Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
A programmable or smart thermostat can hold a different target temperature at different times of day, so the heating or cooling system runs less while nobody needs it. Setting the schedule itself usually takes ten to twenty minutes once you know the times and temperatures you want. The menu names and the buttons are different on every brand, so this page gives the steps in the order every schedule menu uses and sends you to your own thermostat's guide for the exact button.
ENERGY STAR reports that its certified smart thermostats save an average of about 8% of a heating and cooling bill, and a straightforward schedule can save close to 10% a year, on figures the manufacturer Trane attributes to the U.S. Department of Energy. This page does not print one correct setback temperature, because comfort is personal and a deep setback behaves differently on a heat pump than on a furnace or a standard air conditioner. It gives the ranges manufacturers publish, the heat pump caution that is easy to miss, and where to find the exact number for your own equipment.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Installation guide or app for your thermostat | This guide gives the exact menu names and buttons for your model. |
| Pen and paper | Record the old schedule before you change it. |
| Documentation for the heating and cooling equipment | This documentation states whether the equipment is a heat pump. |
Specifications
Source: Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: ENERGY STAR Smart Thermostats FAQs for EEPS · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Find your equipment information
Estimated 6 min to 9 min
- Find the installation guide or the app for your thermostat.3mReport a problem with step 1, Find your equipment information
- The guide names the exact menu and the exact buttons for your model.
- If you do not have the guide, search the manufacturer website for your thermostat model.
- Before you change it, record the current schedule on the thermostat.2mReport a problem with step 2, Find your equipment information
- If the new schedule is not correct, this record lets you restore the old one.
- Examine the equipment documentation to identify the equipment type.2mReport a problem with step 3, Find your equipment information
- A heat pump runs its outdoor unit in the heat mode and in the cool mode.
- The equipment documentation states the equipment type.
Decide the schedule
Estimated 4 min to 4 min
Source: Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Choose a target temperature for the times when a person is home.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Decide the schedule
- Choose a lower target temperature, in the heat mode, for the times when nobody is home or awake.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Decide the schedule
- Choose a higher target temperature, in the cool mode, for the times when nobody is home or awake.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Decide the schedule
USE ONLY A SMALL SETBACK IN THE HEAT MODE OF A HEAT PUMP.
A large setback can force the heat pump to use its auxiliary or backup heat when it recovers. Auxiliary heat costs more to run than the heat pump alone.
- If your equipment is a heat pump, choose only a small setback in the heat mode.1mReport a problem with step 4, Decide the schedule
- A large setback can force the heat pump to use its auxiliary or backup heat when it recovers.
- Auxiliary heat costs more to run than the heat pump alone.
- See the specification list on this page for the exact numbers from two manufacturers.
- Choose the day groups for the schedule.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Decide the schedule
- A common choice is one schedule for the weekdays and a second schedule for the weekend.
- If your week has no regular pattern, choose a single schedule for every day.
- Choose the number of periods in each day.<1mReport a problem with step 6, Decide the schedule
- Common periods are wake, leave, return and sleep.
- Your thermostat can offer more periods or fewer periods.
Enter the schedule
Estimated 6 min to 14 min
- Open the schedule menu on the thermostat or in its app.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Enter the schedule
- Select the day or the day group for the first period.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Enter the schedule
- Enter the start time for the first period.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Enter the schedule
- Enter the target temperature for the first period.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Enter the schedule
- Repeat the start time and the target temperature for each remaining period.3mReport a problem with step 5, Enter the schedule
- If your thermostat uses a second day group, then repeat the whole schedule for it.2mReport a problem with step 6, Enter the schedule
- Save the schedule in the menu.<1mReport a problem with step 7, Enter the schedule
Make sure the schedule works
Estimated 2 min to 4 min
CANCEL A HOLD OR A VACATION MODE BEFORE YOU ACTIVATE THE SCHEDULE.
A hold keeps one target temperature. The schedule does not run again until you cancel the hold.
- Select the schedule mode as the active mode on the thermostat.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Make sure the schedule works
- This selection starts the schedule you saved.
- A hold overrides the schedule until you cancel the hold.
- Let the schedule run for one full day.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Make sure the schedule works
- Examine the display at the start of each period.
- Make sure the display matches the temperature you chose for that period.
- If a temperature is not correct for you, adjust that period in the schedule.1mReport a problem with step 3, Make sure the schedule works
- Comfort is different for each person.
- Treat the ranges on this page as guidance, not as a rule.
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- programmable thermostat schedule
- Also called: thermostat schedule, program the thermostat, weekly thermostat program, 7 day schedule, smart thermostat schedule, programmable thermostat settings
- setback temperature
- Also called: setback, night setback, away temperature, vacation temperature, eco temperature, what temperature at night
- hold
- Also called: permanent hold, temporary hold, vacation mode, hold vs schedule, override
- auxiliary heat
- Also called: aux heat, backup heat, emergency heat, strip heat, heat strips
When to use a professional
This page ends at the schedule menu. This page does not cover thermostat wiring. See the wiring page for that job.
Call a heating and cooling contractor if the equipment does not respond to the schedule. Call the same contractor if you are not sure of your equipment type. Call the contractor if the auxiliary heat runs for long periods in mild weather.
Common questions
What temperature should I set my thermostat to at night?
There is no single correct answer, because comfort is personal, but manufacturers publish starting ranges. Trane's guidance, which the company attributes to the U.S. Department of Energy, suggests roughly 68 to 70°F while home and 58 to 63°F while away or asleep in winter, and roughly 75 to 78°F while home and 85 to 88°F while away or asleep in summer. Treat these as a starting point and adjust them to what feels comfortable in your home. If you have a heat pump, read the heat pump question below before you make a big change.
What's the difference between a hold and a schedule?
A schedule repeats automatically: it holds a different temperature at different times of day, every day the schedule covers. A hold, sometimes called a vacation mode, freezes the thermostat at one target temperature until you cancel it, and the schedule does nothing while a hold is active. If your programmed periods do not seem to be running, check for an active hold first. Cancelling the hold, rather than reprogramming the schedule, usually fixes it.
Will a programmable or smart thermostat schedule actually save money?
Yes, according to the manufacturer and government sources that publish figures on this. Trane cites U.S. Department of Energy figures that a household can save about 10% a year on heating and cooling by setting the thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 hours a day. Separately, ENERGY STAR reports that its certified smart thermostats save an average of about 8% of a heating and cooling bill, or roughly $50 a year, largely by running a schedule for households who would not otherwise keep one. Either way, it is the schedule that does the saving, not the brand of thermostat by itself.
I have a heat pump. Should I still set a big night-time setback?
Be more careful with a heat pump than with a furnace or a standard air conditioner. Carrier recommends a mild setback of only 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit for a heat pump, and warns that a bigger drop, such as 10 degrees, can force the system to rely on expensive auxiliary heat to recover the next morning. Trane's own guidance states that raising the temperature by more than 3 to 4 degrees at once can trigger auxiliary heat on its systems, and recommends raising it only a degree or two at a time. Because the exact number depends on your thermostat and your heat pump, keep any heat-mode setback small and check your own equipment's guide.
My schedule doesn't seem to be doing anything.
The most common cause is an active hold or vacation mode, which overrides the schedule until you cancel it — see the hold question above. Also confirm that the thermostat is set to run the schedule and not held to a single manual temperature. If the schedule is active and the temperature still is not changing, check the equipment documentation or contact the manufacturer's support line for your specific model.
What's the difference between a programmable thermostat and a smart thermostat?
A programmable thermostat runs the schedule you enter, exactly as you entered it, until you change it again. According to ENERGY STAR, homeowners often do not fully understand how programmable thermostats work and may never program them, which can lead to higher bills than a basic thermostat. A smart thermostat can also run a schedule, but it typically adds features such as learning your habits, remote control from an app, or geofencing that adjusts the temperature based on your phone's location. ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostats must also meet minimum energy-savings requirements that a plain programmable thermostat does not have to meet.
Related procedures
- How to replace a thermostat and get the wires on the right terminals
- How to change the air filter in a furnace or central air conditioner
- What temperature should my fridge and freezer be set to?
- How do I safely heat my house when the power goes out?
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Setback Thermostat: Energy-Saving Solution
- Tier 1What is a Heat Pump Thermostat? Guide & Best Features
- Tier 1What Is Auxiliary Heat in a Heat Pump System?
- Tier 1Smart Thermostats
- Tier 1ENERGY STAR Smart Thermostats FAQs for EEPS
- Tier 1Smart Thermostats Key Product Criteria
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04
- v1 · 2026-08-04First draft. Setback temperature ranges and the 7-10 degree/8-hour/10%-savings figure from Trane's own published page, which attributes the figures to the U.S. Department of Energy; DOE's own energy.gov/energysaver pages on this topic all returned HTTP 404 on 2026-08-04 (confirmed by reading the response body, not just the status code) and were not cited for that reason. The heat pump auxiliary-heat caution rests on Trane and Carrier separately, who name different specific degree thresholds for their own equipment, so the record does not publish one universal number for that threshold and instead keeps the general caution and routes the reader to their own thermostat and heat pump documentation. The schedule-entry steps are generic across brands by design, since the backlog entry for this topic notes that the exact button sequence is per-model; this record does not draft from any single manufacturer's app or manual for those steps.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.