Adjusting your thermostat by just one degree can save roughly 1% on your heating and cooling costs for each eight-hour period at that setting. Turn it back 7–10°F for eight hours a day, and the U.S. Department of Energy estimates you can save up to 10% annually. That means small, consistent adjustments throughout the year add up to meaningful savings without sacrificing comfort.
The reason is straightforward. Your heating and cooling system works to maintain the difference between the temperature inside your home and the temperature outside. Every degree you adjust narrows that gap, which means your system runs less often and uses less energy. Over weeks and months, those small reductions compound into lower energy bills and less wear on your equipment.
Here are practical ways to put that one-degree principle to work, season by season.
In warmer months, start by raising your thermostat just a degree or two above where you normally set it. You may not even notice the change, but your cooling system will run less often. When you leave the house, raise it another degree or two rather than leaving it at your comfort setting for an empty home.
Before turning on the air conditioning, try opening windows during cooler parts of the day. Early mornings and evenings work well. Creating cross-ventilation by opening windows on opposite sides of your home lets breezes flow naturally, and ceiling or window fans can amplify the effect without using much energy.
When you do need air conditioning, keep windows closed and use curtains or blinds to block direct sunlight, especially during peak afternoon hours. Sunlight streaming through windows is one of the biggest contributors to indoor heat gain. In my home, the late afternoon and evening bring intense sunlight as we face directly west with minimal tree cover. Drawing the curtains not only keeps the rooms cooler but also reduces how often the air conditioner needs to run, saving energy and improving efficiency.
During heating season, 68°F is a widely recommended starting point while you’re awake and at home. From there, try lowering the setting by just a degree or two while you’re sleeping or away. I have found 65°F to be a good setting for when I am sleeping or away. Most people don’t notice a small difference overnight, and even that modest adjustment saves energy when you maintain it consistently.
You may have heard that your furnace has to work harder to bring the temperature back up, which cancels out the savings. That’s a common misconception. When your home is at a lower temperature, it loses heat to the outside more slowly. The longer your home stays at that lower temperature, the more energy you conserve overall. The brief recovery period when your system warms the house back up uses far less energy than maintaining the higher temperature all day or night.
Your thermostat responds to more than just outdoor temperature. It also reacts to heat generated inside your home. Switching to LED light bulbs makes a difference here. LEDs use significantly less energy than traditional bulbs and produce far less heat, which means your cooling system doesn’t have to work as hard to offset the warmth that older lighting creates.
Heat-generating appliances like dishwashers and dryers also add to indoor temperatures. In summer, running them during cooler times of the day, early morning or late evening, keeps that extra heat from competing with your air conditioning during peak hours. Air-drying clothes when possible takes this a step further, eliminating the dryer’s heat output entirely while also extending the life of your clothes.
In winter, that same dryer heat can work in your favor. If you have an electric dryer, a heat diverter lets you redirect the warm exhaust air into your home instead of sending it outside. Our house came with one, and it makes a noticeable difference on laundry days during the colder months. A simple switch on the diverter lets you send the air outdoors again when warm weather returns. One important note: heat diverters are designed for electric dryers only. Gas dryers produce combustion byproducts that should always be vented outside.
If adjusting the thermostat manually feels like one more thing to remember, a programmable or smart thermostat can handle it for you. Set a schedule that matches your routine. Comfortable temperatures when you’re home, energy-saving setbacks when you’re not, and let it run automatically. Your home can start warming up or cooling down shortly before you arrive, so you walk in to the right temperature without wasting energy while you’re away.
ENERGY STAR® certified smart thermostats save an average of about 8% on heating and cooling bills, roughly $50 per year for a typical household. Many models connect to your phone so you can make adjustments from anywhere, and some learn your patterns over time to optimize settings on their own.
Your thermostat settings only go so far if your heating and cooling system isn’t running well. Replace or clean air filters monthly. A dirty filter forces your system to work harder to push air through, using more energy and reducing comfort. Check that vents and registers are clear of furniture, rugs, or other obstructions. Scheduling an annual professional tune-up can improve your system’s efficiency and help it last longer.
Energy conservation doesn’t require big sacrifices. One degree at a time, you can lower your energy costs, reduce wear on your equipment, and make a positive environmental impact, all while keeping your home comfortable year-round.