What the savings figure actually means
In winter, that means lowering the setting; during air-conditioning season, it means raising it. The estimate concerns heating and cooling costs, not the entire utility bill. Heat pumps need additional care, so do not treat that setback range as a universal instruction.
Separate the draft problem from the schedule problem
A thermostat changes when heat is requested. Air sealing addresses unwanted airflow through the house. Before buying controls, make two lists: when the house is unnecessarily warm, and where people feel drafts. These are different problems and may call for different work.
Safely inspect accessible window and door weatherstripping for visible damage or gaps without removing trim or opening walls. Record which rooms feel uncomfortable and whether wind makes matters worse. Do not assume the windows account for every leak: DOE notes that hidden attic leaks may be difficult to find. For a sense of what that work involves, see what an attic air-sealing job includes.
For persistent drafts, hire a qualified home-energy assessor. Ask whether blower-door testing and thermal imaging would help locate leakage, and how ventilation and combustion safety will be evaluated before substantial air sealing.
Automation helps only if it improves your actual schedule
DOE recognizes both programmed setbacks and diligent manual adjustments as ways to reduce energy use. If you already lower the temperature consistently, replacing the thermostat does not create a second, separate savings benefit simply because the new device is smart.
Start by writing down your current settings, departure times, and return times. Look for periods when the house stays at its occupied temperature unnecessarily. A programmable thermostat can automate a regular schedule; a smart model may add remote control, learning features, and usage information. Choose features that solve a real scheduling problem rather than assuming Wi-Fi itself saves energy.
Check the programmed schedule after installation. Repeated overrides are a reason to revise it, not evidence that a deeper setback is needed.
Heat pumps: check what happens during recovery
DOE cautions against manually setting back a heat pump if doing so causes electric-resistance backup heating to operate. That backup is more expensive to run than the heat pump. A thermostat intended for heat pumps, with suitable multistage control, matters more than whether its packaging says smart.
Before using a large setback, ask an HVAC technician familiar with your equipment: Does this system have resistance backup? Can temperature recovery trigger it? Is the proposed thermostat compatible, and how should its recovery settings be configured? On Philadelphia heat-pump systems, also compare that advice with what a cold-weather heat-pump service call should check.
If the display reports auxiliary heat during scheduled warm-up, record when it happens and ask the technician to interpret it. Do not disable backup heat or change equipment wiring yourself. Have the contractor recommend the operating strategy rather than applying the general DOE benchmark blindly.
Radiant floors and radiators need recovery planning
Identify the heating system before copying another household’s schedule. DOE describes boiler systems that deliver heat through steam radiators, hot-water radiators, baseboard convectors, or radiant-floor tubing. It also notes significant delay between startup and heat reaching radiators with older, high-mass boilers.
For radiant floors or boiler-fed radiators, ask a contractor experienced with that system whether the proposed setback leaves enough time to regain comfort. Should recovery begin earlier? Would a smaller setback or steady setting be more appropriate? Does the thermostat work correctly with the existing boiler and zone controls?
Do not assume a brief absence provides the same useful setback opportunity as a long overnight period. This draft does not assign a universal radiant-floor recovery time or savings percentage.
Philadelphia PECO thermostat tips and rebates
For PECO customers in the Philadelphia area, PECO Connection’s February 25, 2026 cold-weather tips repeat the same 7–10°F setback for about eight hours and estimate up to about 10% annual heating and cooling savings. Eligible PECO customers can also check for an instant $50 smart-thermostat rebate at peco.com/marketplace, and PECO’s energy-assessment program can help separate scheduling savings from air-leak work (peco.com/assessment or 1-888-573-2672).
If the house already feels colder than the thermostat reading, fix placement, cold surfaces, and leakage clues first — see why the thermostat can read 68 while the house feels colder — before assuming a deeper setback will help.
Request an estimate tied to your house
Bring recent energy bills, your proposed schedule, and notes about cold rooms to an energy assessment. DOE recommends sharing bills and existing comfort problems so the assessor can evaluate the house and recommend improvements.
Ask for separate explanations of what thermostat scheduling could accomplish and what air sealing could accomplish. If someone quotes annual dollar savings or a payback period, request the assumed temperatures, occupied hours, fuel prices, and heating-system behavior behind the calculation.
After making a change, keep a simple record of settings, comfort, overrides, and energy use. Ask the assessor how to account for weather and rate changes before attributing a lower bill entirely to the thermostat.
Related HomeFix guides: thermostat reads 68 but the house feels colder; what an attic air-sealing job includes; whether to close supply vents in unused rooms; and repairing vs replacing drafty original wood windows.