For the greatest savings, consider setting your thermostat to: About 78 degrees while you are at home. About 82 degrees while you are sleeping.
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.
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.
One great way to lower energy costs is to avoid cooling an empty house. This is especially true during the middle of the day. If everyone in your household is either at work or school, then turning the temperature to 78-80 degrees will save you a chunk of change when the energy bill arrives.
The Best AC Temperature to Save Money
The right thermostat setting is very important for summer AC use, but that setting may be higher than you would think. The best AC temperature to keep your thermostat set at over the summer is 78 degrees.
A more moderate setting like 24°C (75.2°F) can achieve comfort with reduced electricity usage.
What is the Best Thermostat Setting for Summer Air Conditioner Use? Energy Star recommends the following thermostat temperatures for your air conditioner in the summer: 78°F during the day if people are home. 82°F at night if people are home.
Conclusion. Finding the right AC temperature for your electricity bill is a balancing act. By setting it around 78°F and considering external factors, you can enjoy comfort and save on energy costs simultaneously. Remember, small adjustments can lead to significant savings over time.
Cool mode: Ideal for hot days, this mode reduces the room temperature to your desired setting. Dry mode: Perfect for humid conditions, this mode removes excess moisture from the air without significantly reducing the temperature.
On work days, you can set the temperature a few degrees higher when you usually leave the house, and then have it start cooling down to your ideal temperature 30 minutes before you return. If you don't have an ideal temperature, the DOE recommends using a baseline of 78 degrees when at home for the most savings.
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.
Clean the Thermostat
Sometimes, when the room temperature doesn't match the thermostat setting, the problem could be dirt buildup on its interior parts. A dirt coating around the inner components may create excess heat and cause the thermostat to give the wrong readings.
Recommended AC Temperature for Sleeping
The Sleep Foundation says 65° is the best temperature for sleeping. However, if you prefer a slightly warmer or cooler room, that's okay, too. The recommended range is 60–68°, so there is some wiggle room.
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.
Set the thermostat as high as comfortably possible during hot weather. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your cooling bill will be. Keep your house warmer when you aren't home during the day, but cooler when you come home at night.
The National Sleep Foundation says 60-67 is a good temperature for sleep, but that might be too cold for you and increase your cooling bill. As a compromise, 70-plus degrees is a good setting.
Eco or energy-saving mode
This is the ideal mode for users looking to save up on energy bills by toning down the performance of the AC and its compressor. Eco-mode uses less electricity by automatically adjusting the fan speed and temperature, while still maintaining a comfortable level of cooling.
AUTO is significantly more energy efficient between the two modes since the fan is only running when your AC is going through its cooling cycle. This takes less power, which is more budget-friendly, with some estimates showing you can save as much as $50 per month just by keeping your AC on AUTO.
Use Sleep Mode or Timer
Many AC units come with a sleep mode or timer feature, allowing you to set a specific duration for the AC to run before shutting off automatically. According to the International Energy Agency, using these features can save up to 30% of the energy consumed by an air conditioner .
Keeping a Reasonable Temperature: One will use 3 to 5 per cent less energy for each degree air conditioner is set above 25 degrees C to provide the most comfort at the least cost. Keeping ACs at (24–26 degrees C) can save electricity.
In short, the 20-degree rule of air conditioning states that you should always keep your AC unit at no more than 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature. It means that, if the outdoor conditions are at 95 degrees, you should set your thermostat at no less than 75 degrees.
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.
Here's the thing: It's normal for your AC to run continuously during hot summer months. You see, on extremely hot days—we're talkin' high 90s to 100s—your system needs to keep up with the incoming heat. To do that, it will run longer in order to maintain a constant, desired temperature in your home.
You want to be comfortable, but also use an efficient temperature that doesn't potentially increase your energy costs. The best thermostat setting for summer is 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you're at home. Energy.gov also suggests raising your thermostat or turning it off entirely when you are away in the summer.
During a heatwave, we recommend that you don't lower the AC's setting below 68°F. This is already quite chilly for most people, and many would consider it too cold. An air conditioner set this low risk of its coil freezing—and that's bad news because it indicates that the air conditioner is overworked.