Skip to content
Home EnergyUS · UK

Smart Thermostats: Do They Actually Save Money?

Smart thermostats automate heating and cooling schedules. When they save real money, when they don’t, and how they interact with solar and batteries.

WaterFuelAndSolarEnergy.com Editorial Team Updated November 2024 6 min read

A smart thermostat learns your schedule and adjusts heating/cooling so you don’t air-condition an empty house. The savings come from that scheduling — but the size of the saving depends on how you used your old thermostat.

When it helps

  • You previously ran heating/cooling while away
  • You want remote control for variable schedules
  • You pair it with time-of-use electricity rates
  • It integrates with solar/battery monitoring
Can a smart thermostat run on solar?
It just uses mains power; the benefit is scheduling heat-pump or A/C use into solar hours or off-peak windows, raising self-consumption and lowering peak demand.