Saving energy the easy way: An analysis of thermostat management

Abstract

One of the most effective and least expensive means of reducing household energy use is to maintain low indoor temperatures during the winter and high indoor temperatures during the summer. We examine the determinants of self-reported winter and summer thermostat settings and control strategies. Thermostat management (especially during the summer) was found not to be fixed, but varied and sensitive to some conditions. Certain groups (younger people, better educated individuals, audited households, multi-family households, and residents of warmer climates) reduced energy use at a greater rate than their counterparts. Households lowered and raised their thermostats during the day and during different seasons and also shut off their heating and air conditioning systems when their home was unoccupied. In fact, many households reported settings below 68° in the winter and above 78° in the summer, the standard temperatures used in many energy models and programs. This study raised a number of interesting questions for future work that should lead to improvements in the study of thermostat management, design and marketing of energy conservation programs, and the design of utility surveys. Larger sample sizes, uniform sampling designs and instruments, the collection of engineering, social, behavioral, and attitudinal data, multivariate analysis, and longterm studies should produce more consistent results. In addition, metering of temperature and thermostat setting data should provide a more reliable and accurate measure of indoor temperatures and thermostat management and allow researchers to make appropriate adjustments for self-reported thermostat data.