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For most homes heated by a conventional furnace or boiler, the energy-saving rule is straightforward: lower your normal thermostat setting by 7–10°F for about eight hours a day, usually while you sleep or are away. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that this schedule can save as much as 10% per year on heating and cooling, but the figure is a maximum estimate rather than a guaranteed reduction on every bill.
Choose an occupied temperature that your household finds comfortable. DOE once used 68°F as an awake-time reference, not a universal requirement. If your home uses a heat pump, use controls and settings designed for that equipment; a large manual setback can bring on electric-resistance backup heat and erase the expected savings.
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The winter thermostat settings that usually save the most
The useful target is not one magic number. Savings come from spending part of each day at a lower indoor temperature, while keeping the occupied setting comfortable.
| When | Conventional furnace or boiler | Heat pump | How to apply it |
|---|---|---|---|
| At home and awake | Use your comfortable normal setting. DOE’s 2010 guide used 68°F as a reference. | Use the temperature recommended for your system and thermostat. | Comfort takes priority; DOE says consumers may choose their own temperature. |
| Sleeping or away for about eight hours | Set back 7–10°F from your normal setting. | Use heat-pump-specific controls and a gradual adjustment rather than assuming the conventional 7–10°F rule applies. | Program the change or make it manually before the period begins. |
| Returning or waking | Restore the normal occupied setting. | Let the compatible control raise the temperature gradually. | Follow the equipment and thermostat instructions. |
Examples show how the arithmetic works, not what every household must choose:
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- A 68°F normal setting becomes 61°F with a 7°F setback or 58°F with a 10°F setback.
- A 70°F normal setting becomes 63°F with a 7°F setback or 60°F with a 10°F setback.
Use the lower setting only when the home can safely and comfortably be cooler. The appropriate occupied temperature varies with household preference, climate, building design and heating equipment.
Why a setback reduces heating use
A heated home continually loses heat to the outdoors. When the indoor setpoint is lower, the indoor-outdoor temperature difference is smaller, so the heating system generally has less heat to replace. Keeping the thermostat lower for more hours gives that effect more time to work.
DOE’s Energy Saver guide (2022) states: “You can save as much as 10% per year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat down 7°–10°F for 8 hours a day in the fall and winter; turn it up in the spring and summer.” “As much as” is important: DOE does not promise that percentage for an individual home or calculate a specific bill reduction from the guidance.
Your result depends on the home, heating equipment, outdoor weather, energy prices and the schedule you had before making the change. A household that already uses a setback has less additional savings available than one that holds the same temperature around the clock.
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What temperature should I set my thermostat to in winter?
Start with the temperature that keeps occupants comfortable during normal daytime activity, then test a setback during sleep or absence. The often-quoted 68°F figure comes from a 2010 DOE guide as an awake-time reference. It is not a legal standard, a requirement or a promise that every person will find it comfortable.
In a 2019 statement, DOE clarified its position: “It is the position of DOE that Americans should set their thermostats to whatever temperature they choose.” That means the practical decision is a trade-off between comfort and the amount of heating required. If 68°F feels too cold, choose a higher occupied setting and focus on a consistent reduction during unoccupied hours. If your household is comfortable at a lower daytime temperature, that lower baseline uses less heat, but it should not be adopted solely to chase a number that makes people uncomfortable.
What temperature should I set at night?
For a conventional system, subtract 7–10°F from the normal occupied setting and keep the lower setting for roughly eight hours. Set the change shortly before bedtime and restore the occupied setting at your normal wake time. A programmable thermostat can perform both changes automatically; a manual thermostat can use the same strategy when someone remembers to adjust it.
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- Start with 7°F if you are unsure how the household will respond. It follows DOE’s range while making a smaller comfort change.
- Use up to 10°F when occupants remain comfortable and the heating system operates normally when the setpoint is restored.
- Keep the duration near eight hours when possible. A shorter setback has less opportunity to reduce heat loss; a longer one may save more energy but must still suit the household and equipment.
These are operating choices, not promises of a particular percentage reduction. Check how the home feels and whether the system behaves as expected before making the setback deeper.
What temperature should I set when I’m away?
Use the same conventional-system principle during a predictable absence: lower the normal setting by 7–10°F when the home will be unoccupied for about eight hours. This can fit a workday schedule, an appointment or another planned period away. Restore the occupied setting when people return.
For a brief errand, the available savings may be small because the lower temperature is maintained for only a short time. For a regular, multi-hour absence, automation avoids relying on memory and makes the lower setting consistent. DOE guidance does not provide a universal away temperature or a bill calculation for a particular length of trip, so do not treat one number as suitable for every building or climate.
Heat pumps need a different control strategy
Heat pumps can use electric-resistance elements as backup heat. DOE advises using heat-pump-specific controls that raise the temperature gradually so the system does not unnecessarily activate those elements. Resistance heat can be much more expensive to operate than the heat pump’s normal heating cycle, so a large manual setback may undermine the intended savings.
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- Identify the system type and whether it has auxiliary or emergency electric resistance heat.
- Read the heat-pump and thermostat instructions for setback, recovery and auxiliary-heat settings.
- Use a compatible control that manages recovery gradually rather than assuming any generic programmable or smart thermostat will work.
- If the instructions do not support a large setback, use a smaller change or a steady setting and follow the manufacturer’s guidance.
- Watch for signs that auxiliary heat is being called frequently during recovery, and contact an HVAC professional if the equipment documentation does not explain the behavior.
DOE’s general 7–10°F recommendation is therefore most directly applicable to conventional heating systems. Heat-pump households should prioritize the control strategy specified for their equipment over a rule designed for another system type.
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How to set up a winter schedule
For a programmable thermostat
- Record the normal occupied setting. This is the temperature your household uses when awake and at home.
- Choose the setback. For a conventional furnace or boiler, subtract 7–10°F. Use a smaller or equipment-specific change for a heat pump if its instructions call for one.
- Enter the sleep period. Set the lower temperature for approximately eight hours, such as the hours between bedtime and waking.
- Enter the away period. Add a second lower-temperature block for a regular absence, if the schedule is different from the sleep period.
- Program recovery. Set the occupied temperature to resume when people normally wake or return. Heat-pump controls should perform this increase gradually.
- Confirm the schedule. Check the thermostat’s displayed program, clock and operating mode after saving it.
For a manual thermostat
- Before sleep or leaving, turn the setting down by the chosen amount.
- When waking or returning, restore the normal occupied setting.
- Repeat the routine consistently so the lower-temperature period is long enough to matter.
Manual changes can implement the same basic advice as an automated schedule. Automation is a convenience, not a prerequisite.
How much money will the change save?
The DOE estimate is “as much as 10% per year on heating and cooling” for turning the thermostat back 7–10°F for eight hours a day in fall and winter. It is a qualified maximum estimate, not a guaranteed annual percentage and not a dollar amount.
There is no single bill result because the outcome changes with local weather, insulation and building characteristics, equipment efficiency, fuel or electricity rates, and the starting schedule. The DOE material cited here does not calculate an individual household’s savings. Use the estimate as a reason to test a schedule, then judge the result against your own comfort and energy bills rather than budgeting for exactly 10%.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Treating 68°F as mandatory
Correction: regard 68°F as the older DOE reference for an awake period, not a universal prescription. Choose a comfortable occupied setting and apply the setback to that baseline.
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Assuming every thermostat schedule is compatible with a heat pump
Correction: verify the thermostat and equipment instructions. Heat-pump-specific recovery controls are intended to avoid unnecessary electric-resistance backup heat.
Expecting the maximum estimate on every bill
Correction: remember that “as much as 10%” is an estimate under the stated routine. Weather, rates, equipment and the previous schedule determine the actual result.
Making a change for too little time
Correction: use a predictable sleep or absence period of about eight hours when that fits your routine. A brief temperature change provides less time for the lower setpoint to reduce heat loss.
Choosing a setting that the household will not tolerate
Correction: adjust the occupied baseline or use the smaller end of the setback range. A schedule that people routinely override will not deliver its intended consistency.
Assuming a generic smart thermostat will work with every HVAC system
Correction: check system compatibility before purchase or installation. The category of programmable thermostat is optional, and heat-pump configurations may require specific wiring, controls or settings.
A practical decision framework
- Conventional furnace or boiler: keep a comfortable occupied setting; lower it 7–10°F for about eight hours during sleep or absence.
- Heat pump: follow the equipment’s heat-pump-specific setback and gradual-recovery instructions; do not blindly copy the conventional-system range.
- Manual thermostat: make the two adjustments yourself at the start and end of the period.
- Programmable thermostat: automate the same schedule after confirming that the control matches the HVAC system.
- Uncertain comfort or performance: begin with a smaller change, observe the home and equipment, and adjust only when the result remains comfortable and compatible.
The most defensible winter strategy is therefore a scheduled, sustained reduction during sleep or absence, tailored to the heating system and the household’s comfort rather than a one-size-fits-all temperature.
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