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Find the best thermostat settings to save energy in Denver homes, with practical summer and winter setpoints, precooling tips, and smart thermostat advice.
Finding the best thermostat settings to save energy in Denver comes down to sensible setpoints and steady setbacks, not extreme temperatures. This guide covers where to set your thermostat for summer cooling and winter heating when you are home, away, and asleep, plus how precooling and preheating spread the work to the easier parts of the day. You will also learn the smart thermostat features that automate it all, and the common mistakes that quietly waste energy.
Your thermostat is the single most powerful energy control in your home, and small changes to how you set it can add up to real savings over a year. The challenge in Denver is finding the best thermostat settings to save energy without giving up comfort, because our climate does not make it easy. We deal with hot, dry summers, cold winters, thin mile-high air, and temperature swings that can drop 30 degrees between afternoon and night.
The good news is that you do not have to choose between a comfortable home and a reasonable utility bill. With a few sensible setpoints and a little planning, you can keep your home comfortable while your system runs less. Here is how to think about thermostat settings in Denver, season by season.
Where to Set Your Thermostat for Summer Cooling
The U.S. Department of Energy suggests setting your thermostat to 78°F when you are home in summer, then letting it drift higher while you are away or asleep. That number is a starting point, not a hard rule. Some households are perfectly comfortable at 78, while others prefer 74 or 75. The key idea is the setback: the warmer you let your home get when nobody needs it cool, the less your air conditioner has to run.
A realistic Denver summer schedule looks something like this:
Home and awake: 74 to 78°F, wherever you are genuinely comfortable.
Away for the day: 82 to 85°F, so the system mostly rests.
Sleeping: 74 to 78°F, or a touch warmer if you sleep well with a fan.
Denver gives you a real advantage in summer that humid cities do not have. Our dry air cools off dramatically at night, so overnight lows often fall into the 50s and 60s even after a hot day. If you open windows in the evening and run a fan, you can flush warm air out of the house and give your air conditioner a head start on the next day. Just remember to close everything up in the morning before the heat builds. That dry air also makes moderate setpoints feel more comfortable than the same number would in a muggy climate, so you can often sit a degree or two higher than you expect.
Where to Set Your Thermostat for Winter Heating
For heating, the Department of Energy's starting point is 68°F while you are awake and at home, with a setback when you are asleep or away. As with cooling, the exact number is personal, but the setback is where the savings come from.
A sensible winter schedule for a Denver home:
Home and awake: 68 to 70°F.
Away for the day: 60 to 62°F, warm enough to protect the house and pipes.
Sleeping: 62 to 66°F, which many people find comfortable under blankets.
Winter here comes with a second issue: extremely dry air. Indoor humidity in a Denver winter can fall to 10 to 20 percent, which feels colder than it actually is and dries out your skin, throat, and wood floors. Rather than pushing the thermostat higher to compensate, adding humidity often lets you feel comfortable at a lower setpoint. A whole-home humidifier paired with a moderate thermostat setting is usually more efficient than simply turning up the heat.
Precooling and Preheating: Get Ahead of the Swing
One of the most effective habits you can build is getting ahead of the temperature swing instead of chasing it. This is the idea behind precooling and preheating: conditioning your home a little earlier, while conditions are easier on your system, so it does not have to work as hard during the toughest part of the day.
In summer, that means letting your air conditioner do more of its work in the morning and late evening, when it is cooler outside and the system runs more efficiently, then easing off during the blazing afternoon. In winter, it means bringing the home up to a comfortable temperature gradually before you wake, rather than demanding a big jump all at once.
Precooling works because cooling a house is a slow, steady process, not an instant one. If you are curious about the physics behind that, our guide on how long it actually takes an air conditioner to cool a house explains why patience beats panic. Once you understand that timeline, precooling makes intuitive sense: you are spreading the work out across the day instead of piling it into one desperate afternoon push. At our altitude, where systems already work a little harder, that head start matters even more.
How Much a Setback Actually Saves
It helps to have a realistic number in mind. A common rule of thumb is that you save roughly 1 percent on heating or cooling for every 1°F of setback over an 8 hour period. So a 7 to 10 degree setback while you are at work or asleep can trim something in the range of 5 to 10 percent off your heating and cooling costs over time.
We keep these estimates conservative on purpose. Your actual savings depend on your home's insulation, the age and condition of your system, and how consistent you are with the schedule. The point is not a guaranteed percentage. It is that steady, modest setbacks add up quietly, month after month, without any big investment.
Let a Smart Thermostat Do the Work
Remembering to adjust your thermostat several times a day is a lot to ask. This is where a smart or programmable thermostat earns its keep. The features that actually matter for smart thermostat energy savings are:
Scheduling: Set your home, away, and sleep temperatures once and let the thermostat follow them automatically.
Geofencing: The thermostat uses your phone's location to ease off when the house is empty, then bring things back before you arrive.
Learning algorithms: Some models study your habits and local weather patterns, then build an efficient schedule for you.
Many smart thermostats also qualify for Xcel Energy rebates and can enroll in utility programs that reward you for easing demand on the hottest days. If you want this set up correctly the first time, our team handles smart thermostat installation and makes sure the unit is compatible with your system and wired properly, including the C-wire that many models need.
Common Mistakes That Waste Energy
A few habits quietly work against you. The most common one is cranking the thermostat far past your target to force the house to heat or cool faster. It does not work. Your furnace and air conditioner run at a steady output, so setting the thermostat to 60 in summer does not cool any faster than setting it to 74. It just runs longer, overshoots your target, and wastes energy while adding wear to the equipment.
Here are the mistakes worth avoiding:
Extreme setpoints: Overshooting the target does not speed anything up.
Big midday swings in summer: Fighting the afternoon peak is the least efficient time to cool.
Skipping the setback entirely: Holding one temperature around the clock leaves easy savings on the table.
Ignoring the filter: A dirty filter makes even perfect settings work harder.
When to Call a Pro
If you have dialed in sensible settings and your home still struggles to hold a comfortable temperature, the thermostat may not be the problem. Weak airflow, a system that short cycles, or rooms that never seem to catch up can point to a maintenance issue rather than a settings issue. At Denver's altitude, systems already work a little harder, so keeping yours clean and tuned genuinely matters.
A seasonal tune-up is the simplest way to make sure your settings actually translate into comfort. Our AC maintenance visits check airflow, refrigerant, and controls so your equipment responds the way it should. If something feels off, it is worth having a professional look before another billing cycle goes by.
Finding the best thermostat settings to save energy is really about small, consistent choices: reasonable setpoints, steady setbacks, getting ahead of the swings, and letting a smart thermostat carry the routine for you. If you would like help building a schedule or installing a thermostat that handles it automatically, contact our team to schedule service. We are happy to help you stay comfortable and keep your bills in check.
Sources & References
U.S. Department of Energy - Thermostats, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy - Programmable Thermostats, Energy Saver
ENERGY STAR - Smart Thermostats, U.S. EPA
Xcel Energy Colorado - Residential Rebates and Energy Efficiency Programs, 2025
Need help with your thermostat settings or a smart thermostat install in Denver? MoJo Home Services provides professional heating and cooling services throughout the Denver Metro Area. Contact us at 4000 Newman St, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 or call (720) 807-4050 for same-day service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best thermostat setting to save energy in summer?
A good starting point is 78°F while you are home and awake, then letting the temperature rise to 82 to 85°F when you are away for the day. The exact number is personal, so set it wherever you are genuinely comfortable and focus on the setback while the house is empty. That is where most of the savings come from, because your air conditioner simply runs less.
What temperature should I set my thermostat to in winter?
The Department of Energy suggests 68°F while you are awake and at home, with a setback to around 60 to 62°F when you are away and 62 to 66°F while you sleep. In a dry Denver winter, adding humidity can make a lower setpoint feel just as comfortable, which saves more than turning up the heat.
Does setting the thermostat colder cool my house faster?
No. Your air conditioner runs at a steady output, so setting it to 60 does not cool any faster than setting it to 74. The house cools at the same rate either way. Setting an extreme temperature just makes the system run longer, overshoot your target, and waste energy, and it adds unnecessary wear to the equipment.
What is precooling and does it really save money?
Precooling means cooling your home earlier in the day, when it is cooler outside and your system runs more efficiently, so it does not have to fight the afternoon peak. Because cooling a house is a slow, steady process, getting ahead of the heat spreads the work out and can lower the strain and cost during the hottest hours. The same idea applies to preheating in winter.
How much can a thermostat setback actually save?
A conservative rule of thumb is about 1 percent savings for every 1°F of setback over an 8 hour stretch. A 7 to 10 degree setback while you are at work or asleep can trim roughly 5 to 10 percent off your heating and cooling costs over time. Your real results depend on your insulation, your system, and how consistent you are with the schedule.
Do smart thermostats save energy in Denver's climate?
They can, because they automate the setbacks and precooling that are easy to forget. Scheduling, geofencing, and learning features keep your home efficient without daily fiddling, which is especially useful given Denver's big day-to-night temperature swings. Many models also qualify for Xcel Energy rebates and utility programs that reward you for easing demand on peak days.
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