Best Thermostat Settings to Save Money (Without Freezing)

The Recommended Settings

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends these thermostat settings for the best balance of comfort and savings:

Time	Winter (Heating)	Summer (Cooling)
When home and awake	68 degrees F	78 degrees F
When sleeping	60 to 62 degrees F	82 degrees F
When away from home	55 to 60 degrees F	85 degrees F

Every degree you lower your thermostat in winter saves roughly 1% to 3% on your heating bill. For a typical Northern Colorado home spending $200 per month on gas in winter, lowering the temperature from 72 to 68 saves $8 to $24 per month. Over a full winter, that is real money.

Why 68 Degrees?

68 is the sweet spot where most people feel comfortable in a sweater without the furnace running constantly. Going below 65 starts to feel genuinely cold for most people, especially in drafty older homes. Going above 70 increases your bill without a proportional increase in comfort. If 68 feels too cold, try 69 or 70. Even a small setback from 72 makes a difference.

The Setback Strategy

The biggest savings come from temperature setbacks: lowering the temperature when you are asleep or away from home. Many homeowners worry that their furnace will use more energy "catching up" after a setback. This is a myth. The savings from running less during the setback period always outweigh the energy used to recover. The longer the setback, the more you save.

Smart Thermostat Advantages

Smart thermostats make all of this automatic. Here is what to look for:

• Learning capability: Nest and Ecobee learn your schedule and preferences over time.
• Geofencing: Uses your phone location to detect when you leave and arrive home, adjusting temperature automatically.
• Energy reports: Shows you exactly how much energy you use and when, helping you identify waste.
• Remote control: Adjust from anywhere via your phone. Forgot to turn down the heat before a vacation? No problem.
• Humidity sensing: Important for Colorado. Dry air feels colder, so maintaining proper humidity (30% to 40% in winter) lets you stay comfortable at lower temperatures.

Common Thermostat Mistakes

• Cranking it up to heat faster: Setting the thermostat to 80 will not heat your home faster. Your furnace produces the same amount of heat regardless of the thermostat setting. It just runs longer.
• Keeping it at one temperature 24/7: This wastes energy during hours when you could be using setbacks.
• Placing the thermostat near heat sources: If your thermostat is near a sunny window, kitchen, or lamp, it reads a higher temperature than the rest of the house and your furnace shuts off too soon.
• Setting the fan to ON instead of AUTO: The ON setting runs the blower continuously, which uses more electricity and can actually make you feel cooler in winter as unheated air blows through the system between heating cycles.

Colorado-Specific Tips

Northern Colorado has some unique considerations:

• Dry air matters: Our low humidity makes 68 degrees feel colder than 68 in a humid climate. Using a humidifier or whole-house humidification system can make 66 or 67 feel perfectly comfortable.
• Sunny days help: Even in winter, Colorado gets abundant sunshine. Open south-facing curtains during the day to get free solar heat, then close them at night.
• Wind chill on your house: Windy days in Wellington, Severance, and Greeley can make your home lose heat faster. On high-wind days, you may need to bump up the thermostat a degree or two.

Need Help Installing a Thermostat?

Mountain States Mechanical installs and configures smart thermostats across Northern Colorado. We make sure it is wired correctly, programmed properly, and working with your specific HVAC system. A poorly installed thermostat can actually increase your energy costs. Call us at 970-556-3249 for a quote.