How To Use Your Smart Thermostat for Maximum Savings

Your thermostat does more than adjust the temperature; it plays a powerful role in your home’s overall energy use. With today’s smart thermostats, you can make meaningful progress toward a more energy-efficient home without sacrificing comfort.

Whether you’ve recently installed a smart thermostat or are looking to get more out of the one you already have, understanding how to use its features strategically can make a big difference in both comfort and cost.

Here’s how to use your smart thermostat for maximum savings while keeping your home comfortable year-round.

Why smart thermostats matter

Smart thermostats are essential tools for improving your home’s energy efficiency. Unlike traditional thermostats, smart models learn your schedule, adapt to your habits, and give you precise control over your heating and cooling preferences.

The benefits go beyond convenience. With a smart thermostat, you can:

• Save money: Smart thermostats help reduce unnecessary heating or cooling by automatically adjusting to your schedule and preferences, which can lead to significant savings.
• Maintain consistent comfort: Your home stays at the right temperature throughout the day, even when your schedule changes. No more coming home to a cold home in the winter or an overheated living room in the summer.
• Control your system remotely: Adjust settings anytime, anywhere from your phone or tablet. Whether you’re at work or on vacation, you have full control over your home’s comfort.
• Gain insights into energy use: Smart thermostats track patterns and provide detailed reports on your energy use, helping you make smarter decisions for long-term efficiency and sustainability.

By combining automation, intelligence, and accessibility, smart thermostats make it easier than ever to balance comfort with energy savings.

Features that save money

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of smart thermostats, let’s take a closer look at the specific features that help you save money and use energy more efficiently. These tools work behind the scenes or at your fingertips to make managing your home’s comfort easier than ever.

• Automated Schedules: Set your thermostat to adjust automatically based on your daily routine. Heating or cooling only runs when you need it, helping to conserve energy while keeping your home comfortable.
• Learning and Adaptive Algorithms: Many smart thermostats can learn your habits over time and adjust settings on their own. By anticipating your schedule, they optimize energy use without requiring constant manual changes.
• Remote Control: Fine-tune your thermostat settings anytime from your smart devices to keep your home comfortable when you need it most. Forgot to adjust the heat or air conditioning before leaving home? No problem, you can adjust it on the go.
• Multi-Room Control: In homes with zoned HVAC systems, some systems can manage temperatures across different areas of the home. Each zone is controlled independently, helping improve comfort while reducing energy use in less-used spaces.
• Energy Reports and Insights: Smart thermostats track your energy use and provide detailed reports. These insights make it easier to spot trends, adjust behavior, and make long-term decisions that both improve efficiency and save money.

With a smart thermostat, you can also enroll in the Mass Save ConnectedSolutions program to earn additional incentives. Once enrolled, your Mass Save Sponsor will send a signal to your smart thermostat to help reduce energy use during peak demand events, such as a hot summer afternoon. This can include adjusting your system ahead of the event and increasing your thermostat by no more than 4°F during the event.

You can still maintain control of your thermostat and can opt out of a peak event at any time by changing your thermostat setting, if needed. Participants can receive a $50 or $100 enrollment incentive (depending on income) and a $20 annual reward for each thermostat connected to a central air conditioner or heat pump.

By understanding and using these features effectively, you can take full advantage of your smart thermostat capabilities and make meaningful savings on your energy bills, all while keeping your home comfortable.

Tips for maximizing savings

Using your smart thermostat strategically can take your energy savings to the next level. Small adjustments and thoughtful integrations make a big difference in efficiency, comfort, and your monthly energy bill.

Combine with a heat pump

If you have a heat pump, pairing it with your smart thermostat can improve both comfort and efficiency. The thermostat can optimize when and how your system runs, reducing energy use without compromising temperature control.

Set realistic temperature ranges

Avoid extreme settings. Small adjustments to your thermostat can make a meaningful difference in energy use without sacrificing comfort. In winter, aim for 68–70°F while you’re awake at home and lower the temperature while you’re asleep or away. In summer, set your thermostat to around 76–78°F when you’re home, and increase it a few degrees higher when you’re out. These simple shifts can help reduce energy use while keeping humidity and comfort in check.

Integrate with Other Smart Devices

Your smart thermostat can work alongside other devices, like smart power strips or motion sensors, to automatically adjust heating or cooling in unoccupied rooms. This helps prevent energy loss while keeping your home comfortable.

Review Energy Reports Regularly

Take advantage of the insights your smart thermostat provides. Regularly reviewing energy reports can reveal patterns and opportunities for savings, allowing you to fine-tune schedules and make smarter long-term decisions.

By putting these strategies into practice, you can make the most of your smart thermostat, saving energy and money without sacrificing comfort.

Available rebates and incentives

One of the easiest ways to make a smart thermostat even more affordable is through Mass Save rebates and incentives. Eligible homeowners can receive financial incentives when purchasing and installing qualifying smart thermostats, helping reduce upfront costs and boost long-term savings. You can receive a rebate of up to $100 for each ENERGY STAR^® certified smart thermostat you purchase and install (with a limit of three per account).

In addition, the Mass Save Marketplace offers a convenient way to shop for discounted smart thermostats and other energy-saving products. The marketplace features devices that meet efficiency standards, making it simple to find a smart thermostat that fits your home and qualifies for an instant discount.

Upgrading to a smart thermostat can enhance your comfort while helping you save energy and money. By taking advantage of its money-saving features and applying simple, efficient strategies, you can get the most out of your system. With Mass Save rebates and incentives, upgrading is more affordable than ever, making it easier for your smart thermostat to pay for itself while keeping your home comfortable year-round.