Author Topic: Show me your A/C settings (Read 18173 times)

Will · « **on:** June 30, 2013, 12:40:34 PM »

Now that Summer is here and the heat waves are beginning, I was wondering:

1) What do you set your air conditioning temp to for when you are home and awake?
2) Home and asleep?
3) Away?

RobinAZ · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2013, 12:47:14 PM »

I am in Phoenix, it was 119 yesterday :-) We keep the AC at 78 when we sleep, 79 the rest of the day.

Russ · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2013, 02:13:28 PM »

We haven't turned ours on yet, although I don't think the house has gotten any hotter than 80 yet (except maybe my room on the 3rd floor, which is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house). There has been talk of turning it on at 85, but we'll see about that when we get there. I don't think it will be that bad.

Sunflower · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2013, 02:49:53 PM »

Just checked the weather and it says 95 outside currently. I've been giving up and setting the a/c between 80-85 depending on whether my roommates are home and complaining or not. :-P

The heat wave is supposed to peak today so hopefully next week if I turn off the thermostat again, no one will notice. (....counting down the 30 days until I don't have roommates anymore....)

enginr77 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2013, 03:25:36 PM »

78 when home, awake or asleep
82 when away

frpeebles · « **Reply #5 on:** June 30, 2013, 03:27:30 PM »

I turn it on when it hits 95. 90 is as high as it goes.

Jamesqf · « **Reply #6 on:** June 30, 2013, 03:30:10 PM »

A/C? We don't need no stinking A/C :-) I've got good insulation and shade trees. With temperatures outside nearing 100, it got up to 78 inside. Of course outside temperatures cool down to the low 60s at night, even in this heat, so as soon as outside is less than inside, all the windows get opened, then closed again in the morning.

On top of that, in the evenings I'll usually go to the lake, or go hiking at ~9000 ft.

frpeebles · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2013, 03:43:15 PM »

I wish that was the case here. My house is 150 tons of brick and concrete completely exposed to the Arizona sun with no insulation. $227 electric bill last month running like this :(

Ah well.. it's only temporary..

Spork · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:09:09 PM »

it depends on who walked by it last.

Me: 78
wife: 75

upstairs: about 82-85. It's not built out yet, but it is inside the insulation envelope, so I don't want to turn it off entirely. Sometimes when I work up there, I turn it down to 78 or so.

Emerald · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:21:37 PM »

78 when I'm home.

prodarwin · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:28:52 PM »

Damn you guys are hardcore. 74 when I'm home, 72 when I'm sleeping. I can't sleep in a pool of my own sweat. It was 84 and 87% humidity most of today. I managed to keep the A/C off during the day while I was just lounging around doing some work on my laptop... but now I'm sweaty and disgusting.

I have a smart thermostat sitting here I'm going to install soon. Will probably just set to 85 when I'm away.

RobinAZ · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:32:29 PM »

Quote from: frpeebles on June 30, 2013, 03:43:15 PM

I wish that was the case here. My house is 150 tons of brick and concrete completely exposed to the Arizona sun with no insulation. $227 electric bill last month running like this :(

Ah well.. it's only temporary..

Ours was $177 last month, with the swamp cooler. Will be close to $300 next month with the AC. Ugh.

mpbaker22 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:33:30 PM »

It was 90 inside last weekend and my roommate and I were hosting a brunch, so we turned i on. Went a couple days before turning it off.
Generally, it's completely fine if the temperature inside is below 85. 85 to 90 starts to get pretty uncomfortable, and lots of sweat, but still bearable. Anything over 90 and we consider it worth paying for the A/C, and we A/C down to 80 or so air flow isn't as refreshing. Highest electric has been ~$80 for an apartment roughly 1000 square feet(just a guess).

Quote from: prodarwin on June 30, 2013, 05:28:52 PM

Damn you guys are hardcore. 74 when I'm home, 72 when I'm sleeping. I can't sleep in a pool of my own sweat. It was 84 and 87% humidity most of today. I managed to keep the A/C off during the day while I was just lounging around doing some work on my laptop... but now I'm sweaty and disgusting.

I have a smart thermostat sitting here I'm going to install soon. Will probably just set to 85 when I'm away.

What is causing you to sweat so much when it's 75 at night?

Spork · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:36:22 PM »

Quote from: mpbaker22 on June 30, 2013, 05:33:30 PM

It was 90 inside last weekend and my roommate and I were hosting a brunch, so we turned i on. Went a couple days before turning it off.
Generally, it's completely fine if the temperature inside is below 85. 85 to 90 starts to get pretty uncomfortable, and lots of sweat, but still bearable. Anything over 90 and we consider it worth paying for the A/C, and we A/C down to 80 or so air flow isn't as refreshing. Highest electric has been ~$80 for an apartment roughly 1000 square feet(just a guess).

Quote from: prodarwin on June 30, 2013, 05:28:52 PM
Damn you guys are hardcore. 74 when I'm home, 72 when I'm sleeping. I can't sleep in a pool of my own sweat. It was 84 and 87% humidity most of today. I managed to keep the A/C off during the day while I was just lounging around doing some work on my laptop... but now I'm sweaty and disgusting.

I have a smart thermostat sitting here I'm going to install soon. Will probably just set to 85 when I'm away.
What is causing you to sweat so much when it's 75 at night?

I think it's what I colored in red above -- but I'm speaking for someone else. ;)

kirsten · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:45:38 PM »

74 during the day
72 at night

mpbaker22 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:54:41 PM »

Quote from: Spork on June 30, 2013, 05:36:22 PM

Quote from: mpbaker22 on June 30, 2013, 05:33:30 PM
It was 90 inside last weekend and my roommate and I were hosting a brunch, so we turned i on. Went a couple days before turning it off.
Generally, it's completely fine if the temperature inside is below 85. 85 to 90 starts to get pretty uncomfortable, and lots of sweat, but still bearable. Anything over 90 and we consider it worth paying for the A/C, and we A/C down to 80 or so air flow isn't as refreshing. Highest electric has been ~$80 for an apartment roughly 1000 square feet(just a guess).

Quote from: prodarwin on June 30, 2013, 05:28:52 PM
Damn you guys are hardcore. 74 when I'm home, 72 when I'm sleeping. I can't sleep in a pool of my own sweat. It was 84 and 87% humidity most of today. I managed to keep the A/C off during the day while I was just lounging around doing some work on my laptop... but now I'm sweaty and disgusting.

I have a smart thermostat sitting here I'm going to install soon. Will probably just set to 85 when I'm away.
What is causing you to sweat so much when it's 75 at night?

I think it's what I colored in red above -- but I'm speaking for someone else. ;)

I guess I'm asking two questions. He said 84 degrees and 87% humidity most of the day, but what is it at night? I live in an area with high humidity, and I don't really sweat if it's less than 85 degrees. I'm also wondering if he's ever tried to not use A/C until the high 80s. I know last year I used to sweat anytime it was 80 degrees and I was outside, but this year I don't sweat until 85+.
Sure, everyone is different, but I experienced a shift in views from last year to this year, and I actually sweat less, despite spending more time in higher heat.

Spork · « **Reply #16 on:** June 30, 2013, 05:58:45 PM »

Quote from: mpbaker22 on June 30, 2013, 05:54:41 PM

Quote from: Spork on June 30, 2013, 05:36:22 PM
Quote from: mpbaker22 on June 30, 2013, 05:33:30 PM
It was 90 inside last weekend and my roommate and I were hosting a brunch, so we turned i on. Went a couple days before turning it off.
Generally, it's completely fine if the temperature inside is below 85. 85 to 90 starts to get pretty uncomfortable, and lots of sweat, but still bearable. Anything over 90 and we consider it worth paying for the A/C, and we A/C down to 80 or so air flow isn't as refreshing. Highest electric has been ~$80 for an apartment roughly 1000 square feet(just a guess).

Quote from: prodarwin on June 30, 2013, 05:28:52 PM
Damn you guys are hardcore. 74 when I'm home, 72 when I'm sleeping. I can't sleep in a pool of my own sweat. It was 84 and 87% humidity most of today. I managed to keep the A/C off during the day while I was just lounging around doing some work on my laptop... but now I'm sweaty and disgusting.

I have a smart thermostat sitting here I'm going to install soon. Will probably just set to 85 when I'm away.
What is causing you to sweat so much when it's 75 at night?

I think it's what I colored in red above -- but I'm speaking for someone else. ;)

I guess I'm asking two questions. He said 84 degrees and 87% humidity most of the day, but what is it at night? I live in an area with high humidity, and I don't really sweat if it's less than 85 degrees. I'm also wondering if he's ever tried to not use A/C until the high 80s. I know last year I used to sweat anytime it was 80 degrees and I was outside, but this year I don't sweat until 85+.
Sure, everyone is different, but I experienced a shift in views from last year to this year, and I actually sweat less, despite spending more time in higher heat.

One of the functions of (most) AC units is to dehumidify. If you leave the AC off entirely, the humidity inside builds. This is also not great for your house. Wood expands. Drywall gets softer. Wallpaper/paint can be damaged. Insects love it.... etc.

It's probably better to run it all the time, but at a higher temp than to just turn it off entirely. And at some point, you probably have to turn it down -- even if you're badass enough to take it at a higher temp -- to keep the house dehumidified.

renbutler · « **Reply #17 on:** June 30, 2013, 06:04:14 PM »

My wife is at home with the kids during the day, so we don't really have a "during the day" setting.

Usually we'll turn it on only when we start to feel like we're getting cranky, typically when it gets around 80 degrees inside on a humid day.

We'll set it to 78 or so, adjusting up or down a degree based on how it's affecting the little ones. Ideally, we'll open the windows after the sun goes down, provided that it's not still really muggy or raining heavily.

N · « **Reply #18 on:** June 30, 2013, 06:05:25 PM »

I try to leave ours off as much as possible.
Last week was the first we turned it on, we had 4 extra people in my 2 br condo and it was over 90 and super humid.

We have a thru the wall unit in the main room. It doesnt work very well, very old and inefficient. It gets turned on as a last resort, like if I might seriously scream if it doesnt feel cooler. I turn it off before we go to bed. It tends to get super hot later in the afternoon/evening, so if its on, its usually only on for 4-5 hrs.

One bedroom has a window unit, and it works pretty well, and is turned on only at night if necessary for kid to sleep comfortably.

My bedroom has a portable a/c dehumidifier that my husband sets at 17c. I just checked and that means 62f which is absurd, imho. I try to move it up to 20c (I guess I havent figured out how to switch the display to f) and sometimes husband doesnt notice, but that is still 68 which is still ridiculous. He likes it on most of the time, although, if it is not too bad out, he leaves it off. we do have fans/air circulators.

Im waiting to see how much effect one week of a/c usage affected our electric bill.

prodarwin · « **Reply #19 on:** June 30, 2013, 06:08:22 PM »

I live in NC. The low last night here was 70 and 93% humidity. Its tolerable, but it feels like a fucking swamp inside without the A/C.

Nope, never tried to wait until the high 80s. I dunno why I sweat in those temperatures. I have low body fat and high muscle mass, so my metabolism is pretty high as a result so that may be one factor. I'm certainly not the only one incapable of dealing with 80+ degree heat w/o perspiring though. Maybe if I sat still, naked, in front of a 24" box fan while drinking icewater, I could deal with 80+ for a short period of time without sweating.

Here in the SE A/C is one of those things I'll be happy to pay for. This house isn't large and has good insulation. Utility bills should be tolerable, and lower with the smart thermostat.

Maybe one day I'll move to Co, where mid-upper 70s is totally comfortable.

Luigi · « **Reply #20 on:** June 30, 2013, 06:16:00 PM »

I usually do 78+ during the day, until it gets too much for me, and set it down to 75 or so at night. But I also use a swamp cooler, because a/c is too expensive.

BC_Goldman · « **Reply #21 on:** June 30, 2013, 08:53:19 PM »

Currently switched off and have avoided using it so far this year. Temp is set at 80 then it's on although I would notch it down a couple of degrees sometimes.

So far this year has been pretty tolerable. Hottest I've seen it get inside was 83 and that was when it was in the mid 90s and I hadn't gotten a handle on pulling cool air in at night with a window fan. Seems to generally max out in the upper 70s now and I've had it down to 65 at one point thanks to a night in the 50s a couple weeks ago. The last few days have been more challenging with lows in the 70s and 90+% humidity.

Nudelkopf · « **Reply #22 on:** June 30, 2013, 09:21:33 PM »

In northern Australia, during summer when we get home from work (~4pm?) I set my room at 25C (77F). At night, I tend to turn it down to 23C (75.5F).

It feels a bit wasteful sometimes, but then I've never used a heater in my whole life :)

Theadyn · « **Reply #23 on:** June 30, 2013, 09:27:35 PM »

Last week temps were over 100 degrees, kept the AC set to 80. I did try to turn it lower one day when it was 106 and had just got in from work, but it didn't do very well getting it cooler than 80, so it's just as well. Old unit, don't want to replace it any time soon, so will limp it along at 80 for a while. One big ceiling fan in the living area does a great job during the day if I'm home, and smaller ceiling fan and little fan on me (mostly for noise) at night keeps me plenty cool.

Dibbels81 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 30, 2013, 11:34:10 PM »

Las Vegas---82 during the day, 79 at 10 PM till the morning. My roommate doesn't quite appreciate it, but he votes democrat so I get to play the "destroying the environment" card any time he complains.

jrhampt · « **Reply #25 on:** July 01, 2013, 06:35:51 AM »

I've had it on for 3 days so far this year when we had a combination of 90s temps and high humidity. Otherwise we just use fans at night.

Khan · « **Reply #26 on:** July 01, 2013, 06:39:15 AM »

Phoenix(Chandler) here.
Setting while home: fluctuates between 78-82. Manually controlled apartment thermostat. 78 for sleeping
When away: 84

ace1224 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 01, 2013, 07:38:50 AM »

southeastern nc.....78 all the time

oldtoyota · « **Reply #28 on:** July 01, 2013, 07:43:10 AM »

I have not turned it on--except briefly on June 4--since last year, so I would not know. ;-)

I'm in the humid DC area, and we've had two heat waves. We drink a lot of water and use fans in strategic ways.

When it got to 92 outside, we went to the pool.

The downside to this is that my clothes won't dry on the line, so I'm using the dryer a bit more than usual.

StaceStache · « **Reply #29 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:41:59 AM »

Stays on 78 most of the time. I turn it up to 80 if no one is going to be home for a few hours. Sometimes we turn it down to 76.

lisahi · « **Reply #30 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:47:36 AM »

It's been over 100 degrees since March here, and 110+ degrees lately, even into the night time. I had it at 78, but decided to push it up to 82 degrees inside to see if I could take it. Not gonna lie, I'm still sweating most of the time in my house, even with overhead fans. The A/C still kicks on when it's set to 82 degrees--probably about 7 minutes on / 15 minutes off through the day. I leave it at 82 when I'm gone because I have dogs at home, one of which doesn't do well in high heat for long periods of time. Even though my house is fairly new and well-insulated, it can get to around 90 or so if I left the A/C off. It's a new neighborhood with very little tree shade. I won't turn the air off completely, even when on vacation. It's too humid here and leaving it off in the extreme heat and humidity of the summer would be bad for the house itself--it could eventually cause structural issues.

I might give in and set it to 78 at night again. I haven't been sleeping well because of the heat.

TLV · « **Reply #31 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:54:14 AM »

We don't have an air conditioner at home - very few people do in these parts.

Then again, we're currently in the middle of an "excessive heat warning" because it *might* get up to 90ºF today.

Numbers Man · « **Reply #32 on:** July 01, 2013, 04:54:59 PM »

I'm in a desert so it was somewhere between 115-119 degrees this weekend. I keep it at 77 degrees upstairs and sometime put the lower floor at 75 degrees since the piano doesn't function too well at higher temps. My electric bill was $391 on a 3,600 sq ft house.

SMMcP · « **Reply #33 on:** July 01, 2013, 06:46:14 PM »

Live in Albuquerque - 74 degrees when home, day or night and 80 degrees when I leave the house. My house is very well insulated so electricity bill was $60 last month, expecting it to be $80-$85 this month.

BuildingFrugalHabits · « **Reply #34 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:17:06 PM »

Quote from: RobinAZ on June 30, 2013, 05:32:29 PM

Ours was $177 last month, with the swamp cooler. Will be close to $300 next month with the AC. Ugh.

You have both? Does the swamp cooler not cut it when it's really hot? I've always thought about ditching my central air for a swamp cooler in Colorado (or making the addition and primarily running the swamp). I'm having trouble justifying the expense though because we run the a/c only sporadically (thermostat set at 78 when we are home) and our PV system completely covers the electric usage. My other thought is to get a whole house fan or maybe a swamp cooler that can function is a whole house fan at night.

Sunflower · « **Reply #35 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:20:16 PM »

A swamp cooler is great for dry heat but only up to a certain point.

I grew up in the desert with only a swamp cooler in the house and it would reliably cool the room about 10 degrees.....so when it's 110 outside that's still pretty uncomfortable! My parents added an actual a/c to one room in the house so when it's really hot they can just hang out there without running up a huge bill.

jrhampt · « **Reply #36 on:** July 02, 2013, 10:16:26 AM »

What exactly is this "swamp cooler"? A whole-house fan?

Winter's Tale · « **Reply #37 on:** July 02, 2013, 10:33:12 AM »

We live the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region and I'm proud to say we have not turned on the AC once! Hottest temperature inside the house has been 85 so far. We typically only use AC when the heat becomes unbearable. So far it's been hot, but not unbearable.

Spork · « **Reply #38 on:** July 02, 2013, 10:35:10 AM »

Quote from: jrhampt on July 02, 2013, 10:16:26 AM

What exactly is this "swamp cooler"? A whole-house fan?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler

Zoe · « **Reply #39 on:** July 02, 2013, 10:35:31 AM »

I try to keep our downstairs around 75 when I'm home. I bump it up to 77 (randomly picked number) when I go to bed or leave. We don't use the upstairs unit, only 2 window units. 1 for each bedroom.

Iron Mike Sharpe · « **Reply #40 on:** July 02, 2013, 11:12:39 AM »

80 when I'm not home. 74 or 75 when I am home. Luckily I haven't needed the AC the last four days. Stupid STL humidity. With average relative humidity over 70, you just sweat if you don't have the AC on.

ruthiegirl · « **Reply #41 on:** July 02, 2013, 12:44:54 PM »

No a/c here, but we recently moved to the cool PNW. A/C isn't necessary even with this week's 'heat wave'.

When we lived in the Mid-Atlantic, our temperature was set to 74. Any warmer and the kids would break out in heat rash, scratch in their sleep, and wake up with sores and sometimes infection. To offset the costs, we all slept in one bedroom with a window unit.

My hats off to those living in hot climates. I know some folks like it hot, but I was never one of them.

maryofdoom · « **Reply #42 on:** July 02, 2013, 12:54:14 PM »

We have a window unit for the bedroom that gets set on 72, but the rest of the house is without AC. We use ceiling fans that stay on pretty much from June to September. Strangely enough, the electric bill is lower during the summer.

hybrid · « **Reply #43 on:** July 02, 2013, 02:27:27 PM »

77 degrees in Richmond VA. It's not the heat here, it's the humidity. But my cooling costs are significantly lower than my heating costs (I have a heat pump and a wife that has trouble staying warm with her - no lie - heart rate that is often in the 40s). Our rancher is shaded so the AC doesn't work as hard as for some folks. And our attic fan was a great investment, it really helps keep the brutally hot air out of the attic, which acts like a blanket on the rest of the house.

But I still have quite a ways to go on the total electricity bill to read some of these other threads.

kkbmustang · « **Reply #44 on:** July 02, 2013, 03:06:07 PM »

This week temps are 20 degrees below our usual 105+, so no AC for us while the weather is still awesome. When it starts creeping back up, daytime temps are 75 or 76 - with me and the kids home. At night it goes down to 73 or 74.

ender · « **Reply #45 on:** July 02, 2013, 08:41:58 PM »

Ours is set at 71, from about 530pm until 7am.

Then it's off from 7am to 530pm.

Electricy costs in Iowa are fairly cheap, which makes this not really a big deal financially.

Mr. Minsc · « **Reply #46 on:** July 03, 2013, 06:37:55 AM »

Quote from: Will on June 30, 2013, 12:40:34 PM

Now that Summer is here and the heat waves are beginning, I was wondering:

1) What do you set your air conditioning temp to for when you are home and awake?
2) Home and asleep?
3) Away?

N/A
N/A
N/A

Fortunately here in PEI (Canada) we can get away with out using an air conditioner. A fan usually suffices. This year when the humid weather hits I may move the computer out of my office, which is on the sun side of the house in the afternoon. The less time I spend in the hottest rooms of the house the less I'l need the fan. In fact changing my hobbies away from those which use the computer would have many other great benefits. ;)

Eleden · « **Reply #47 on:** July 03, 2013, 10:25:32 AM »

78 during the day
76 at night

We only run the AC when it's over 80 in the house or really humid outside. Have only turned it on once so far this summer.

Our household is being much more mustacian when it comes to AC this year. We used to run it 75/73 all day/night during the summer and rarely opened our windows. Now our windows are constantly open and we've installed ceiling fans in all the bedrooms. A little bit of air circulation makes a world of difference :)

RobinAZ · « **Reply #48 on:** July 04, 2013, 05:38:41 PM »

Quote from: dave1 on July 01, 2013, 09:17:06 PM

Quote from: RobinAZ on June 30, 2013, 05:32:29 PM

Ours was $177 last month, with the swamp cooler. Will be close to $300 next month with the AC. Ugh.

You have both? Does the swamp cooler not cut it when it's really hot? I've always thought about ditching my central air for a swamp cooler in Colorado (or making the addition and primarily running the swamp). I'm having trouble justifying the expense though because we run the a/c only sporadically (thermostat set at 78 when we are home) and our PV system completely covers the electric usage. My other thought is to get a whole house fan or maybe a swamp cooler that can function is a whole house fan at night.

We have both, when it gets above 110, and any humidity, the swamp cooler doesn't work well.

NumberCruncher · « **Reply #49 on:** July 05, 2013, 08:54:10 AM »

Quote from: maryofdoom on July 02, 2013, 12:54:14 PM

We have a window unit for the bedroom that gets set on 72, but the rest of the house is without AC. We use ceiling fans that stay on pretty much from June to September. Strangely enough, the electric bill is lower during the summer.

This is close to us - just got the A/C for the bedroom in our new apartment! Been toying with the temperature from 72-78. Last night it was set at 75 and worked out alright. Haven't received an electric bill yet, but hopefully we'll see the same results!

News:

Author Topic: Show me your A/C settings (Read 18173 times)

kirsten

Numbers Man