Does Turning Down Your Thermostat Save You Money? 6 Winter Heating Questions Answered

Yes. Turning down your thermostat when you’re asleep or away saves money. That’s because a home held at 72°F (22°C) around the clock uses more energy than one that’s turned down when no one needs the heat.

Small changes to your heating routine add up over a winter. Here are answers to six common winter heating questions, to help you make smarter choices about your thermostat and energy use this season.

The savings come from physics: the cooler a home is, the more slowly it loses heat, so the heating system runs less.

The key is to make small temperature adjustments when you don't need as much heat, rather than keeping your home at the same temperature around the clock. With an ecobee smart thermostat, you can create Comfort Settings for different parts of your day, like Home, Away, and Sleep, so your thermostat can make those adjustments automatically.

Over the course of the heating season, those changes can help reduce unnecessary energy use.

There isn't one perfect winter thermostat temperature for every home. The right setting depends on your comfort preferences, your home, your heating system, and who lives with you. Instead of focusing on one exact number, consider your household’s schedule. Choose a comfortable setting when everyone is home and awake and an energy-saving one while you're sleeping or away. The setting to avoid is a single temperature held all day, which heats an empty or sleeping home as if everyone were up and around.

ecobee smart thermostats save energy by turning the heat down when everyone is out or asleep. You build those preferences into your schedule, and your thermostat adjusts the temperature throughout the day based on the Comfort Settings you choose.

No. Keeping your home at the same temperature all day means heating it more than necessary, particularly when everyone is sleeping or away. Many people think it costs more to warm a cold house back up than you saved by turning the heat down. It doesn't. A cooler house loses less heat, so your heating system runs less overall, even counting the time it takes to warm back up.

A thermostat schedule helps you use less energy by adjusting the temperature around your household's routine. But, of course, real life doesn't always stick to a schedule. That's where occupancy sensing comes in. More on that in question 6.

It depends on your heating system. A furnace or boiler puts out a lot of heat quickly, so it can warm a house back up from a deep setback (the number of degrees you turn your thermostat down from your usual temperature) without costing you what you saved. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggests turning the heat down 7° to 10°F (4° to 6°C) for eight hours a day, such as overnight or while you're at work, in its guide to saving energy with thermostats.

Heat pumps need a smaller setback, and the DOE recommends using thermostats designed for heat pumps to minimize unnecessary backup heating. Heat pumps move heat steadily instead of in big bursts, so increasing the temperature by several degrees at once can activate auxiliary (backup) heat, which costs more to run. Keeping setbacks modest can help reduce the need for backup heating.

No. During cold weather, turn your heat down, not off. A house with no heat can get cold enough to freeze pipes, and it takes hours to warm back up.

Turning the heat down gets you most of the savings without the risk. For a workday or an evening out, let your ecobee thermostat drop to its Away temperature. Your house stays warm enough to protect the pipes, and if you're back on schedule, it's comfortable when you walk in.

Going away? Set a vacation in the ecobee app to lower the temperature to an energy-saving setting while you're gone. Choose your travel dates and, if you're leaving any furry companions behind, a temperature that's still comfortable for them. If your plans change, you can extend or end your vacation from the app, and your home will be back at your usual temperature by the time you walk in the door.

Yes. A smart thermostat lowers your heating bill by making the right adjustments easy and, in many cases, automatic: turning the heat down while you're asleep or away, and back up before you need it.

Every ecobee smart thermostat includes eco+, ecobee's free energy-saving software. Smart Thermostat Premium and Enhanced help you save up to 26%* on annual heating and cooling costs. Smart Thermostat Essential keeps your home comfortable and your bills in check, helping you save up to 23%*. The eco+ features that do the most in winter:

• Smart Home & Away works alongside your schedule, turning the heat down when everyone leaves to save energy and back up when you return so you stay comfortable. Premium and Enhanced sense this with a built-in occupancy sensor. Essential does it with a SmartSensor, a small wireless sensor you place in a room.

• Schedule Assistant uses the same occupancy sensing to learn when you're home, so it can better understand your routine and suggest schedule changes that save energy and keep you comfortable.

• Feels Like knows that 72°F feels a little warmer on a humid day and a little cooler on a dry one. It factors that in, so the number on your thermostat matches what you feel, and you're not paying to heat a home that already feels warm enough.

• Time of Use warms or cools your home ahead of peak electricity rates, then lets it coast until they end. Your walls, floors, and furniture hold onto that warmth or coolness, allowing your system to run less when electricity costs the most.1

Lowering your heating bill doesn’t mean constantly adjusting your thermostat or choosing between comfort and savings. Set your Comfort Settings and schedule once, with Sleep and Away closer to Home if you heat with a heat pump, and your ecobee smart thermostat handles the rest.

*Compared to a hold of 72°F/22°C. By enabling eco+ smart features, your smart thermostat can help you save up to 26% on your annual heating and cooling costs. Annual savings vary based on energy use.

1 Requires a time-of-use rate plan or a participating utility program.