Summer heat often translates to higher cooling bills, but a smart thermostat can be your best friend in cutting those costs. Simply having a smart thermostat isn’t enough – how you use it determines the savings and comfort you get. The good news is that these devices have plenty of features to help you stay cool efficiently. In this guide, we’ll share practical tips to optimize your smart thermostat for maximum energy efficiency during the summer months, so you can keep cool without breaking the bank.
1. Set Smart Schedules
One of the easiest ways to save energy is by scheduling your thermostat to let the house get a bit warmer when you don’t need full cooling (like when you’re at work or overnight):
- Use Away and Home periods: Program your thermostat with higher temperatures for times you’re routinely out of the house. For example, if everyone leaves by 9 AM, set the AC up a few degrees at that time, and have it cool back down shortly before anyone gets home.
- Don’t cool an empty house: The U.S. Department of Energy suggests that setting your thermostat 7–10°F higher for 8 hours a day can save you as much as 10% on cooling costs per year
reliant.com. For instance, if you normally like 72°F when home, let it rise to around 79–82°F while you’re out. Your smart thermostat can handle this automatically. - Sleep settings: Take advantage of slightly warmer temps at night if you can, or use a fan in bedrooms. Many people find they can sleep with the AC a bit higher (or even off) if a ceiling fan is on. Schedule the thermostat accordingly to raise the temperature after you go to bed. If you have a modern thermostat with a sleep comfort mode, try that – it might balance temperature and humidity for better sleep without overcooling.
2. Leverage Geofencing
If your smart thermostat app supports geofencing, use it! Geofencing uses your phone’s location to determine if you’re home or away:
- Automatic Away mode: When the last person leaves home with their smartphone, the thermostat can automatically adjust to your “away” temperature (say 85°F). You won’t forget to change the setting manually – it happens on its own.
- Cool on arrival: Likewise, you can have it start cooling when it detects you’re on the way back. Many thermostats will learn how long it takes to cool your house and time this well. You’ll arrive to a comfortable home without having had the AC running full blast all day.
- Multiple users: Ensure all family members’ phones are linked if possible, so the AC doesn’t kick on just because one person is nearing home while others are still out.
3. Utilize Eco Modes and Adaptive Features
Most smart thermostats have some form of “eco” mode or intelligent adaptive features – use them to your advantage:
- Eco or Away Mode: Thermostats like Nest have an Eco mode that maintains a wider temperature range when you’re not home (for example, not cooling below 80°F). Make sure this is enabled and configured to your liking.
- Humidity Control: In very humid climates, some thermostats allow a setting to control humidity (by cooling a bit more if humidity is high). Proper humidity control can make a slightly higher temperature still feel comfortable. If your thermostat has an option like “Cool to dehumidify,” consider using it so you can set a higher temperature but still feel okay because the air is drier.
- Learning Features: If your thermostat “learns” your schedule (like a Nest Learning Thermostat), help it by consistently setting your preferred temps for a week or two. Once it starts auto-adjusting, don’t fight it – check if its schedule makes sense and tweak if needed. The learning feature will optimize to your patterns, which often leads to efficiency gains without you having to think about it.
4. Adjust the Temperature Incrementally
Instead of making your AC work extra hard by setting it to a very low temperature, be incremental:
- Avoid drastic swings: If you come home and it’s 85°F inside, don’t set the thermostat to 65°F thinking it will cool faster – it won’t. The AC works at the same maximum rate until it reaches your setpoint. Setting it way low only risks overcooling (and wasting energy) if you forget to change it. Set it to your normal desired temperature and be patient.
- Find the highest comfortable setting: The smaller the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature, the less your AC runs. So, experiment with raising your go-to temperature by a degree or two. You might find that 76°F or 78°F is still comfortable when you’re using fans. In fact, 78°F is often cited as an ideal balance between comfort and efficiency for summer cooling. Every degree you raise the setpoint can save a noticeable amount on your bill.
- Use fans: A ceiling or floor fan can make 78°F feel like 74°F due to the windchill on your skin. So you can be comfortable at a higher thermostat setting. Just remember to turn fans off when you leave the room (fans cool people, not rooms).
5. Keep an Eye on Energy Reports
Take advantage of the data your smart thermostat provides:
- Review monthly/weekly reports: Most smart thermostats will tell you how many hours your AC ran and possibly compare to last month or give you insights (“You used more cooling on days over 90°F,” etc.). Use these to understand your usage patterns. For instance, you might notice your AC runs a lot between 4-6 PM – perhaps due to sun exposure. This could prompt you to close blinds or adjust the thermostat a bit during those hours.
- Identify problem days: If you see a spike on a particular day, think about what was different (very high outdoor temp? doors open during a party? etc.). Learning from these helps you plan better (like pre-cool before a heat wave or avoid leaving doors open).
- Enable energy saving features: Some thermostats offer recommendations in the app. Follow any tips the app provides, like adjusting your setpoint range or enabling a feature like “airwave” (Nest has this, it turns the compressor off a few minutes early and uses the fan to eke out remaining cooling – saving energy).
6. Maintenance and Other Tips
A smart thermostat can do a lot, but basic maintenance and house prep matter too:
- Change or clean your filters: Your thermostat might remind you to change the HVAC filter. Don’t ignore this! A dirty filter makes your AC work harder and less efficiently. Replacing it helps maintain strong airflow and efficiency.
- Check thermostat placement: If your thermostat is in direct sunlight or near a heat-producing appliance, it might read wrong. Ensure it’s in a representative location. If not, consider using remote sensors (if your thermostat supports them) placed in more appropriate areas.
- Use window coverings: This isn’t directly about the thermostat, but it affects it. Closing blinds or curtains during peak sun hours keeps the home cooler so your thermostat doesn’t have to trigger the AC as often. It’s a simple way to reduce the load on your cooling system.
- Avoid manual overrides: Try not to constantly fiddle with the thermostat settings. Let your schedules and smart features do their job. Every time you set it way colder out of impatience, you might be defeating some of the efficiency algorithms. Trust the process and only adjust if you consistently feel uncomfortable.
Conclusion
By using the smart features of your thermostat and a bit of strategy, you can stay comfortable all summer while minimizing energy use. It’s all about working with your thermostat’s capabilities – let it handle the routine adjustments, take advantage of its energy-saving modes, and give it the right settings to work with. A little attention to scheduling, setpoints, and maintenance can yield significant savings on your cooling bill.
Stay cool and smart this summer! And if you ever need help setting up or fine-tuning your smart thermostat for best results, we’re here to help.