Those who live in hot climates and use A/C

[Hugh Jass]

76...every now and then I'll nudge it down to 75 if it gets too stuffy in the house.

As for the current summer climate we're in...it's routinely 85-105 degrees F here with humidity usually ranging anywhere from 50-90%.

 

[SlickSnake]

67 is balmy. Three more degrees on the outside temperature, and I start bitching about the heat. I quit wearing dark Tshirts at 65F because they draw too much heat. 60F is the perfect indoor temperature, and 50-55 and overcast is perfect for outside.

Well, my outdoor preferences are not my indoor ones. Outdoors, 65 is ideal for me, depending on humidity. But my ac inside is like a fridged arctic blast furnace, and it's simply not comfortable below 73 or so. Right now, it's at 74 because my spouse likes it colder, and I'm lying in bed using my pad with my legs covered up.

 

[Chaotic42]

Posts like this are suspect. Either the thermostat is wrong, or it's positioned so its near a vent, thus the reading is lower than elsewhere in the house. And who likes freezing their asses off after taking a bath or shower? Or do you turn the heater on for that? 67 is just way too cold for me.

It's not near a vent, which was on purpose. Independent thermometers in other rooms confirm that the temperature fluctuates between 67 and 70, barring things like the computer being on.

I don't come out freezing from the shower. Not sure where you got that from. I haven't used my heater in three or four years, I forget.

 

[SlickSnake]

It's not near a vent, which was on purpose. Independent thermometers in other rooms confirm that the temperature fluctuates between 67 and 70, barring things like the computer being on.

I don't come out freezing from the shower. Not sure where you got that from. I haven't used my heater in three or four years, I forget.

I got it from getting out of the shower and having a fridged blast of cold air blowing on me, well doh.

 

[Leyawiin]

72-73 F during the day, 70 degrees at night (I want a cool room to sleep in). I'll pay the extra to be as comfortable as I want. I live in the Sacramento Valley - pretty hot in the summer.

 

[Red Squirrel]

lol what's the point of having AC for those of you who set it at sweaty balls temperatures? At least set it to like 70-72f lol. If I lived down south I'd probably have two units for redundancy and have them oversized by a few tons, just to make sure it can keep up with even the extreme temps like 90-100. Separate mini split for bedroom and office too.

Add solar panels to compensate for extra hydro usage.

 

[Chaotic42]

I got it from getting out of the shower and having a fridged blast of cold air blowing on me, well doh.

Well, I guess I'm hot natured. I'd actually keep it lower than 67, but it seems like a good balance in energy usage. Now if I had solar panels...

 

[squarecut1]

67 does seem very cold to me. But then we are all different

 

[runzwithsizorz]

It's all in the humidity levels. Sometimes I don't need AC at all if the humidity is low and temps 80 or below. For me, 77-78 if humid is fine.

 

[Phoenix86]

74 mostly.

 

[rbV5]

72 seems to work for me.

 

[trmiv]

74 to 75 during the day. 72 when sleeping.

 

[Bob.]

Posts like this are suspect. Either the thermostat is wrong, or it's positioned so its near a vent, thus the reading is lower than elsewhere in the house. And who likes freezing their asses off after taking a bath or shower? Or do you turn the heater on for that? 67 is just way too cold for me.

I keep mine at 73 when I'm gone, 70 in the early evening. The stat program is set to go to 68 at 9pm, 66 at 10pm and 65 from 11pm until 10am the next morning.

Suspect you say? I've been in the A/C business since 1978, so I'm pretty sure I can determine what the real temp is and any variables that may have effect. Remember, all things are subjective.

 

[master_shake_]

73 here...


anything over 75 is too warm.

 

[bradley]

A variable speed compressor (also VS air handler) is going to be able to better regulate humidity and dewpoint. That means you will be able to run the unit many degrees warmer and have perfect comfort.

 

[Bob.]

If I lived down south I'd probably have two units for redundancy and have them oversized by a few tons, just to make sure it can keep up with even the extreme temps like 90-100. Separate mini split for bedroom and office too.

The only problem with oversizing, esp. in the humid south, is that it blasts the place cool, but doesn't run long enough to remove humidity, a major comfort factor.

 

[Chaotic42]

The only problem with oversizing, esp. in the humid south, is that it blasts the place cool, but doesn't run long enough to remove humidity, a major comfort factor.

Yep. I run a separate dehumidifier in my bathroom for after showering. It's a balance since it produces heat, so I don't run it for too long.

 

[MustISO]

Usually around 78°. That's plenty cool for me. If I were wearing heavy clothes I'd want it cooler but our house is decently insulated so keeping it at 78° makes it very cool. We also use ceiling fans in most rooms to circulate the air.

It's not about being cheap it's about a persons comfort. It's also cheaper in different parts of the country and cheaper to cool a small place. If I put my A/C to 72° our bill would probably be close to $600/mo. No thanks, I like my money.

 

[stargazr]

76

 

[bradley]

The only problem with oversizing, esp. in the humid south, is that it blasts the place cool, but doesn't run long enough to remove humidity, a major comfort factor.

Agreed. Oversizing is always a bad idea, unless you are also running a variable speed heat pump. Especially with a single-stage compressor, you definitely want the long runs that adequately sized compressors (to your home's heat load) provide.

 

[zanejohnson]

no central ac in the house in the old house i live in...... we just use window units in the rooms we stay in.... electric bill is cheap and its like 72 in my office right now

 

[HendrixFan]

I keep it at 78, which is pretty cool for me. I need blankets when I sleep at night with that temperature. It typically is between 95 and 100 during the summers, so whenever I step into my apartment I feel a quick cold blast before I adjust to it. Anything lower and I'd have to start adding layers of clothing.

Since I'm typically wearing more clothing in the winter, I keep the temperature set to 70. That way I don't really have to change to accommodate between going inside and outside.

 

[Linflas]

72 for the AC 68 for heat.

 

[Gooberlx2]

72 during the day, 68 at night. With the windows shut and blinds all drawn my house keeps cool pretty well.

 

[SlickSnake]

I keep mine at 73 when I'm gone, 70 in the early evening. The stat program is set to go to 68 at 9pm, 66 at 10pm and 65 from 11pm until 10am the next morning.

Suspect you say? I've been in the A/C business since 1978, so I'm pretty sure I can determine what the real temp is and any variables that may have effect. Remember, all things are subjective.

That's great to know Bob. And one of my first jobs in 1979 was helping a contractor friend out who was professionally installing air conditioning and heating units in entire office and apartment buildings. Do I also get accolades for that?

And those 1979 thermostats would often be innaccurate when we tested them after installs and we would have to recalibrate them. Do you remember that, too? Or were all of the brands you installed 100% accurate, or did you even bother to check after an install? Of course, we are also talking about crappy, cheap 1979 thermostats, too, so there is that. And there is still plenty of those clunker thermostats in use today, I am sure.

And in my last few houses I either rented or bought, the first thing I did was put a different accurate thermostat on them, replacing the cheap POS they all had to start with, BTW.

Which also fully explains why I was also doubting some of the indoor temperature claims in this topic.