May 7, 2026 · 4 min read
Set your thermostat right and you'll save $200-400 a year on Long Island energy bills without sacrificing comfort. Here's what we recommend.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends 78°F when home, 85°F when away. That's solid baseline guidance, but Long Island's humidity is the catch — at 78°F with 70% humidity, your house feels like 85°F.
Our Long Island-specific recommendation:
Every degree higher saves about 3% on cooling. Going from 72°F to 76°F can drop your bill 12%.
DOE recommends 68°F when home, 60°F when sleeping or away. This works well on Long Island, with one caveat: setting too low risks frozen pipes during cold snaps.
Every degree lower saves about 3% on heating.
You may have heard "leave it constant, don't set back — the catch-up costs more than you save." This is mostly false. The U.S. DOE has studied it extensively: setting back 7-10°F for 8 hours saves real money, including the catch-up cost.
One exception: Heat pumps. They're less efficient in catch-up mode. If you have a heat pump, use a smart thermostat designed for it (Nest, Ecobee) — they handle the math correctly.
A smart thermostat (Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell T-series) typically pays for itself in 1-2 years through the schedule and learning features alone. For Long Island homes, where temperatures swing 60+ degrees between seasons, the smart scheduling earns its keep fast.
We install Nest and Ecobee thermostats for $250-400 including the device. Many utility rebates cover most of the cost.
Long Island summers run 60-80% humidity. Your AC removes moisture as it cools — but only when it runs long enough. Setting your thermostat too low actually increases humidity because the unit short-cycles before dehumidifying.
Better strategy: Set thermostat at 75°F, let the system run longer to remove humidity. You'll feel cooler at 75°F low-humidity than at 72°F high-humidity, and use less electricity.
If humidity is your main complaint, ask us about a whole-home dehumidifier — solves the problem without overcooling.
Want a free thermostat tune-up to make sure yours is calibrated? Call (631) 555-COOL — included in any maintenance visit.