In general, it's safe to increase indoor temperature to 80 degrees in summer and decrease indoor air temperature to 55 degrees in winter when you're not home.
Location and severe climates can affect this range, but between 68 and 72 degrees is the general recommendation. 68 degrees is best because lower temperatures reduce the amount of energy needed to keep the house warm.
What is the Healthiest Temperature to Keep in Your House? The sweet spot for indoor temperature is typically around 20-22 degrees Celsius (68-72 degrees Fahrenheit). This range promotes better sleep, aids concentration, and supports overall physical comfort. Straying too far from this range may lead to health issues.
When temperatures exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, setting your air conditioning (AC) to around 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit is generally considered efficient. Here are some reasons for this recommendation:
Depends on your state laws. Some states only worry about heating in terms of legal temperatures, but from a health standpoint, you're not supposed to be indoors at 78F or higher for long.
In general, 80 degrees is too hot for a house if people are inside. However, if people aren't home during the day or for vacation during the summer, an indoor temperature of 80 degrees can save energy until you return and lower the temperature.
Setting your air conditioning to 72°F is generally considered a comfortable indoor temperature for many people. It strikes a good balance between comfort and energy efficiency, making it a popular choice for residential settings.
Just because the outdoor temperature is above 100, the Ideal temperature to set your AC unit to doesn't change — it's 78 degrees. Higher temperatures in the home are to be expected when the weather is hotter than usual, but your thermostat can still be set the same as if it were a lower temperature outside.
If this is the case, it may be necessary to keep your thermostat set at 72-74 degrees until everyone goes to bed. This can also depend on the number of people living in the house, or even whether you're preparing a home-cooked meal. If it's just you and your spouse, you may be fine with the temperature set at 75-77.
Oller points to the heat index for this one: Temps between 90 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit are considered “extreme caution,” and anything above falls under the “danger” and “extreme danger” categories. “When it gets to be over 100 degrees, anyone is going to have ill effects from heat before very long,” she says.
The best room temperature for sleep is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). This may vary by a few degrees from person to person, but most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat set between 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 20 degrees Celsius) for the most comfortable sleep.
Keeping in mind both energy efficiency and comfort, the best thermostat settings for summer are 76° when you are home, 80-85° when you are away and 72° at night. Then use ceiling fans in the rooms you are in to feel up to 4* cooler. Here's more on why these thermostat settings are the best.
Everyone is different, and that's definitely true when it comes to ideal room temperature. That being said, the average room temperature in most homes falls somewhere between 68 and 76°F. (Interested in learning more about home automation and how it could benefit your family?
Best AC Temperature Settings While You Are Home
As you consider the most comfortable room temperature for your lifestyle and family, keep in mind that for each degree that you set your thermostat above 72 degrees, you can save up to 3% on your energy bill.
People generally sleep best at night in rooms between 60 to 67 degrees. However, only you can determine your ideal temperature. If 67 is too cold for you, go up a few degrees until you reach a temperature that's still cool but comfortable.
Everyone has a different idea about the recommended house temperature. When you're away from home, the suggested thermostat temperature in winter is somewhere between 62 and 66 °F. In reality, the average range is anywhere between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you set your thermostat in the 80s, the air conditioner won't run enough to effectively dehumidify your home's air. Here in the Tennessee Valley, we have extremely humid weather in the summertime. If your thermostat is set at 80+ degrees, then the humidity inside of your home can easily get up above 70%.
If the temperature is set to 74°F but the thermometer shows 78°F, you will have to recalibrate the thermostat to account for this 4-degree deviation. Even with older AC units or furnaces, you might have to recalibrate your thermostat from time to time.
When possible, set your thermostat to at least 78º F in the summer to reduce the difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures as much as possible. You can save six to eight percent on your electric bill for every degree your thermostat is raised above 78º F in the summer, according to Smart Energy.
What should my AC be set at if it's 90 degrees outside? If the outdoor temperature is 90 degrees, it's recommended to set your thermostat between 75-78 degrees.
Sleeping in a room with the air conditioner set to an appropriate temperature is important for quality sleep. The ideal AC temperature for sleeping is around 65°F (18.3°C). However, this may differ between individuals, who might find their ideal AC temperature lies between 60 and 67°F (15.6 and 19.4°C).
What's The Ideal AC Temperature? Generally, when you are at home, your A/C's ideal temperature is between 76- and 78-degrees Fahrenheit. If you spend most of the day away from the house, set the thermostat a few degrees higher instead of cooling your home for no reason.
For most people, 75 degrees is too hot to sleep, per the National Sleep Foundation. But the new study found that in people 65 and up, sleep efficiency only started to decrease when temperatures were above 77 degrees.
Summer Air Conditioner Settings
In the summer, experts say the thermostat for your air conditioner should be set to at least 78°F during the day when people are at home.
Setting the thermostat below 72 degrees while using an air conditioner can cause the unit to work harder than necessary, leading to higher energy bills and potential damage to the appliance.