We recommend setting your thermostat to 78° F when you are home. While this might make your house a little warmer than you're used to, it will help reduce the cost of your energy bill significantly.
Thermostat Operation
The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be. You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F to 70°F while you're awake and setting it lower while you're asleep or away from home.
In the winter, set your thermostat to 68 degrees or the lowest comfortable temperature. In warmer months, set it to 78 degrees or higher. It's a no-cost option to reduce energy expenses. At night or when you're going to be away from home for an extended period, adjust the thermostat a few more degrees.
For every one degree you go up in temperature, you're reducing your energy usage by about 1%. "The difference between 72 to 74 might be very impactful to your bill, without really making you any more uncomfortable," said Dave Schrader with NRG.
Keeping your home at a constant temperature generally means that your HVAC system will run constantly to meet it. This means that your furnace or air conditioner may run when you're asleep, at work, or out of the house. This wastes more energy than the minimal amount that you might save by having it constantly run.
The best thermostat settings for energy savings
However, generally speaking, in the winter, you can set your thermostat to 68° while awake and lower it when you're asleep or away from home. In the summer, set the thermostat to 78° when you are at home and higher when you are away.
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.
To save money, aim to have your temperature set around 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit when you're at home and awake. This is a comfortable temperature for most with the help of a light sweater. Overnight and when you're out, around 64 degrees Fahrenheit will keep your home at a good temperature.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends 78° as the best temperature setting for your air conditioner during the daytime. And 82° for sleeping in the summer.
The trick is to buy energy-efficient appliances. Everything from your fridge to your TV and your washing machine can make a huge difference to your electricity bills. When you purchase energy-efficient appliances, you can save up to 90% on your energy costs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends setting your thermostat no lower than 64 degrees (F) in the Winter months while people are in the home. If there are infants or elderly individuals, they recommend keeping the temperature at 70 degrees at a minimum.
To save money, set your thermostat down or up 7 to 10 degrees (depending on the season) when you're asleep or away from home. Doing so for eight hours can lower your annual heating and cooling costs by around 10%.
Don't set your thermostat too low
“You have to keep it really low to really get into a health concern," he said. "What you want to do is keep it at a reasonable temperature that's not chilly.” The World Health Organization recommends keeping indoor temperatures between 64 and 75 degrees for healthy people.
The Bottom Line. Turning down your thermostat at night or while you're away is a proven way to save money on your heating bills.
The World Health Organization recommends keeping indoor temperatures between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for healthy people. The minimum temperature should be kept above 68 degrees Fahrenheit to protect the very young, the elderly, or people with health problems. Watch out for signs of hypothermia.
Quick answer: The ideal house temperature is room temperature, which ranges from 68 to 78 degrees F, though this may vary from season to season. In winter, the average room temperature is generally 62 to 68 degrees, whereas in the summer, the average temperature is 72 to 78 degrees.
68 to 72 degrees is a temperature range that is not too warm or cool, and is sufficient enough to warm up the home just enough so that everyone is comfortable regardless of the type of clothing they have on.
Most of the time, maintaining a comfortable temperature all day in the winter will cost more money than raising it a few degrees when you get home. You don't have to shut it down altogether, but can set it to a low temperature like 58 or 60 degrees.
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.
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.
For many of us, 70 degrees is the ideal indoor temperature, but when it is close to 100 degrees outside, your AC unit will be working quite hard to meet these expectations. Consider setting your thermostat at 75 degrees to 80 degrees in your home if the outside temperature is approaching triple digits.
What temperature should you keep your house at? Or better yet, “What is the most energy saving temperature to set my thermostat at?” According to ENERGYSTAR.gov, the ideal home temperature should be between 70 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Setting your thermostat too high in the winter and too low in the summer can cause your energy bill to increase by as much as 10 percent or more. Consider keeping your HVAC system's thermostat at a constant temperature, recommended at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer.
Generally speaking, the most efficient temperature for your thermostat is between 18°C and 20°C. If you set the thermostat any higher, then you'll find that your property is very warm and it may be unsafe for babies and people with heart conditions.