Weekly thermostat schedule: how to correctly set time zones and temperatures

Weekly thermostat program: how to correctly set the time zones and temperatures

A programmable thermostat is only as good as its weekly program is well set up. I have seen customers who bought a quality device, left it running on the default factory program, and then wondered why their gas bills didn't drop even by a cent. On the other hand – when someone took the time to set it up thoroughly according to the household's actual daily rhythm, saving 20–30% on energy was not an exception. The difference between the two cases is not in the thermostat itself. It is in how you approach it.

This article will walk you through the entire process of setting up the weekly program – from understanding the basic concepts through specific temperatures for different situations to practical tips I have collected from dozens of real installations in both houses and apartments.

What is a weekly program and how it works

A weekly program is essentially a time plan that tells the thermostat when to maintain which temperature. The whole week is divided into time segments – so-called time zones or periods – and for each segment you set the desired temperature. The thermostat takes care of the rest: it turns the boiler on at the right time, and turns it off at the right time.

The basic logic is simple: when the house is empty or when you are sleeping, you don't need the same temperature as when you are at home and active. Every extra degree you maintain unnecessarily costs money. As a rough rule of thumb, reducing the temperature by 1 °C for 8 hours a day saves about 4–6% on heating costs. That is several real tens of euros a year at an average seasonal consumption – and sometimes even more.

Most programmable thermostats on the market offer from 2 to 6 different time zones per day, and you can set each day of the week differently. Some models use a 5+2 system (workdays the same, Saturday and Sunday the same) or a 5+1+1 system (each weekend day separately). The most flexible is the 7-day individual system, where you can program each day of the week completely individually.

Types of programming modes – what your thermostat allows

Before you start setting up, it is good to know what type of program your thermostat works with. From practice I know several common models:

5+2 mode

Workdays from Monday to Friday share one common program. Saturday and Sunday share a second program. This is the simplest approach, which suits households with a very regular rhythm – for example, couples without children, where both partners go to work. The disadvantage arises if you have, for example, a shorter workday on Friday, or if your children sometimes come home from school early.

5+1+1 mode

Workdays share a common program, but Saturday and Sunday can each have a different program. This is appreciated by families, for example, where Saturday is an active day with a later morning wake-up, but Sunday is devoted to longer relaxation at home.

7 days individually mode

Each day of the week has its own independent program. This is the most flexible option and, when set up thoroughly, also the most efficient. For example, SALUS 091FL works with exactly this system – it allows setting up to 6 time segments for each day separately, which gives a truly fine control over the temperature course throughout the whole week.

Fixed periods vs. free setting

Some thermostats have predefined time "slots" (e.g. morning, midday, afternoon, evening, night) and you only set the temperature for each of them. Others allow you to set any start time for each zone with a precision of 10 or 15 minutes. The second option is better, because real life rarely fits into predefined blocks. Euroster Q7 for example offers 6 periods per day with freely adjustable times, which is very convenient in practice.

Step by step: how to create an ideal weekly program

Step 1: Map the actual daily rhythm of the household

Sit down with a piece of paper and write down what is really happening in the house. Examples of questions to answer:

• What time do you get up on workdays? What time on weekends?
• What time does the last person leave the house? Does any family member return home after lunch (e.g., children from school)?
• What time does the whole household usually gather at home?
• What time do you go to bed?
• Are there days during the week when the house is empty all day? Or on the contrary, days when someone works from home?

From practice, I know that people often underestimate this step. They set the schedule "by eye" and then wonder why it's cold at six in the morning or why the boiler was running unnecessarily all day while everyone was out.

Step 2: Determine temperatures for individual situations

Each time zone should correspond to a specific situation. In practice, we distinguish the following basic states:

Situation	Recommended temperature	Note
Comfort – stay in the living room	20–22 °C	Depends on preferences, the standard is 21 °C
Morning waking up	20–21 °C	Set the thermostat 30–60 min before waking up
Empty house during the day	15–17 °C	Reduced, not switched off – pipe protection and faster warm-up
Night sleep – bedroom	17–18 °C	Medical recommended temperature for quality sleep
Weekend day at home	20–22 °C	All-day comfort, later waking up
Long-term absence (holiday)	10–12 °C	Frost protection – solve via manual switch

Important note on night temperatures: 17–18 °C is actually ideal in the bedroom. A lower temperature at night only works if the bedroom is on a separate zone or if the whole house has a thermostat located in the bedroom. If the thermostat is in the living room and the bedroom is closed, the temperature in the bedroom will be different from the one the thermostat measures – this is a topic we cover in the article on calibration and temperature measurement accuracy.

Step 3: Choosing the right preheating time

This is the number one mistake when setting up the schedule. People set the time when the comfortable temperature should be reached, but they forget that the boiler and heating system need time to actually heat the room. So if you want 21 °C in the living room at 7:00 AM, it is not enough to program the heating to start at 7:00 AM.

The preheating time depends on several factors:

• Type of heating: Underfloor heating needs 60–90 minutes. Cast iron radiators need 30–45 minutes. Modern steel panel radiators with fast performance need 20–30 minutes.
• Thermal insulation of the house: A well-insulated new house cools down less at night and therefore needs a shorter warm-up time. An older masonry house with poor insulation can cool down by 3–4 °C during the night and the warm-up takes significantly longer.
• Outdoor temperature: In January frost, the difference between the reduced temperature and the comfortable temperature is greater, so the warm-up takes longer than in November.

Practical rule from practice: start with a 30-minute preheating time, after the first week check if the house is actually warm at the time you need it. Adjust the time accordingly.

Concrete example of a schedule for a typical working family

Let's take a typical family: two working adults, two children attending school. They leave the house in the morning around 7:30, the children come home at 1:30 PM, the adults around 5:00 PM. Weekends are spent at home all day.

Workdays (Monday – Friday)

• 05:30 – 07:30: 21 °C (Morning comfort – waking up, breakfast, preparation)
• 07:30 – 13:00: 16 °C (Empty house – reduced temperature)
• 13:00 – 17:00: 20 °C (Children at home after lunch)
• 17:00 – 22:00: 21 °C (Evening comfort, whole family at home)
• 22:00 – 05:30: 17 °C (Night reduced temperature)

Saturday and Sunday

• 07:30 – 22:30: 21 °C (Weekend comfort all day)
• 22:30 – 07:30: 17 °C (Night reduced temperature)

This schedule is intentionally simplified – in practice, we further fine-tune it. For example, if we know that the children come home earlier on Fridays, we change the start of the comfortable temperature in the afternoon for Friday. That is why a 7-day independent system is so valuable.

Setting up the schedule on specific models

Each thermostat has a slightly different way of entering the schedule – usually through a combination of buttons and a display. Some newer models also offer a mobile app or web interface, where the setup is more convenient.

For example, Saswell SAS 908 7 is a wired model with a 7-day program and 6 periods per day – the program is set directly via buttons on the device, which is a bit more laborious, but the device has a relatively clear display and the process is logical. Those who prefer convenient settings via smartphone can go for Saswell 908 7 RF, which is a wireless version of the same thermostat with RF communication capability – you can set the program via an app as well, which is really more convenient when dealing with 42 different time zones per week (6 periods × 7 days).

For those looking for a modern design with touch control and an intuitive menu, an interesting option is Saswell T19 7 B – its color touch screen makes setting up the weekly program a significantly more pleasant experience than traditional button control.

Common mistakes when setting up the program – what it's worth not to do

Mistake No. 1: Excessive setback

Some people set the setback temperature to 10 °C or even leave the system in anti-frost mode all day. The logic is clear – the lower the temperature during absence, the greater the savings. But in practice, it doesn't work that way. If you need to heat the house from 10 °C to 21 °C, the boiler has to run at full power for a long time and in the start-up phase it works with the lowest efficiency. The preheating time will be extended to 2–3 hours, which can be uncomfortable and not always energy-efficient. The optimal setback during standard absence during the day is 15–17 °C.

Mistake No. 2: The same program all year round

You set up the weekly program once in November and let it run until April. The problem arises in March, when it starts to be 10–12 °C outside and the program still maintains 21 °C from 5:30 AM, even though the sun warms the room to 20 °C by 9:00 AM. Seasonal revision of the program – at least twice a year – is therefore essential. In spring, reduce comfort temperatures by 1–2 °C and shorten the heating period, in autumn do the opposite.

Mistake No. 3: Ignoring the thermal inertia of the building

This is especially important with floor heating. If you turn on the heating at 6:00 AM via the program, the floor surface reaches a comfortable temperature only at 7:30–8:00 AM. At the same time, after turning off the heating, the floor continues to release heat for several hours. You need to take this into account and program the thermostat for floor heating with a significantly longer preheating and an earlier end, before you actually leave.

Mistake No. 4: Too short breaks

Is it even worth setting a setback for 1.5 hours when you go to pick up the kids from school? Usually not. The boiler will lower the temperature by 1–2 °C and then restart, which is not energy efficient. Shorter breaks of less than 2–3 hours with a standard system with radiators are not worth programming in terms of energy efficiency. With floor heating, this threshold is even higher – short-term setbacks are not worth it at all.

Mistake No. 5: Forgetting to manually override the program

Every programmable thermostat has the option of temporary manual override of the program (so-called override or hold function). For example, if you have your parents visiting and the program says there should be a setback, simply manually increase the temperature and the thermostat will maintain it either until the next switching point or until a manually set time. This is not bypassing the program – it is a full-fledged part of working with it.

Weekend program: where the biggest savings potential is hidden

Most people focus their optimization on workdays. They leave the heating at full comfort all day on the weekend and don't think about it anymore. Yet the weekend represents 2 out of 7 days – that's almost 29% of the entire heating time.

Even on a weekend day when you are at home, there are times when a lower temperature is perfectly fine. For example, when you go shopping or for a walk for 2 hours on Saturday afternoon, or when you sleep in longer on a weekend morning and the room can be set to a night setback of 17 °C until 8:30 AM.

I therefore recommend at least 3 periods on the weekend:

• Night setback (e.g. 22:30 – 08:00): 17–18 °C
• Day comfort (08:00 – 22:30): 21 °C
• Optionally an afternoon break when you know you will be out

Weekly program and special situations

Working from home

The hybrid work model – where some days you work from home and others you are in the office – is very common today. If, for example, you work from home every Tuesday and Thursday, set up a different program for these days than for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For days working from home, use a comfortable temperature all day, for days in the office use a classic setback. A thermostat with a 7-day individual program can handle this without any problems.

Seasonal time change

Don't forget to check the time on the thermostat after the change to summer/winter time. Most older models do not automatically shift the time and if you don't adjust it, your program will be shifted by an hour for the whole week. Some newer thermostats with WiFi connection synchronize the time automatically with the server – this is a very practical feature that you will appreciate precisely in March and October.

Long absence – vacation

For vacation, there is a special "vacation" or "holidays" mode that sets one fixed temperature (typically 12–15 °C) for several days or weeks. After your return, the thermostat automatically switches back to the normal weekly program. If your thermostat does not have this mode, manually set a low temperature and don't forget to switch it back after your return – this is a typical case where people forget and stay in unnecessary setback for a week.

How to fine-tune the program after the first week

Setting up the program is not a one-time action. After the first week, compare the records with the reality:

• Was it warm enough in the morning at the right time? If not, move the start of the comfort period earlier by 15–30 minutes.
• Is it still too warm in the empty house? Check whether the thermostat actually switched to the setback mode – it may be a setting error for the day (e.g., you accidentally set the whole program only for Monday).
• The boiler runs continuously even during the comfort period and does not reach the desired temperature? The problem may be that the thermostat is poorly placed (e.g., near a cold window or, on the contrary, close to a heat source). More on this in the article Calibration and accuracy of temperature measurement.
• Do you see an improvement on your gas bill? Compare the consumption with the same period last year – with a well-set program, a typical saving is 15–25 %. We elaborate on this in the article How much can you save with a programmable thermostat compared to a manual regulator.

Weekly program and multiple thermostats / zones

In larger houses, you may have multiple thermostats – one for the ground floor, one for the upper floor, or even separate regulation for a bathroom with underfloor heating. In such a case, the programs need to be coordinated. Typically, you want:

• The bedrooms on the upper floor to have a lower night temperature than the ground floor, where no one stays overnight
• The bathroom to have a shorter but more intense morning comfort period (for showering) and use a lower temperature during the day
• The living room and dining room on the ground floor to have maximum comfort in the evening hours

If this topic interests you more, I recommend reading the article Compatibility of programmable thermostats with boilers and heating systems, where we also address multi-zone systems.

Most frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How many time periods per day are enough and how many are too many?

For most households, 4–6 periods per day are optimal. Less than 4 periods may be limiting for a more complex daily routine. More than 6 periods is usually an unnecessary complication for a standard home – the time between zones becomes so short that the boiler cannot react in time and the program loses its meaning. An exception are special cases, for example, businesses with complex schedules.

Is it worth programming the thermostat if we heat with solid fuel or electricity?

Yes, but with limitations. With solid fuel, temperature control is more complicated because the boiler cannot be turned off as quickly as with gas. A programmable thermostat here mainly controls the circulation pump or a mixing valve. With direct electric heating (infrared panels, electric radiators), a programmable thermostat is, on the contrary, extremely effective, because the electric heating element reacts almost instantly.

What if someone stays at home during the day when a setback is scheduled?

Every thermostat has a function for temporary manual override of the program. You press the button to increase the temperature, set the desired value, and the thermostat will maintain it either until the next program switch point or until a manually set time. Then it automatically returns to the normal program. This is not a "hack" – it is a standard and recommended function of every programmable thermostat.

Is it better to set the thermostat to a lower temperature and wear a sweater, or to maintain a normal comfortable temperature?

From the perspective of actual savings, short-term lowering of the temperature by 1–2 °C while you are fully present in the house is marginal. The main potential for savings is during absence or sleep, where a reduction of 4–6 °C for 8–10 hours a day makes a real difference. Living constantly in the cold to save 1–2 % on energy is an unbalanced solution from a comfort perspective – rather focus on properly setting the setback periods.

What to do if the thermostat does not keep the set program after a power outage?

Most modern thermostats store the program in non-volatile memory (EEPROM), so a power outage does not erase the program. The problem may be losing the current time and day – the thermostat after restart may not know what time it is and therefore cannot correctly start the periods. The solution is to manually set the correct time and day after each outage, or choose a thermostat with a backup battery or WiFi time synchronization. You will read more about this issue in the article Common problems with programmable thermostats and how to fix them.

Is it worth buying a thermostat with 6 periods instead of 3 periods if you plan to set it to a simple program?

Yes, it is worth it. Even if you set only 3 basic periods today, in a year you will find that 4 or 5 would be useful. A device with a higher number of periods gives you flexibility that you do not have to use immediately, but it is good to have available. Moreover, thermostats with more periods are only slightly more expensive than simple models with 2–3 periods, and for a regular customer I recommend going directly for 6 periods per day with a 7-day program – it is an investment that pays off in the comfort of setup.

Conclusion: programming is an investment of ten minutes that pays off the whole heating season

Setting up a correct weekly program is not something that takes long hours. Ten to twenty minutes of concentration, a paper with the household's daily schedule, and a bit of patience when entering the data into the thermostat – and the result is a system that works for you every day without the need for manual intervention.

From experience, I know that the best results are achieved by those who regularly review the program – at least twice a year with the arrival of spring and autumn – and are not afraid to adjust it when the household's daily rhythm changes. A thermostat is a tool, not a law. It is there to serve you, not the other way around.

If you are still deciding which model to get, read the article How to choose a programmable thermostat: what to look for before buying or Wired or wireless programmable thermostat: which is suitable for your system – these topics will help you find a model whose programming interface suits you the most.

Do you have a question about this topic?

Having trouble deciding or dealing with a specific situation in your household? Write to us – we are happy to help.

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