Where Do You Set Your Thermostat?

Discussion in Heating started by Penny • Jul 7, 2015.

  1. Penny

    PennyActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2015
    Threads:
    18
    Messages:
    131
    Likes Received:
    27
    Obviously the easiest way to save money on heating/AC is to not go crazy with the temperature you keep your house at. But I can;t help it, I like a cool house in Summer and currently have it at 72 degrees.

    Do you think I should bump it up a few degrees? What temps do you set?
     
  2. SarahWorksAtHome

    SarahWorksAtHomeActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2015
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    134
    Likes Received:
    41
    If you have a well insulated house and it's not a huge house you may be fine. Try to pay attention to how much it's having to run to stay at that temperature.
    Personally, I don't have central heating and air conditioning at the moment. We have window units in the living room, bedrooms and kitchen. Our bedroom doesn't run continuously, it has a thermostat and I keep it on 64 at night (lol, yeah, I gotta be cold to sleep!) and 72 during the day. It doesn't run too much at all during the day. The living room one doesn't have a thermostat just high cool or low cool and we just turn it on when we need to cool it off in here. The kid's bedroom runs at 74 with a thermostat 24/7 and doesn't run much either. They are cold natured and will turn it off without telling me sometimes LOL. The kitchen one runs wide open all of the time.
    Our power bill is AWFUL.
     
  3. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Threads:
    262
    Messages:
    1,983
    Likes Received:
    725
    I get cold a lot, so I keep it at 77, yes here in Texas, in the Summer, my thermostat is at 77. I used to keep it around 73, but that's too cold for me these days. In the Winter, I keep it around 72 or 73, although I've been known to put on an extra layer and turn it down a bit, or notch it up when I'm not feeling well.
     
  4. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2015
    Threads:
    148
    Messages:
    1,892
    Likes Received:
    460
    I keep my temperature at 73 in the summer time. This seems to be cool enough for me. I enjoy the AC but I can not afford to pay an expensive AC bill of setting it any lower. It is just one of the things that I need to keep track of. I turn the AC off most of the time if it is below 70 at night and just use the ceiling fan.
     
  5. purplepen88

    purplepen88Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2015
    Threads:
    16
    Messages:
    765
    Likes Received:
    199
    In the summer time I set my thermostat to 72F. The AC can run all day when it's hot out. We've recently renovated our home and replaced the 1975 AC that came with our house with a brand new high efficiency one so I will be interested to see the savings with the new AC. In the winter our house is set for 70F in the day and 67F at night. We added a new furnace as well so I'll be interested to see the natural gas savings with the new furnace and insulation.
     
  6. remnant

    remnantActive Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Threads:
    237
    Messages:
    929
    Likes Received:
    208
    You don't require to rev up your thermostat settings since the human body has a way of adjusting to the ambient environmental temperature through the process of thermoregulation. I am currently living in a very cold area and have already adjusted to the temperatures without active intervention through heating. Saving on heating costs starts with what you are wearing, thick fur padded clothing are the best to conserve heat and then you can turn the thermostat to minimum settings.
     
  7. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Threads:
    262
    Messages:
    1,983
    Likes Received:
    725
    Sheesh, I'm finding myself cold even at 77 a lot of the time, and I'm alternating mine between 77 and 78 nowadays. I've lived with people who insisted in keeping the thermostat at 60, which is ridiculous to me, because the house is freezing cold and uncomfortable, as well as being a waste of money.

    If I had my druthers, I'd live in a much more energy efficient home with double pane windows and good seals around the windows and doors. I think it's a great idea to upgrade the AC and furnace when possible. The AC here died shortly after I moved in, and thankfully, back then, the landlord was more responsive to maintenance issues. I've had the AC die in 3 places I've lived over the years, and it always seems to happen on the hottest days/nights of the year. I don't know how much of a difference the new system made though, because I don't think they replaced the big unit outside, just the one inside that it hooked into. I haven't noticed a difference in the bills, which are still quite high in the Summers, even though I keep the thermostat high.
     
  8. Sydney M.

    Sydney M.Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2016
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    8
    Most of the time I try to leave my AC/heat off, especially when I'm not in the house or in that specific room (I have central air). During the summer, I usually put it on at night if the air outside is still really warm, as I like it to be very cold when I sleep. When I do turn it on, I set it to about 74 to start, but if it's still too hot I'll set it to 72 or 73. If it is cool enough to leave the windows open, I will do so and turn my fan on. During the colder months, I only put my heat on when it is really necessary. I don't really mind being cold, and if I am I'll take other steps (like more clothing, socks, a hot drink, blanket, etc.) to stay warm before I turn on the heat. But, when I must, I start around 73, and maybe go up if it's still too cold in the house.

    Would you rather it be really hot in your house or really cold?
     
  9. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2016
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    467
    Likes Received:
    77
    I am like @Sydney M.@Sydney M. and I try at all costs to keep the heat or the air off, and I think that I do a pretty good job of it. As I am typing this my giant fan is blowing right in my face and it is working for me to not have to turn on the AC. so that is good news. When I do set it, though, it is usually for those terrible days and a cool 72 is just fine for me. I can usually limit it as well and have it on for a little bit, but that really depends.
     
  10. bonzer

    bonzerActive Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2015
    Threads:
    6
    Messages:
    145
    Likes Received:
    16
    The best way to fix your AC bills is to buy an inverter AC. This way you need not compromise on the comfort factor as well as save big on power bills. Its initial cost may be high but the monthly power bills would be much lower.

    The inverter AC never cuts off its compressor after achieving the target room temperature. It rather runs at a slower pace and maintains the cooling with minimal power consumption.
     
  11. cluckeyo

    cluckeyoActive Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    Threads:
    54
    Messages:
    283
    Likes Received:
    111
    We usually have ours set at 78.At times we bump it up to 80. But we have fans. If there is a room that is not getting much use, we bump it to 85, just so the heat won't melt the electronics. Then when we need that room, we go in there and turn down the ac for a few minutes before we put it to use. These temps work fine for use, we are adjusted to them.
     
  12. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Threads:
    262
    Messages:
    1,983
    Likes Received:
    725
    @Sydney M.@Sydney M. I would prefer the house to be cold, because I can manage that situation by putting blankets on the windowsills, putting on heavier clothing, layering the clothing, or using my gel fireplace (when I have gel). Sometimes it's even fun to get under the covers and read the way I did when I was a child. With heat, there's not really much you can do, besides using fans, which I already do, and eating and drinking cool things to try to cool off.
     
  13. davos

    davosActive Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2016
    Threads:
    15
    Messages:
    364
    Likes Received:
    46
    Your home's heating and cooling system should provide convenience and comfort to your indoor environment. Nowadays, many homeowners are concerned about controlling their energy budgets and usage, while still maintaining the comfort they desire in the home.

    One simple solution to managing your heating and cooling system is to adjust your thermostat settings, according to your habits and preferences.

    During the warm weather, it is generally recommended that you set your home's cooling system to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you are home. If you will be out of the house for four or more hours, consider raising the setting so the cooling system only comes on if the temperature tops 88 degrees Fahrenheit. It is estimated that for every degree higher you set your thermostat over 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months, you could save approximately six to eight percent off your home energy bill, per degree.

    In the winter, you can save energy and keep your costs in check by keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit while you are at home during the daytime. government energy department reports that turning your thermostat lower by 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours per day will help you see an energy usage reduction of 5 to 15 percent per year on your bill.
     
  14. atlmom5

    atlmom5Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2016
    Threads:
    2
    Messages:
    234
    Likes Received:
    60
    I keep my thermostat around 70 to 72 degrees in the summer time. I don't run the A/C all day either, my home gets a nice amount of shade in the early morning hours, so I open the windows in the morning if there's a breeze or turn the ceiling fans to run, and around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. I'll turn on the A/C. I always turn the A/C off around 9 p.m. and the whole house is comfortable for the rest of the night.
     
  15. ad.mike2016

    ad.mike2016New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2016
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    3
    I usually kept my thermostat right around 74 degrees. I think the biggest mistake people make is turning off their thermostat off or way down while not at home. I found that doing this requires more energy to get the house comfortable again when you go home. Keeping it at a common temperature takes less energy then lowering or raising the temperature multiple times a day.
     
  16. hades_leae

    hades_leaeActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2016
    Threads:
    21
    Messages:
    177
    Likes Received:
    33
    I'll tell you what I do. I don't even use it, I have 4 big box fans, and you may not know this, but having big fans will cool you down better. I don't go into details how this works but it's a fact.

    I used to keep the conditioner on and around 65, and the highest I had it during the winter if I choose to use it would be 75 degrees. I like using heaters to heat the floor space, the air in the room doesn't stay cool. It warms up enough for me to feel comfortable which is why my monthly energy bill is always less than $30 dollars.