To save electricity/energy what is the best temperature to leave your thermostat on?

Question

I've heard that you should leave your a/c thermostat on 76 degrees, or leave it on 78 degrees, or leave it on 80 degrees when you're not home, and turn it no lower than 76 when you are home. I've also been told that turning it off when you're not home makes it work harder to cool the house when you return home.

I am looking to lower my electricity bill. I have "tin foiled" all of the windows, (Yes, I know and agree that this is terribly tacky!), and had been turning the thermostat to a higher degree setting to conserve more, but there was no change in the electric bill. So, I'm looking for someone who knows what the best setting for a central air unit is...

This is my first place, and the previous renter's light bill was around $150/mo and mine is $233/mo for the past two months!

Also, I'm in the South, and we average 88-98 degrees this time of year, and occasionally dip into the lower 80's w/ different storm systems. It's in the mid to upper 70's at night. So, please keep that in mind.

Answer 1

It is whatever you feel comfortable at.  For example, lets say you like to keep it at 70 in the summer, move it up to 72.  It is not about giving up what makes you feel good, it is about adjusting.  When you leave the house, set it down or up and then program it to go on an hour before you come home.  You won't even know it's off.  You should see a pretty significant change in your bill as well.

Answer 2

Basically you are correct in that you should keep it set as high as you can tolerate, and then run a fan in the room you are in if it's still a bit warm. When I lived alone I kept my A/C set on 80° - 84° in the Summer and around 68° in the winter. In the summer I kept the ceiling fan on in the room I was in at the time, and in the winter if I got chilly, I just put on a sweater.

You might try tinted window film for your windows so you can still look out, but it won't look so cheap. Make sure the seals around your windows and doors are in good shape as you can lose cool/heat that way too.

If your bill is $80/mo higher than the last renter, there may be something wrong with the unit, causing it to work more. Unless they barely ran it at all, you should see a reasonable bill with the changes you made...or did your power company significantly raise their rates this year?

Also keep track of things like turning off lights, TV, music if you are leaving a room for very long. Don't run a fan in a room if you aren't there (fans cool people, not rooms). Set your hot water heater, if electric, to the coolest setting you can and still have water hot enough for bathing and laundry. Keep showers short and cool, run the dishwasher and washer/dryer only when full and for as short a cycle as you can. Put your computer in 'energy save mode' when not using it, instead of leaving the screen saver to come on. Turn the monitor off when not in use or the whole computer if you won't be using it for a good while.

Be very conscious of everything in your home that uses electricity and try not to waste. Unplugging unused appliaces can help also as anything that is plugged in will use a trickle of electricity (tv, stereo, computer, etc) even when turned off.

You could also look at putting a timer on your thermostat so it would automatically change the temperature for you so the house could get a little warmer when you go to work (in the summer, or cooler in the winter) and then put it back to a more comfy temp just before you get home...in the winter at night when you're in bed it could drop the temp to be a bit chilly, and you can just add another blanket. It's true if you turn the unit off, it will have to work VERY hard to cool your home or heat it, when you turn it back on. Better to let it run on and off all day (at a higher/lower temp than you'd normally be comfortable with) than to shut it off and have it work continuously for hours to try to get your home back to a 'normal' temperature.

There are lots of little things you can do to help make a difference in the long run. First off though, have your unit serviced if it hasn't been done this year and make sure it's running properly.

Answer 3

no pets?leave it off.Pets leave it at 78*

Answer 4

After you take your shower or bath, turn your hot water heater off for that day. that will save you some money.  Also if you aren't using anything not only turn it off but also unplug it.  It still draws electricity if it is plugged in.