Do occupancy sensors actually help with heating bills?

[FrankJaeger]

Has anyone actually set up occupancy sensors to manage their heat? I’ve been thinking about linking a few to my smart thermostat so the furnace doesn’t kick on in empty rooms. The idea sounds great on paper, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort or if it just ends up being one of those “smart” things that needs constant tweaking. Right now I’ve got sensors for lighting, but not for temperature control. I’m curious how well they play together and whether they actually help save money once you account for the system running more often to catch up. Anyone tried it in an older Michigan home where insulation isn’t perfect?

 

[Alan]

there’s potential savings there, but they’re usually modest unless your HVAC and zoning are dialed in. Some people use occupancy sensors mainly to trigger temperature setbacks instead of shutting rooms off completely. Have you looked into pairing them with smart vents or just letting them feed occupancy data to the thermostat?

 

[ElaineGo]

I wired mine into the thermostat automation and it does help, but only when the weather isn’t brutal. Sensors kick down the heat in rooms nobody’s using, then bring them back up when someone walks in. The trick is setting wider temperature thresholds so it doesn’t constantly catch up. Once I did that, it felt smoother and didn’t spike the bill.