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General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: tampaite on June 03, 2019, 01:09:22 PM
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I have dialed this in exactly, and 77F is the maximum upper temp DW will tolerate before she starts to want me dead. Therefore, it is set to 77F.
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A: 76
B: 76, spouse and I are on the same page.
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I'm likely an outlier on this issue
We leave ours at 74F. We could go to 76F without too much issue but I get grumpy when hot.
We are in a hot and humid Midwest state and have been told it's better for our old A/C mechanical equipment to leave it at a constant temp to maintain humidity levels rather than adjust up and down when home or away.
We also have pets that I don't want to get too hot.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
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73F. And even with a regular fan pointed at me at night, I still feel too warm sometimes. My electric bills in the heavy-AC-usage months top out around $120 so it doesn't break the budget, and it is one of the luxuries that is "worth it" to me.
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72
74
I moved from the glorious weather conditions if the Bay Area to a climate with hot and humid summers. When I was young and poor and lived in the same awful humidity, I wasn't able to afford air conditioning. It was horrible.
When moving back for family reasons, I gave myself permission to set the thermostat at whatever temp I need to feel comfortable, as the circumstances of my stay here already make life very difficult. At the same time, I live in a very small house and the a/c is efficient. As I am careful about resource use in general, I don't stress about this one thing.
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72
Happy wife, happy life.
When I was young, single, and lived in a dry heat (as opposed to current 2000% humidity), I didn't use A/C...or heat. I also didn't spend much time at home, except to sleep.
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Depending on the situation, my a/c is off, or set to between 75-78 F. It's programmed at 78, but if I'm moving around a lot I will sometimes bump it down. And when I sit down I get cold, so I push it back up. Basically, it's all over.
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76 degrees. I would turn it off but my husband insists we need it for the humidity. We only run it when it is humid. We do have a dehumidifier in our basement that runs all summer.
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We only have window units that don't have exact temperature presets, but they keep it around 74F upstairs. Downstairs has no unit set up at the moment and maxes around 70F on warm days. Our house has crappy insulation (it's old as shit) but it's in the shade of 100-year-old oak trees so it still doesn't heat up too badly. It's just the humidity that the AC really helps take the edge off. To actually answer your second question though: I'd have it on just enough to get the humidity out and be able to lift weights without it making that harder (I used to lift in a hot garage and that was unbelievably awful), probably only a few ticks higher.
The winter situation is somewhat flopped. The house does not retain warmth very well at all, so without much sunlight the downstairs we keep at around 50F max all winter and around 60F upstairs with the help of expensive-to-run space heaters. The furnace heats up the downstairs well but only has one crappy small vent upstairs. Even with this fairly modest heating arrangement it's expensive as hell. The dogs love it downstairs in the winter though. It just means they get to think they're dying on the first 65F day in the spring.
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A: 76
B: 76, spouse and I are on the same page.
We also set at 76.
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During the day (I work from home): 80
While we sleep (turned down at 7:30 right before the kiddos bedtime): 76
B. I'd probably bump it up 2 during the day, but much above 76 at night and I am sweating, which makes for uncomfortable sleep
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During the day (I work from home): 80
While we sleep (turned down at 7:30 right before the kiddos bedtime): 76
B. I'd probably bump it up 2 during the day, but much above 76 at night and I am sweating, which makes for uncomfortable sleep
Yep, 80 is fine for me during the day, but sleeping 75 with ceiling fan on is as high as I'll let it go
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During the day (I work from home): 80
While we sleep (turned down at 7:30 right before the kiddos bedtime): 76
B. I'd probably bump it up 2 during the day, but much above 76 at night and I am sweating, which makes for uncomfortable sleep
Yep, 80 is fine for me during the day, but sleeping 75 with ceiling fan on is as high as I'll let it go. Tough all that said I just put in the A/C about 6 years ago so we used to just deal with it...
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I live on Kauai and like most long-term residents, we do not have central air conditioning. We have A/C window units framed into the house on two bedrooms, but not the child's room.
On a normal summer day in the afternoon, it will be 92 in the living room and 86 in the bedrooms. During this time, we do not turn on the A/C units. We just hang out on our covered porch with breeze. It's normally 82-84 outside. If there is no breeze, we go to the beach, which is an 8 minute drive.
If it ever goes above 86 in our child's bedroom and our 2 year old soon needs a nap, we will put him in our bedroom with the A/C and turn it on for his nap. We can position the pack and play so the cold air from the A/C blows directly over him. It probably doesn't lower the temperature of the room, but it's much cooler for our son while he sleeps.
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I have dialed this in exactly, and 77F is the maximum upper temp DW will tolerate before she starts to want me dead. Therefore, it is set to 77F.
Yup.
We are usually set at 80 in the daytime.
At night, I think it's set at 76-77.
But there are times I get up and dial it down to 73-75F in the middle of the night.
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During the day it sits at 78, at night it goes down to 75.
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I set mine to 72. We have solar that over-generates since we sized it before switching everything to LED. This year was our first year with an electric bill in the 4 years since we installed our solar. It was $13.87 for the entire year. I HATE being hot, after spending two pregnancies in an office that was literally 88 degrees most of the summer (imbalanced thermostat from hell, so glad my office moved since then). On the flip side, I won't turn on the heat above 63, and if it were up to me I would go as low as 57. I prefer to be cold. My in-laws turn on the AC at 76, and the heat at 74...I cannot fathom a 2-degree comfort swing.
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My wife and I are similar in our thinking. We keep our house at 76 pretty much throughout the summer. This is primarily for our kids (3 years and 10 months) when they are sleeping. If the weather is nice outside (we have a great patio/playground area) we are typically trying to spend as much time as we can outside which makes even 76 degrees feel cold when we come back inside.
We also have a decent solar array which generates so much more electricity than we use so it isn't really a financial decision it is more of an environmental one for us personally. If we don't use those kWh - others can use them over less environmentally friendly options (I know it likely doesn't really make a difference but it does make us feel like we are helping).
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I live in an apartment in the desert with a roommate. It doesn't have AC, but it does have swamp cooling (which I think is enough in the desert in every month but August). If I do find myself home during the day in the summer I have fans to keep me cool (or at least cooler). Overnight the temperature outside drops considerably, so venting the apartment cools it off quite a bit.
I'm at a stage in life where I don't have anyone else to keep comfortable, so I'm testing my own limits when it comes to temperature.
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72 tops! It gets incredibly hot and humid here and I am not sweating in my own home. My wife and I agree on this 100 percent. We don't own a pool. We don't belong to a country club. Our home is our cool sanctuary.
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No idea. We only have a window unit in the bedroom, which we only turn on at night to sleep (and occasionally keep it on during the day to have one cool room to escape to if things get too brutal).
We pretty much only turn it on if the temperature outside during the day has gotten above 90.
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We haven't had AC in over 10 years.
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76º during the day
74º at night
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I seek to nudge it up and work to be sure it's higher when we're out, but basically the a/c bill is less than the divorce would cost (by a good amount) and besides, I want to stay married to DH, so 74.
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A: What do you set your A/C at during summer ?
It seems like this gets asked pretty regularly. Here's from last year:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-temp-do-you-keep-your-houses/
80 to 83 during the day when I'm home, ~85 when I'm not home
78 to 80 at night
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I'll turn in off when I leave for work and then kick it on during once I'm back, but I don't have a specific temp I'll just set it to whatever I'm feeling. When I go to bed it has to be under 76.
A:74-76
B:79-80
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Try to only use the AC when really needed. I don’t mind it hot during the day but like a lot of men I just can’t sleep when it’s hot. Even 72 is hot for me when it comes to sleeping. Sometimes on really hot nights I just crash on my basement couch because it’s nice and cold down there.
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We don’t use the a/c until the temperatures in the house get into the mid 80s. I’m cold all winter and am very happy to thaw out.
Then we set it at 78° and turn the fans on.
I grew up in Florida without a/c, and we lived in Miami without a/c during my first two pregnancies, so my top bearable temperature is pretty high. I’d rather be hot than cold.
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The difference in 70 and 80 in my house is probably like $10/mo so I don't even care. But I prefer it warmer anyway so like 74.
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I keep mine at 80. Sometimes I'll drop it to 78 at night if it's humid.
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Ours is set at 76*. However, it is in the coolest part of the house (interior space on the first floor with no windows). The rest of the house gets to at least 82*, and even higher in some parts, where we have skylights. Our bathroom has measured as high as 88*, due to a large skylight and the fact that I keep the door closed to keep the heat out of the rest of the house.
That said, we have a portable a/c in our bedroom that is set at 72 when we go to bed. I can't sleep without it. 72 is actually a push toward mild discomfort, but I can still get some sleep.
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76 to both. I have a dog and a window unit. 76 leaves my apartment at about 80. She’s double coated and gets too hot if it’s set warmer, so I can’t really compromise on that. Once I get a better insulated home, I can probably up it to 78.
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Even 72 is hot for me when it comes to sleeping.
That said, we have a portable a/c in our bedroom that is set at 72 when we go to bed. I can't sleep without it. 72 is actually a push toward mild discomfort, but I can still get some sleep.
Wow so cool for summer. LOL. That's about where I keep mine in the winter and use blankets. About 78 to 80 for summer sleeping.
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It’s normally set at 83 day and night. I have fans in every room and keep a squirt bottle handy to regularly spray down my clothes. Most times it’s okay. Occasionally I’ll turn it down to 80 for a couple of hours when I can’t stand it. I live in the hot dry desert with average daily temps of 105+ for most of the summer. With the unusual cool spring and early summer I was able to get to June 1st before even turning it on. That’s a new record for me. Goodbye $40 power bill. See you again in the late fall.
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A. 80. I would probably prefer 81. DH would probably prefer 85. Kids like it a little cooler. So 80 it is.
B. 83.
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81 during the day and 76 at night but if I wake up and I’m hot, I’ll crank it down a couple notches. I can’t sleep if I’m hot!
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Oh man, I'm currently having this "discussion" with my roommate (well, renter - she has one bedroom in my home). She can't possibly survive if it's not 22 C all year round, so I sweated in the house this winter, and now I'll have to freeze in summer. My preference is 19 C in winter and 25 - 27 C in summer, depending on humidity levels. Our winters are frigid (-30 C is not unusual), so I want to enjoy the warmth in summer, damn it! I've decided to just close the doors to the living room and my bedroom and close the vents and open the windows and enjoy! And stay outside as much as possible.
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I couldn't live with a lot of y'all.
I like it at 80.
Wife likes it colder.
We settle on 79.
We live in Florida.
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72
75
I get really grouchy in heat and humidity.
OTOH, I set it at 60 on winter nights and only 64 in the days.
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Goodbye $40 power bill. See you again in the late fall.
$40? That's a good deal. If I shut off my main breaker and use no electricity, I still pay about $50 for my electric bill just for having the service available. Averages closer to $120/mo, not much higher in the summer with AC. And that's just electricity - natural gas is a separate bill.
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Goodbye $40 power bill. See you again in the late fall.
$40? That's a good deal. If I shut off my main breaker and use no electricity, I still pay about $50 for my electric bill just for having the service available. Averages closer to $120/mo, not much higher in the summer with AC. And that's just electricity - natural gas is a separate bill.
That’s how it is with water here. My friend that uses three times the water I do only pays about $12 more a month. With the AC running, my power bill will more than triple over the summer to $130-$150 a month. Just a part of life.
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We have two-zone HVAC, and don't even turn the downstairs zone on unless it's in the 90s outside. Upstairs where the bedrooms are, we set to 78 during the day, 72 when we go to sleep. Heat/AC is one thing I will never have a problem spending money on. I work hard so I don't have to go to bed in a pool of sweat at night, or freezing my boys off. During mid summer here, it will still be light out close to 10pm (Wisconsin), and the stifling humidity just holds the day's heat in even longer.
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74° F during the day
64° at night
Fie and shame you say? What's better? Spending a little extra on cooling or having to replace the mattress every year because I sweat through it? Gross, yes but welcome to the struggles of the giant strength athlete.
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I roll with 77. First floor condo with ceiling fans on low and blinds closed (most of the time).
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72 tops! It gets incredibly hot and humid here and I am not sweating in my own home. My wife and I agree on this 100 percent. We don't own a pool. We don't belong to a country club. Our home is our cool sanctuary.
Me too !
AC Is one of life's simple pleasures and is relatively inexpensive to operate. Spend some money on insulation, doors, windows, etc. if your energy bills are out of control.
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78
I wouldn't mind having it a bit higher, except that the upstairs gets uncomfortably warmer than the thermostat setting. DH would be happy for it to be lower; he feels the heat more than I do. Sometimes I think we should keep it lower and see whether it helps the humidity in the basement.
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78 for mornings and evenings. It goes up to 85 before kicking on during the day when we are typically gone or can get up and turn it down manually if we are uncomfortable.
76 at night, which is probably closer to 78 or 80 on the 2nd floor where we sleep.
I honestly am very comfortable at these temps due to fans. If I am sweaty or uncomfortable I don't hesitate turning it down lower.
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Haven't used the AC since I moved into this apartment 10 years ago. There's a unit in the wall. Not even sure if it works. I just put fans in the window and practice my stoicism.
My electric bill is U$27/mo. My neighbor in the next building complains her bill is over U$200 in the summer time when she runs the AC.
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For me I'd say about 75ish but wife just had a baby and moves it to 71 so we are a 71 degree household with high electric bills
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We set our AC to 80 during the day, 78 when we come home from work, and 76 when we sleep.
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Don't have AC, but if I did I'd set it to 23. With proper management we stay below 25 anyway, so it's barely necessary.
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I think there is a bit of apples and oranges in this question.
It's not the heat it's the humidity!
If you live in Pasadena California, you can have high 80s temp and below 39% humidity.
In Florida last month we had a day of 80 degrees and 96% humidity.
We generally run at 78* and I bump to 77* if I'm hot.
Years ago I ran a dehumidifier, when I got the humidity under 40*,
I could raise the temp 4* and still feel dry and comfortable.
The problem with the dehumidifier was that it created a lot of heat and where ever
you put it, it got warmer. That and they also recalled my Kenmore dehumidifier because of a fire hazard.
I just came in from outside, it's 96* with 46% humidity, I bumped the thermostat from 78* down
to 77* and the humidity has dropped from 47% to 46%.
I'm comfortable, but I'm wearing shorts and no shirt and the fan is running on high.
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I let it get up to about 82 during the day. The upstairs in my townhome, where I sleep and spend most of my time, seems to be usually 10 degrees warmer, so my actual tolerable waking hours temp is probably in the 90s. I run the A/C for about ten minutes before bed and run a fan all night in the bedroom.
Conversely, in the winter I keep the heat at 63 during the day (only when I'm in the house) and turn it off at night. Lowest it ever gets is about 53. I wear a t-shirt (sometimes two) and sweat pants day and night.
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76 Daytime (architecture and insulation of our home optimized for sub-tropical heat)
72 Nighttime
In FLA., AC plays an important role in keeping humidity levels below 56% to avoid mold issues.
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Don't have AC, but if I did I'd set it to 23. With proper management we stay below 25 anyway, so it's barely necessary.
Wow that's cold. I'd turn on the heat if I were you. Water freezes at 32.
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Are you joking, I hope? 25 c = 77 fcftp://
Don't have AC, but if I did I'd set it to 23. With proper management we stay below 25 anyway, so it's barely necessary.
Wow that's cold. I'd turn on the heat if I were you. Water freezes at 32.
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It's programmed at 78 when we're home, 82 when we're away, 74 right before bed, and 76 while we are/should be asleep. My husband will turn it down occasionally, but it's set to only hold changes for 2 hours before reverting back to the program.
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Goodbye $40 power bill. See you again in the late fall.
$40? That's a good deal. If I shut off my main breaker and use no electricity, I still pay about $50 for my electric bill just for having the service available. Averages closer to $120/mo, not much higher in the summer with AC. And that's just electricity - natural gas is a separate bill.
My municipal utility district charges a bit over $20/mo as the minimum fixed charge for my residential electrical service. My average bill over the last 24 months was $72/mo.
My gas company's minimum charge is about $3/month. Last 24 months average gas bill (space heating only) was $20/mo after credits.
For those running AC in humid conditions, someone in another thread recommended using the lowest fan speed on your AC to do a better job drying the air.
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Goodbye $40 power bill. See you again in the late fall.
$40? That's a good deal. If I shut off my main breaker and use no electricity, I still pay about $50 for my electric bill just for having the service available. Averages closer to $120/mo, not much higher in the summer with AC. And that's just electricity - natural gas is a separate bill.
My municipal utility district charges a bit over $20/mo as the minimum fixed charge for my residential electrical service. My average bill over the last 24 months was $72/mo.
My gas company's minimum charge is about $3/month. Last 24 months average gas bill (space heating only) was $20/mo after credits.
For those running AC in humid conditions, someone in another thread recommended using the lowest fan speed on your AC to do a better job drying the air.
Interesting, I've never heard that suggestion before. Unfortunately our fan only has one speed: helicopter
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Even 72 is hot for me when it comes to sleeping.
That said, we have a portable a/c in our bedroom that is set at 72 when we go to bed. I can't sleep without it. 72 is actually a push toward mild discomfort, but I can still get some sleep.
Wow so cool for summer. LOL. That's about where I keep mine in the winter and use blankets. About 78 to 80 for summer sleeping.
Even when we lived in Germany, the heat never went on in our bedroom. Like, in three years there, including nights in the teens (F), I don't think we ever turned on the radiator in the bedroom. I was perfectly happy tucked under the covers watching the cloud-puffs of my breath in the frigid bedroom air. 40* in the bedroom? No problem! Actually, even during the day it was often in the high 40s or low 50s in our house. Another sweater, a wool hat, and a hot water bottle if I wasn't active, and I could adapt to the point I wasn't uncomfortable.
It's only gotten worse with perimenopause and night time hot flashes, and night sweats.
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I think there is a bit of apples and oranges in this question.
It's not the heat it's the humidity!
Exactly. I live in Atlanta, and 78 is about as high as I can go and keep both myself and my dog comfortable. I also sleep better in cooler conditions, so I turn it down to 76 at night (and have a ceiling fan running wide open). I'm considering turning it down even lower at night because good sleep is pretty important to overall health. Probably more important than saving an extra $10-20 on my energy bill.
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I generally set my A/C on a shelf in the basement and leave it there.
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I have dialed this in exactly, and 77F is the maximum upper temp DW will tolerate before she starts to want me dead. Therefore, it is set to 77F.
That, Sir, is hilarious!!
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We have ours set at 78 during the day and 80 from 11pm-5am. We should all be asleep and not notice the slight change on those super hot evenings. We may have to adjust it a bit this year as we now have a dog that runs very hot. Even with a shaved coat, he pants heavily.
Honestly, if I sit for more than 20 minutes at 78, I am likely to be reaching for a blanket. I run cold and AC is super chilly to me.
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Out of DFW, TX here. We have a 3-tier system: 85 when we're not home, 78 when we are, and 76 to sleep. Closed the vents to the areas of the house we don't use as often, so it only cools the bedroom, kitchen, and living room. I'm typically the one turning it lower. And I turn it to 72 when we have guests (extra warm bodies make it impossible to cool).
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Tampa Bay man here... 80F during the day if someone home, otherwise 82F. 79F at night. We have low ceilings and tile/laminate in the house. And ceiling fans in every room. We sleep with light covers/sheets, none of that heavy blanket business until temps hit the 50s.
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80 during the day. The house is pretty shaded and I can keep the blinds down if it is super hot outside. I run a ceiling fan as needed. At night I get easly overheated (thanks to menopause) and turn it down to 70 or 68 from about 10pm to 5am. The house tends to hold that cooler temp pretty well - which is why I can set it at 80 during the day. I've tried setting it warmer at night but end up a sweaty sleepless homicidal mess.
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78F - at the peak of humidity I sometimes turn it down to 76 for a few hours.
80F when we are out.
Bedroom - we also use a ceiling fan mostly at night.
Living Room - ceiling fan as needed.
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We have window units, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Usually keep them at 78-80 unless the cats are visibly suffering from heat. We'd turn it down to 75-76 or so when we had our 19-year-old elderly lady because she would just flop around looking miserable and had a lot of health issues.
We got our current cats in late August last year and it wasn't that hot by then, so I don't know how these guys are going to deal with high summer. I guess we will find out!
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This may not be feasible in the US, but where I live (Denmark) the locals do you one better: they have absolutely no AC. The answer is, when it's hot (which isn't that often) just open up all the windows. It's actually pretty hot here today (about 77 F) which makes it about 82 indoors. Pretty warm but I've popped all the windows open plus opened the skylights, and with a slight breeze it's tolerable.
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This may not be feasible in the US, but where I live (Denmark) the locals do you one better: they have absolutely no AC. The answer is, when it's hot (which isn't that often) just open up all the windows. It's actually pretty hot here today (about 77 F) which makes it about 82 indoors. Pretty warm but I've popped all the windows open plus opened the skylights, and with a slight breeze it's tolerable.
Well I once lived in a house with no AC in the summer during college. It. Sucked. I remember laying awake at midnight with all windows open and fans blasting me, waiting for it to cool down below 85 inside. And this is in the northern US, I can only imagine further south...
Probably not feasible for the vast majority of the US. Maybe except some western coastal areas.
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77 During the day
79 if we aren't home during the day
74/75 at night
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Life is too short to be uncomfortable in your own home.
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This may not be feasible in the US, but where I live (Denmark) the locals do you one better: they have absolutely no AC. The answer is, when it's hot (which isn't that often) just open up all the windows. It's actually pretty hot here today (about 77 F) which makes it about 82 indoors. Pretty warm but I've popped all the windows open plus opened the skylights, and with a slight breeze it's tolerable.
I don't know how you're managing your house temperatures, but on days where it goes up to 32C outside, I am still below 25C inside. Precisely because I close all the windows during the day.
Having inside temperatures be higher than outdoors suggests a bad temperature management strategy.
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I currently have mine set to 75 in the summer, but most of the time it's cool enough here (and my house is designed/insulated well enough) that this results in no more than a few hours per week of actual usage.
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Set to 82 when we are away 80 when we are home and 78 when we sleep. Every once in a while if we are cooking or really active we might bump it down to 79 though. We also keep a couple of fans running to help circulation and we open up the house in the morning and the evening if it's cool and setup fans to make a cross breeze to exchange air. That seems to work well.
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Here in southern Arizona we keep our A/C at:
Normal: 80F
"Saving money setting": 82F
When cooking dinner (a noticeable increase in temp from gas burners/oven): 78F
Off when not home, off from around 8 pm to around lunchtime the next day. Also, during the hottest part of summer (July/August), we will keep it on at night at 82F if needed.
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76 during the day, 72 in the bedroom at night (we have zones). Even 76 gets uncomfortable for me sometimes and I'll drop to 75. I think it's because it gets to 77+ before the AC turns on and for that time period, it just feels too hot. This is one place where saving just isn't worth it to us.
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Didn’t have it most of my life and I am not sweating in my golden years. 70 degrees for us.
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This may not be feasible in the US, but where I live (Denmark) the locals do you one better: they have absolutely no AC. The answer is, when it's hot (which isn't that often) just open up all the windows. It's actually pretty hot here today (about 77 F) which makes it about 82 indoors. Pretty warm but I've popped all the windows open plus opened the skylights, and with a slight breeze it's tolerable.
Well I once lived in a house with no AC in the summer during college. It. Sucked. I remember laying awake at midnight with all windows open and fans blasting me, waiting for it to cool down below 85 inside. And this is in the northern US, I can only imagine further south...
Probably not feasible for the vast majority of the US. Maybe except some western coastal areas.
Plenty of people live without AC in the US. I grew up with no AC in Virginia. Not the hottest part of the country but humid and usually had a few days over 100F each year. Sleeping with the windows open was fine...most of the time anyway. Interestingly, I did notice that visiting someone with AC for even part of a day made it more difficult to be without. Amazing how our bodies acclimate.
Now I live in a small apartment under an attic with poor ventilation. We turn the AC off during the day while we're away and on the hottest days of the year the thermostat will read 95F when we get home. Actual temp may be higher but that's where the thermostat tops out. When SO is home we usually keep it in the 78-80 range, 76-77 for sleeping. If it's just me sometimes I'll turn it off and see how long I can stand it. I find that subjecting myself to extremes occasionally makes everything else seem comfortable.
I recognize that people are different and it might not work for everyone, but I think we should try to push our limits every once in a while. You might be surprised what your body can do.
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"According to the National Sleep Foundation, a general range for the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees."
https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-temperature-for-sleep-4428089
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The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
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The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
You must really be on FIRE!
Average body puts out the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb.
https://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae420.cfm
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/studentdownloads/DEA3500notes/Thermal/thcondnotes.html
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77 during the day when not at home and 72 when I get home. I like it cold when I sleep. One of the first things I do when I get out of bed is turn the thermostat to 77. It doesnt warm up in the 30min between getting ready for work and heading out.
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77 during the day when not at home and 72 when I get home. I like it cold when I sleep. One of the first things I do when I get out of bed is turn the thermostat to 77. It doesnt warm up in the 30min between getting ready for work and heading out.
Is there a reason you don't go higher than 77 while you're out of the house? How long does cooling from 77 to 72 take?
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A) 74
B) 76
Where I live we have hot, super-humid summers. As long as the humidity is kept relatively low I can deal with 76 in the house, but I like to keep it at 74.
Now here's where I am not Mustachian at all - at night we have it set to go down to 71(!). Fun fact: your body naturally heats up when you sleep and we've found that we sleep much better through the night when the house is below 73 degrees. It would be tough to justify the $10/mo savings vs. the decreased quality of sleep.
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77 during the day when not at home and 72 when I get home. I like it cold when I sleep. One of the first things I do when I get out of bed is turn the thermostat to 77. It doesnt warm up in the 30min between getting ready for work and heading out.
Is there a reason you don't go higher than 77 while you're out of the house? How long does cooling from 77 to 72 take?
A proper sized system struggles to rapidly cool a home. At least HVAC experts claim that a small system that has to run nearly nonstop to cool is more efficient than a larger one that frequently turns on and off.
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77 during the day when not at home and 72 when I get home. I like it cold when I sleep. One of the first things I do when I get out of bed is turn the thermostat to 77. It doesnt warm up in the 30min between getting ready for work and heading out.
Is there a reason you don't go higher than 77 while you're out of the house? How long does cooling from 77 to 72 take?
A proper sized system struggles to rapidly cool a home. At least HVAC experts claim that a small system that has to run nearly nonstop to cool is more efficient than a larger one that frequently turns on and off.
Plus the nearly non stop running helps keep the humidity lower.
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The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
You must really be on FIRE!
Average body puts out the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb.
https://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae420.cfm
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/studentdownloads/DEA3500notes/Thermal/thcondnotes.html
My BMR is ~4k calories a day (not TDEE, just the amount I burn if I didn't move all day). The trials and tribulations of being a competitive strongman.
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The idea that running your A/C constantly is more energy efficient than letting temperatures rise and fall with occupancy and need is a myth.
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/thermostats
DOE recommended 78 as your cooling temperature when you are home and higher when you are away. They recommend setbacks be at least 8 hours long to save energy though.
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The idea that running your A/C constantly is more energy efficient than letting temperatures rise and fall with occupancy and need is a myth.
What about the idea that a system that can quickly bring the house to the desired temperature is less efficient than a system that needs to run nearly constantly to maintain the temperature. Sure, it uses less energy to let the house float up to 85 when you're gone, but if it takes 2 hours to get it back to 78 when you return, it might not be acceptable.
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The idea that running your A/C constantly is more energy efficient than letting temperatures rise and fall with occupancy and need is a myth.
What about the idea that a system that can quickly bring the house to the desired temperature is less efficient than a system that needs to run nearly constantly to maintain the temperature. Sure, it uses less energy to let the house float up to 85 when you're gone, but if it takes 2 hours to get it back to 78 when you return, it might not be acceptable.
This is what I was getting at with my question to Enigma. If the extended cooling down period is why someone doesn't go higher during the day, I get it. But if you're AC can cool the house down quickly then why not go a little higher? In fact, if you have an oversized unit that brings the temperature down quickly, it's even more of a problem to set at a temperature low enough to cause it to cut on and off all day. This uses more energy and decreases the life of the unit.
Of course the best solution would be to have the right sized unit but some people might have a unit too large that wouldn't make sense to replace or they rent and don't have the option.
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The idea that running your A/C constantly is more energy efficient than letting temperatures rise and fall with occupancy and need is a myth.
What about the idea that a system that can quickly bring the house to the desired temperature is less efficient than a system that needs to run nearly constantly to maintain the temperature. Sure, it uses less energy to let the house float up to 85 when you're gone, but if it takes 2 hours to get it back to 78 when you return, it might not be acceptable.
I have no idea. A modern smart thermostat can take care of that question for you though. You say "be 78 by 5 p.m." and it learns what time to turn the A/C back on to make that happen.
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A:73
B:74?
I keep mentioning we might need to move further north, but I don't think the wife is on board. Plus it would have to be Alaska, or become Canadian.
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The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
You must really be on FIRE!
Average body puts out the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb.
https://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae420.cfm
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/studentdownloads/DEA3500notes/Thermal/thcondnotes.html
My BMR is ~4k calories a day (not TDEE, just the amount I burn if I didn't move all day). The trials and tribulations of being a competitive strongman.
So maybe, maybe you are a 200 watt light bulb but that would only be when you are exerting yourself.
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20190605/researchers-identify-maximum-human-exertion
"humans can only burn calories at 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate."
Ok, it's been interesting. I learned a few things.
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So maybe, maybe you are a 200 watt light bulb but that would only be when you are exerting yourself.
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20190605/researchers-identify-maximum-human-exertion
"humans can only burn calories at 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate."
Ok, it's been interesting. I learned a few things.
No, he's a 200 W radiator sitting at rest (perhaps as low as 160 W when laying down) - the 100 W average was based on an average 2000 calorie daily burn. According to your links he can sustain 500 W and might peak at 600 W for brief periods. At rest Brute is burning as many calories as many people do when working out.
The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-does-it-take-to-raise-the-temperature-of-an-average-room-by-10-degrees (https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-does-it-take-to-raise-the-temperature-of-an-average-room-by-10-degrees)
The math works out. Put brute in a 6400 cu. ft. room (800 sq. ft. x 8 ft.) that is perfectly insulated and at 200 W he can raise the temperature by 9°F (5°C) in about 97 minutes (2 hours at 160 W).
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So maybe, maybe you are a 200 watt light bulb but that would only be when you are exerting yourself.
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20190605/researchers-identify-maximum-human-exertion
"humans can only burn calories at 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate."
Ok, it's been interesting. I learned a few things.
No, he's a 200 W radiator sitting at rest (perhaps as low as 160 W when laying down) - the 100 W average was based on an average 2000 calorie daily burn. According to your links he can sustain 500 W and might peak at 600 W for brief periods. At rest Brute is burning as many calories as many people do when working out.
As I understood it the 100 watts included exertion time not just resting metabolic rate.
We have no idea what his resting metabolic rate is, I doubt it's twice the average, but admit it's increased over the 100 watt number.
The most fun thing about trying to control the temp in the bedroom is if you put me in a room of less than 800 sq ft, just by existing I will raise the temperature in that room by 8-9°F within 2 hours. Maybe I should just put a window unit in the bedroom.
https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-does-it-take-to-raise-the-temperature-of-an-average-room-by-10-degrees (https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-does-it-take-to-raise-the-temperature-of-an-average-room-by-10-degrees)
The math works out. Put brute in a 6400 cu. ft. room (800 sq. ft. x 8 ft.) that is perfectly insulated and at 200 W he can raise the temperature by 9°F (5°C) in about 97 minutes (2 hours at 160 W).
It is much closer than I expected, even though I believe his resting metabolic rate is less then 200 watts and no room is perfectly insulated plus any drafts, so maybe we I can call his statement puffery and not an exaggeration. :-)
PS, I'm sure I have and will use exaggeration, to make a point, so no harm.
I learned even more, didn't think one human would have that much effect on temperature.
Now how about winter time use of incandescent bulbs vs LEDs, I suspect the increased furnace use
was never considered when saying LEDs will cut electric use by X%. :-)
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Minnesota resident here. I have not used my central ac for 3 years now. I don't like blowing air through the house after running the furnace all winter. House may 85 for some days during the summer. While that is warm I really enjoy not running the equipment.
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Seriously guys. Sometimes I think no one here has actually read the blog.
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/
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Seriously guys. Sometimes I think no one here has actually read the blog.
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/
I get where he's coming from, but I'm not sure that it works for everyone. I live in a humid hot part of the US and I'm outside for more than an hour every day walking, doing chores, etc. I imagine it's hard to properly acclimate to seasonal temps when most of my day is in an office that I can't control the temp for. I tried living without A/C for a while and I ended up cranky and sleepless after a couple weeks. I caved and bought window A/C units pretty quickly. I don't know what temp it gets down to, but we only run the A/C when we're in that room if it's hot.
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Seriously guys. Sometimes I think no one here has actually read the blog.
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/
He also lives in the dry Colorado air. I think the only states with a lower average humidity are Arizona, New Mexico, & Nevada.
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Also, in Colorado it cools off a lot at night. A LOT. So you really just need a system that blows the cool night air in during the night.
This does not work so well where overnight temperatures stay in the 80s.
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I’m acclimated to the heat (I work a physically demanding job outside, in long sleeves and pants, 5 days a week) but I live in a ridiculously humid part of the US and I’m not risking my home to save a few bucks ever again.
We actually moved from our last place due to mold. Everything was damp all the time. I became a crazy mold inspector -literally sniffing out random locations throughout the house on a daily basis. Bleach everything! More vinegar! Little pots of salt in every corner. What a nightmare.
I’m pretty sure there were some leaks in that house, it was also old and not insulated. My preferred temperature is around 75 degrees but I could never get the humidity below 70% and we had a dehumidifier running nonstop. The a/c unit would cycle very fast and never quite dehumidify the air. We had it checked multiple times but the guys would just throw their hands up and say, “looks like it’s working fine! I dunno what to tell ya!” Sigh. Something (probably multiple things!) were not right in that house. We ended up losing 99% of our possessions, it’s a good thing I tend toward minimalism.
In our new space I won’t go above 72, any higher and I swear I can feel the damp creeping in and I’m just not willing to fight that battle anymore. I vastly prefer dry clothing and bedsheets.
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I haven't run air conditioning in decades. I would say that it gets up to 80 and sometimes a little further in my house during the hottest spells, but largely it stays in the 70s through most of the summer.
That said, I can definitely see how I might run it one day when I'm much older. Right now the heat is not at all uncomfortable, but it does seem like older people are often more sensitive to the higher temperatures.
One of the things I really like during the summer is going from different temperatures throughout the day. Either by walking from the full sun to the shade or to walking into an air conditioned grocery or better yet a walk-in beer cooler. I think I would miss that if I were in air conditioning all day and night.
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In our new space I won’t go above 72, any higher and I swear I can feel the damp creeping in and I’m just not willing to fight that battle anymore. I vastly prefer dry clothing and bedsheets.
Truth. It's just not worth it. When we travel to other houses, I bring a cooler full of ice packs and keep one on my back and one of my chest, switching them every couple hours.
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Seriously guys. Sometimes I think no one here has actually read the blog.
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/
I dare Mr MM to survive a Tampa Bay summer without AC; summer lasts late April to late Oct.
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I’m acclimated to the heat (I work a physically demanding job outside, in long sleeves and pants, 5 days a week) but I live in a ridiculously humid part of the US and I’m not risking my home to save a few bucks ever again.
We actually moved from our last place due to mold. Everything was damp all the time. I became a crazy mold inspector -literally sniffing out random locations throughout the house on a daily basis. Bleach everything! More vinegar! Little pots of salt in every corner. What a nightmare.
I’m pretty sure there were some leaks in that house, it was also old and not insulated. My preferred temperature is around 75 degrees but I could never get the humidity below 70% and we had a dehumidifier running nonstop. The a/c unit would cycle very fast and never quite dehumidify the air. We had it checked multiple times but the guys would just throw their hands up and say, “looks like it’s working fine! I dunno what to tell ya!” Sigh. Something (probably multiple things!) were not right in that house. We ended up losing 99% of our possessions, it’s a good thing I tend toward minimalism.
In our new space I won’t go above 72, any higher and I swear I can feel the damp creeping in and I’m just not willing to fight that battle anymore. I vastly prefer dry clothing and bedsheets.
You actually create a higher relative humidity and mold problems by having a cooler temperature.
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Modern AC units regulate humidity. AC units have evaporator coils that condense water vapor from the air which is sent to a drain and outside the home. Thus, an AC unit both cools the air and reduces humidity. The more you cool the home the lower the humidity goes. This process is largely responsible for Florida growing from a small Southern state before WWII to the third most populous state in the Union.
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I live in the deep south.
Two AC units (one for up, one for down). When we bought the house they were both 10 seer units from 1998. At the beginning of the second summer the upstairs AC went while still in the home warranty that came with the house. After some fighting I got the condensor and evaporator coil (so entire AC system) replaced with a single stage 14 seer unit for $700 out of pocket.
This spring I paid to replace the downstairs unit with an 18 seer two stage dual fuel heat pump (variable speed natural gas furnace as aux), and I was able to downsize a full ton.
When I had the 10 seer units I kept the temp at 78 when home to keep the bill down.
Now that I have the 18 and 14 seer units, and have done air sealing and cellulose insulation, I keep them at 74 when home and spend less money than when the 10 seers were at 78. I have both on ecobees so they figure out when we aren't home, schedule is erratic. Highest I would put it now is 76.
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We live in low humidity so not everyone has a/c. Luckily swamp coolers work well in this climate and are cheaper. It cools down at night. I have lived in places where that’s not the case and it’s miserable. I have noticed that I get overheated easily since I have gotten older. That never used to happen.
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During the day (I work from home): 80
While we sleep (turned down at 7:30 right before the kiddos bedtime): 76
B. I'd probably bump it up 2 during the day, but much above 76 at night and I am sweating, which makes for uncomfortable sleep
Yep, 80 is fine for me during the day, but sleeping 75 with ceiling fan on is as high as I'll let it go
This is what we do to keep our marriage happy.