- Smart thermostats save energy by adjusting home temperatures automatically and remotely.
- Setting thermostats around 5-10 degrees from your desired temperature can lead to significant energy savings.
- Put your thermostat on a schedule to save the most energy and money.
Like just about anything in your home, thermostats are getting smarter.
A smart thermostat like those offered by Google, Amazon, Honeywell, or Ecobee allows you to program temperature changes ahead of time, and control your home's settings remotely by using an app. They're convenient, tech-forward — and energy-saving.
Smart thermostats can help you save money by putting less energy into maintaining your house temperature when you're away and automatically bringing the temperature back to your preferred level when you get back.
Exactly which setting you'll want to use to shave some money off your energy bill depends on your own preferences, but here are some rules of thumb to use with your smart thermostat to get the most potential energy savings.
Use a temperature window of 5-10 degrees
The US Department of Energy estimates you can save as much as 10% each year on energy by setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees closer to outdoor temperatures for eight hours a day.
But you won't want to make a bigger change than that.
"You also want to be concerned about the ability to return the temperature to your desired temperature," Steve Wade, Senior Director of Operations at ARS / Rescue Rooter, a national residential HVAC and home services company, tells Business Insider. He says that it can take your thermostat hours to go from a significantly different temperature back to your set point if you go too high or too low.
"I think the set point differential should not typically be more than 10 degrees from your desired set point," he continues. "Nominally, maybe somewhere between 5 and 7 degrees between your desired set point and the set point that you may have when you're not at home."
Depending on where you live, setting your temperature too high or low could also lead to structural damage to your house. For example, if you live in a hot, humid area, setting your thermostat above 80 degrees could encourage mold growth — the remedy for which will ultimately cost you more than you'd save in energy costs.
Put your smart thermostat on a schedule
If you routinely leave the house at the same time — for example, if you have an in-person job — you can put your smart thermostat on a schedule. This is where "smart" comes in: For the hours you mark, it will automatically raise or lower the temperature to the level you set.
That way, you won't be spending extra money keeping your house at a specific level of heat or cool when you don't need it.
Creating a detailed schedule is vital to getting the most out of your smart thermostat. "It's contingent, wholly contingent, upon a consumer setting up a schedule that allows it to be adjusted throughout the day, especially when pets and people are not home," Wade says.
Install the app to make changes remotely
Most smart thermostats let you remotely change the temperature from a smartphone app. If your thermostat isn't on a schedule, if you have a schedule change, or if you forgot to adjust it before leaving, this feature lets you log on and change the temperature before you get home to be comfortable when you return.
"It's now app-driven, instead of having to stand at the thermostat and put fingers on the keyboard, so to speak," Wade says. "There's been a significant improvement in how a consumer interacts with their thermostat via a smart home app."
Remote monitoring can also help you keep an eye on your house if you're away for a significant period of time. That can alert you to problems in the house, like a broken AC unit, that could endanger your home or even your pets.
Consider a smart thermostat with additional features
Not all smart thermostats come with the same features. According to ARS, smart thermostat prices typically range from $150 to $400 as of June 2026. Generally, more expensive thermostats come with more additional features.
For example, some smart thermostats let you measure the humidity of your home in addition to its temperature. This can be helpful for making sure your home's level of humidity isn't high enough to encourage mold growth, especially if you live in a humid area.
Thermostats can also come with remote sensors to make sure all of the rooms in your house are equal temperatures, warnings that let you know if there could be a problem with your HVAC system, and even smart recommendations on how to use the thermostat to best save on energy costs.
No matter what, make sure to research the thermostats you're interested in ahead of time so you can understand its features and its potential for cost savings. The right smart thermostat can make it easy and comfortable to save energy and pay for itself over months or years.
Created by the Commerce team at Business Insider with ARS/Rescue Rooter.
The post The best smart thermostat settings to cut energy costs without sacrificing comfort appeared first on Business Insider
