Goverment recommends thermostat set to 78 degrees

[13Gigatons]

Recommendations:

78 (when home)
82 (when sleeping)
85 (when away)

Are they even serious with these?

https://kobi5.com/news/govt-recommends-thermostat-setting-of-78-during-day-82-at-night-109017/

 

[shortylickens]

For carbon emissions and global warming and brownouts, yes, the are absolutely fuckin serious.
For real life: no, they are morans.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That comes up to 25C, are the insane? If I was leaving my house get that hot I would not bother with A/C at all.

Though after getting my last hydro bill and seeing that my equal billing got re-adjusted to 280/mo I kinda been forcing myself to use it less. Thankfully it's end of summer so I don't need it as much anyway. It's been a really hot summer so it did get lot of use.

 

[13Gigatons]

Maybe people should post how many kilowatt hours they consume?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I manged to use over 1mwh last bill. Because I work shift work I spend more time at home than if I worked a standard 9-5 so I would have days where I had the AC on pretty much all day, especially when we were getting a heat wave. Some days hit over 30C outside.

 

[13Gigatons]

I manged to use over 1000 kwh

Please post in kilowatt hours...

 

[snoopy7548]

If I set my thermostat to 78F the AC would almost never turn on, so forget about getting any dehumidification. It would be unbearable, especially trying to sleep at 82F.

Lately I've been keeping it around 74-75F 24/7. Usually 75F is OK on the weekends as the indoor humidity doesn't get much above 50%, but I prefer it more in the mid-high 40s.

Throughout June/July I actually kept the temperature at 71-72F and my bill spiked pretty high - 352kWh in June and 614kWh in July (though it was a very hot July). Add a dehumidifer running in the basement and yeah. Still probably low compared to a lot of people, though. This August's usage will probably be around the same as last August, ~417kWh.

EDIT: If my winter usage is shocking, it's probably because I use propane for heating/water heater. Over the past seven years, I've been averaging ~1.5 fills per year with a 500 gallon tank, which has come out to ~$100/month if spread out over 12 months/year.




Maybe those temps are OK if you live in a very hot climate like Texas so your AC is running more often, but in the Northeast it would be crazy. You'd probably be lucky to get one cycle every 1.5-2 hours with a well-insulated house.

What's their winter recommendation? 55F when home, 50F when sleeping, 45F when away?

 

[lxskllr]

That's where I set mine. 78° when home, 82° when I leave. I would set it to 80°, but I need the humidity cut.

 

[brianmanahan]

it's 80F in my place right now

it's not bad at all, you sissies just need to man up

 

[balloonshark]

My in window air unit is in my bathroom. I leave it set at 69 which makes my living room 74. In the summer it's common for the air to run for several hours at a time. If I forget to turn it on after taking a shower my apt. quickly gets to 79. I used 455 KWH this past month but I pay $73 to $75 on their average payment plan.

 

[BoomerD]

They want me to turn on the heat during the summer? Fuck that.

 

[local]

2,414 kwh last month. AC is set at 78 and I'm pretty sure it hasn't cycled off since May. $209 last month.

 

[IBMJunkman]

Live in Vegas. It has been near or over 100 for at least a month now. If I leave for the day I set to 85. Otherwise it is set to 80. Day and night. Electric bill still less than the High Desert in CA was. Last bill was $128 and I used 961 kw. I am retired so I am home all day.

 

[whm1974]

Mine is set to 73.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm from the "Northern Latitudes", at least, my ancestors are, so I prefer things cold. I keep my A/C set to 68F, and I rarely run the heat in the winter. (I do have my PCs crunching during the winter months, to keep me cozy.)

PS. Wouldn't have minded at all, having a vacation place in Greenland. You know, just saying. Well, as long as I could get internet. (Satellite? Elon Musk's company?)

 

[Ken g6]

it's 80F in my place right now

it's not bad at all, you sissies just need to man up

This...

Except I can't sleep if it's above 74F in my bedroom.

 

[BoomerD]

I remember having to run the AC all day/night. No AC in this house though...except open windows and a nice ocean breeze blowing thru...

 

[bbhaag]

The recommendations seem a little on the warm side to me. We keep our thermostats set at 75 when we are home and 78 when we are away sometimes higher when we are on vacation or extended trips.
I work in the heat all day. The last thing I want to come home to is a hot and humid house.

 

[IronWing]

82F for sleeping? Let me count the ways they can get fucked. 74F during the day and 66F for sleeping. Every ounce of fuel we don't use ourselves will just get used by some future asshat. My electric bills aren't too bad. The trick is to not buy a big house.

 

[bbhaag]

82F for sleeping? Let me count the ways they can get fucked. 74F during the day and 66F for sleeping. Every ounce of fuel we don't use ourselves will just get used by some future asshat. My electric bills aren't too bad. The trick is to not buy a big house.

We bought a big house that is well insulated and has high efficiency HVAC units. What if I told you it costs the same to heat and cool a 4000 sq. ft. home built in 2008 as it does to heat and cool a 1500 sq. ft. home built in 1942 with low efficiency HVAC units.
It's amazing how efficient building materials, appliances, and building practices have progressed over the decades.

 

[pcgeek11]

I stay at 72 F all year when I'm home or not.

 

[sportage]

The recommendations were speaking of Summer settings.
Summer, not Winter.
I agree and I keep mine around 79-80 when at home and awake, and 80-82 at night, and around 80-82 when away.
Maybe its just my unit, but 80 is cool and comfortable during the day. 79 can feel a bit cool. And 82 at night can be a little warm unless I have the ceiling fan going, then 82 feels cool enough. Or breezy enough.
I have a really impressive unit.

 

[shortylickens]

this summer has been terrible.
I may have to set up an air matress in the basement.

 

[KMFJD]

I'm from the "Northern Latitudes", at least, my ancestors are, so I prefer things cold. I keep my A/C set to 68F, and I rarely run the heat in the winter. (I do have my PCs crunching during the winter months, to keep me cozy.)

PS. Wouldn't have minded at all, having a vacation place in Greenland. You know, just saying. Well, as long as I could get internet. (Satellite? Elon Musk's company?)

You still have Alaska

 

[lxskllr]

I work in the heat all day. The last thing I want to come home to is a hot and humid house.

Yesterday the house was 81° when I got home. Felt cool when I walked in the door. Working outside raises heat tolerance, and a house that isn't an icebox makes outside more bearable when you get there. I would personally prefer it was always 55° inside and out, but I've gotta deal with the shit sandwich I was dealt. Ceiling fans help.

edit:
Oh, and my trees help a huge amount. I've virtually created a wooded lot here, and they keep the bad old sun off the house, so while everyone else's ac is grinding away, my place doesn't feel so bad. A shame people hate trees anymore...