even further.

We’ll share some tips on actually finding the sweet spot for your home’s comfort in a moment. First, here’s how to set your thermostat to save money by season and time of day.

Best Thermostat Settings for Energy Savings in the Summer

78°F when you're home and awake. We know that sounds a little insane if you’ve been blasting the AC at 72°F all summer, but every degree you set your thermostat above 72°F saves roughly 3% on cooling costs.¹ That 6-degree difference really adds up over the summer!

You can bump it up to 85°F when you’re not home, too. Your furniture doesn’t need to be kept cool. Even pets are fine. You’ll save a ton of money if you’re gone for work 8 hours a day. Plus, you can set up a schedule so that your thermostat kicks on before you get home - this way, your home is back to 78°F by the time you walk through the door!

“The key principle is simple: the smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature, the less work your HVAC system has to do,” says Travis Arnesen, VP of Marketing at Service Experts.³

You can rely on ceiling fans to make 78°F feel more tolerable if you’re having trouble adapting. Moving air feels as much as 4°F cooler on your skin.

What About Winter Thermostat Settings?

68°F while you're awake and active is the standard winter recommendation. Again, that seems low for a lot of people. But only if you’ve been keeping your home at 75°F. You’ll get used to it.

You can drop it even lower when you’re away or sleeping (60-62°F). Your body naturally cools down while you sleep, and a cooler bedroom is actually a good thing while you’re asleep!

This setback can save you quite a bit over the course of the heating season. Are these really the best thermostat settings for energy savings if your HVAC has to play catch-up in the morning when it kicks on, though? Yes! The brief spike in energy usage during recovery pales in comparison to the savings from the reduced output, according to the DOE.1

The one exception is homes with a heat pump. These use backup electric heat strips when they are tasked with heating a house quickly. These backups just aren’t efficient enough to offset energy savings from lowering your thermostat in the winter. They work best when they only have to adjust within a few degrees.

Finding Balance During Spring and Fall

A lot of energy gets wasted on autopilot during the shoulder seasons. You probably don’t need to run your heat or AC if it’s 65°F outside. Open the windows and enjoy the nice weather! Even better if you have a whole-house fan. It’s a great opportunity to “burp” your house.

Setting Your Thermostat For Sleep vs Awake

The recommended thermostat settings for summer and winter vary depending on when you’re awake and when you’re asleep. Generally speaking, you should keep it cooler around bedtime and bump it up first thing in the morning.

This is one of the best pieces of advice we have to offer on how to set your thermostat to save money. That 8 hours you spend asleep is a third of the day. Here are the best thermostat settings for energy savings at night:

Summer: 74°-76° Fahrenheit
Winter: 63°-65° Fahrenheit

The catch is you have to remember to make the adjustment first thing in the morning when you wake up - unless, of course, you have a smart thermostat that handles all the scheduling for you.

Tips on Finding the Best Thermostat Settings for Energy Savings in YOUR Home

Only you can decide the best thermostat settings for energy savings. It’s a balancing act. You want your home to be comfortable, but not at the cost of stressing about your electricity bill. On the other hand, you don’t want to save a few hundred dollars if it means you’re miserable in the house. This is the advice we recommend on how to set your thermostat to save money:

Start at 78°F (summer) or 68°F (winter) and give it a full week. Your body will very likely acclimate to the new normal within 3-5 days.
Drop it down or raise it (based on summer vs winter) by just 1-2 degrees, only if needed. You’ll still save money, and you won’t feel like you’re suffering for the sake of savings.
Track your bills month over month. This will let you see exactly what you’re saving, and then, you can determine if it’s worth it or not.
Pay attention to humidity, too. 78°F with low humidity feels fine. 78°F at 65% humidity feels sticky and miserable. You might find that you can run your thermostat lower in the summer if you have a dehumidifier.
Work with your home’s quirks. You might find that your house heats up faster in the summer afternoons because of west-facing windows. So, run your thermostat cooler in the morning so that you have a buffer by the time the heat comes around.

We’ve seen a lot of experts say that you’re better off just being consistent with smart scheduling instead of chasing the “perfect” temperature in your house. There are other things you can do to save money on heating and cooling, too.

More Ways You Can Cut Your Heating and Cooling Costs

You know how to set your thermostat to save money. But what else can you do to bring that bill down? Try pulling these levers:

Identify air leaks around windows, doors, and electrical outlets.
Change your air filter every 2-3 months. Once a quarter is a good cycle to get into. A clogged filter will force your system to work harder.
Use curtains strategically. You can shut the blinds in the afternoon during summer to prevent unnecessary warming. Open them during the winter to let sunlight in.
Schedule annual HVAC maintenance to keep your system running as efficiently as possible.
Insulate the attic if you haven’t done so already.

All of these things will take the stress off your HVAC system.

Is it Worth Investing in a Smart Thermostat to Save Money?

You can’t stick with the best thermostat settings for energy savings if you’re doing it manually. It’s just impractical. Mysa makes it easier than ever to create weekly schedules right from your phone.

Our ENERGY STAR smart thermostat doesn’t develop a mind of its own and think it knows your comfort better than you do - there are no weird AI machine learning features. Geofencing will automatically detect when you leave and start saving you money, though.

It’s all app-based, so you can control your home’s climate anywhere if you need to dial the thermostat back while you’re on vacation. Setup takes no more than 15-20 minutes, and you could earn back what you pay for the device in the first year.

Better Comfort, Lower Bills: Get Mysa Today

Mysa costs $70-$120 less than the big brands, like Ecobee and Nest. You get all the functionality, though. Learn more about what our WiFi smart thermostat can save you today!

Frequently asked questions

What should my thermostat be set at to save money?

78°F in summer when you're home, 85°F when away. 68°F in winter when you're home, 60-62°F when away or asleep. A Matter smart thermostat makes it easy to keep a schedule and control it however you like.

How do I lower my electric bill with my thermostat?

It’s probably as simple as setting it higher in summer and lower in winter than you have it at right now. It might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but you’ll adapt - and you’ll see that it’s worth it on the next energy bill! You might not even have to compromise on comfort that much if you’ve been running the same cycle 24/7. Dial it back when you’re not home.

Is it cheaper to leave your thermostat at one temperature?

Usually not. The DOE says setbacks (lower in winter, higher in summer) during sleep and away hours will save you more energy than holding a constant temperature.