Updated June 26, 2024

Heating and cooling your home can take a lot of energy, which often means higher electricity bills over the summer and winter months. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that 52% of annual energy consumption in American homes is for heating and air conditioning!

Read on to learn why it’s worth challenging yourself to adjust your thermostat by a couple degrees (or more, if you please). 

Save Money

According to Energy Saver from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), having a lower indoor temperature in the winter reduces the speed at which your home loses heat. The same concept applies in the summer - a higher interior temperature will slow the flow of heat into your house, saving energy on air conditioning.  This means that your HAVC system won’t have to work so hard to keep the indoor temperature stable. 

Going by DOE’s estimates, you can save between 1 to 3 percent on your heating bill for each degree that you turn your thermostat back in the winter, depending on your home and your heating system. This might not sound like much, but as the totals add up, so do the savings. Plus, you can save even more (up to 10 percent) by turning the thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees from its normal setting for an eight-hour period each day—such as when you’re away at work or at bedtime.

In the summer months, you can follow the same strategy and keep your house warmer when you’re away and adjust your thermostat to a temperature as high as comfortable for you when you are home and using other cooling measures. DOE notes that setting your thermostat to a colder setting than usual will not “cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expenses.”

Reduce Your Environmental Impact

Energy consumption is a source of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Unless your home is powered by renewable energy, fossil fuels like oil and natural gas are used to generate your electricity.  In 2020, electricity accounted for about 35 percent of Fairfax County’s total greenhouse gas emissions. When you save energy on heating and cooling, you’re helping to reduce your household’s environmental impact. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency even has a handy carbon footprint calculator available to estimate how many pounds of carbon dioxide you could save by just turning your thermostat back at night in the winter or higher in the summer. (The savings are even greater if you also opt to turn it back by two degrees during the day.) With about 400,000 households in Fairfax County, when we all take action, we can make a big difference!

Cooling Tips: 

• Keep window coverings closed during the day to block the sunlight and radiating heat. 
• Avoid using the oven. Cooking on a stovetop, using the microwave or grilling outdoors produce less heat. It’s also recommended to use the vent fan while you’re cooking on your stovetop to remove the heat. 
• Place circulating fans around your home**. During the summer, you want your fan running counterclockwise, which provides a wind chill effect that will make you more comfortable.
  • According to DOE, “[In addition to using] air conditioning to cool your home, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.”
• Ensure your house is properly insulated to keep out heat. Learn more about how insulation works with DOE. 

Heating Tips:

• Open the curtains on south-facing windows during the day to let the sun naturally warm the room. When the sun goes down, close the curtains to help retain your indoor heat at night. 
• Give your indoor heat fewer opportunities to escape by properly (and safely) sealing air leaks around your home. 
• Dress warmly. Get cozy with sweaters, socks, and blankets. 
• Circulate warm air with your ceiling fan** (yes, really!). We mentioned having your fan counterclockwise in the summer, but in the winter, check if your ceiling fan has a “reverse” option to run clockwise—if so, this will help recirculate the warmer air that moves to the top of a room. 

To Save Energy on Both Heating and Cooling: 

• Consider a programmable thermostat, which will allow you to pre-set your home’s temperature for different times of day. This can make it easier to automatically dial back the heat when you don’t need it as much, like when you’re usually asleep or not at home.
• Regularly change your air filter to help your HVAC run smoothly and efficiently, maximizing its benefit. Schedule routine “checkups” for your system to make sure it’s working well.

**Please note that fans are not a replacement for air conditioning and are not sufficient for extreme heat or for treating heat-related illnesses. For temperatures above 95 degrees, fans are discouraged, because blowing hot air on the human body can increase rather than decrease body temperature. View Fairfax County's extreme heat resources. For help with air conditioning or bill payments, please see the Cooling Assistance program.  To learn more about how heat is changing over time and how the county is adapting to changing conditions, please see Resilient Fairfax. 

Learn More

Take the two-degree challenge in both summer and winter to help make a difference for the environment and your electricity bill. Visit our Home Energy page to explore more ideas on how to save energy, water, and money at home, all year round.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include information on strategies for saving energy during the summer months, along with general cooling tips.