# For those who run central a/c around the clock, where do you set temp when you're at home? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 30, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781 "2019-05-30T16:00:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/21 "2019-05-30T19:51:24Z")
68 or 69 when I’m awake, 62 when I’m sleeping. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/22 "2019-05-30T21:10:56Z")
72 during the day, 68 at night. I’m hot natured. The heat is kept around 62 in the winter, and I’m perfectly happy with that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/23 "2019-05-30T21:25:33Z")
Jimmy Carter told me that if it were below 78 I was wasting energy, so I’m a 78 kinda guy. Always surprised by how warm some people think this is… ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/24 "2019-05-31T01:46:00Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > 82 during the day, 78 at night. Ceiling fans. > [@control-z](#): > > I leave it on about 79 all the time. Upstairs gets a little hotter, downstairs is comfortable unless I’m exerting myself. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > I am one of those cheapskates. I do keep it at 80 during the summer. But also there’s a vent directly above my computer desk and I’m certain that spot stays cooler than the rest of the house. If I set the thermostat lower I actually feel chilly when I’m sitting in that spot. Elsewhere in the house I feel fine with ceiling fans on. > [@zimaane](#): > > 80 or 81, with a ceiling fan. Maybe 78 to sleep, (again with a fan) Holy fucking shit i would be in absolute hell living in such temperatures around-the-clock. I keep it at 70 _during the day_! Nighttime sees temps no higher than 65 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/25 "2019-05-31T01:49:43Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Holy fucking shit i would be in absolute hell living in such temperatures around-the-clock. I keep it at 70 _during the day_! Nighttime sees temps no higher than 65 degrees. So, you basically don’t go outside during the summer? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/26 "2019-05-31T02:09:27Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > So, you basically don’t go outside during the summer? Reread what i wrote, guy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/27 "2019-05-31T02:34:56Z")
I’m not even sure my aircon can even get the house to 65 in the summer. It struggles to get it much below 74 if it’s in the 90s outside. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/28 "2019-05-31T04:06:30Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Holy fucking shit i would be in absolute hell living in such temperatures around-the-clock. I keep it at 70 _during the day_! Nighttime sees temps no higher than 65 degrees. This is so interesting, because _I_ would be in hell if the a/c was set at 70. (I keep it at 77 most of the time.) Well, not hell, but the North Pole. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/29 "2019-05-31T05:57:27Z")
Hi, OP! Another Texan here. _mops brow_ I’d be happy at 75 or 76, but the boyfriend is hot unless there are penguins scampering about, so we go with 73 or 74 and he has a ceiling fan blowing onto him at all times. Fun anecdote: we had a [del]freeloader[/del] houseguest for a while last year, who was personally insulted that the house didn’t reach the target thermostat temp … in mid afternoon, in July/August. When it’s 103 outside. I pointed out that the A/C compressor didn’t shut off until well into nighttime - the poor thing labors nonstop for about 20 hours a day - but she couldn’t grasp that there wasn’t more the A/C could do, to cool her off. She kept turning the thermostat to mid 60s. Like that would, I dunno, make the compressor run 150% of the time? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/30 "2019-05-31T11:49:28Z")
I was woken up this morning at about 5:30 a.m. feeling cold. It was a brisk night, so I decided to open up the windows and air out the house before I went to sleep. When I awoke, I was cold enough that it was bugging me and woke me up. I closed all the windows and checked the indoor temp: 72F. It’s a bit bizarre, as I’m the kind of person for whom 50F and overcast is the ideal climate, but once it gets to boxers and tee shirt sleeping/lounging around the house weather, 74-75 is just right, and anything even a couple degrees cooler feels freezing to me. (And, conversely, in the winter, that’s a sauna to me, though the wife and kids like it warm, so I keep it at around 72.) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/31 "2019-05-31T12:21:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Reread what i wrote, guy. I read what you wrote. That you would be in absolute hell to live in those temperatures around the clock. How long could you spend outside in 90 degree weather before you consider it absolute hell? When it is above 78 degrees outside, how long do you have to be outside before you consider it absolute hell? ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/32 "2019-05-31T14:07:11Z")
The electronic control on my thermostat broke about ten years ago and is now permanently set at 74. Given total freedom of choice and the willingness to bother repairing something so minor, I would set it a 75 – close enough. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/33 "2019-05-31T14:26:03Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Hi, OP! Another Texan here. _mops brow_ > > I’d be happy at 75 or 76, but the boyfriend is hot unless there are penguins scampering about, so we go with 73 or 74 and he has a ceiling fan blowing onto him at all times. > > Fun anecdote: we had a [del]freeloader[/del] houseguest for a while last year, who was personally insulted that the house didn’t reach the target thermostat temp … in mid afternoon, in July/August. When it’s 103 outside. I pointed out that the A/C compressor didn’t shut off until well into nighttime - the poor thing labors nonstop for about 20 hours a day - but she couldn’t grasp that there wasn’t more the A/C could do, to cool her off. > > She kept turning the thermostat to mid 60s. Like that would, I dunno, make the compressor run 150% of the time? I hear ya! Even at 77, my compressor runs at least 20 hours a day when the outside temp is 88-ish or higher. Right now it’s off, 'cause it’s 69 outside–OOPS! spoke too soon. It just came on. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/34 "2019-05-31T15:59:16Z")
Mine is set at 75 as a compromise. I would prefer about 78-79, and my SO would prefer 73 or perhaps lower. The default setting for our thermostat is AC ON, so when it gets too warm it automatically kicks in. We’re in SE Texas so that’s about ten months a year. On occasional breezy days with mild temps usually sometime between October and April, we’ll switch it off and open all the windows and doors even if the ambient temp is in the 80s.We don’t get as hot as ThelmaLou because the gulf breeze moderates things somewhat, but highs are in the low 90s with constant humidity and nighttime temps sometimes don’t go below 80. The upside is that we only need heat about ten or twenty days a year and can go years without a freeze. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/35 "2019-05-31T16:04:09Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > So, you basically don’t go outside during the summer? Heh heh, but that’s kinda’ me. Only go out when I _have to_. Yard work, chores, getting provisions. No activity is pleasurable if I’m uncomfortable. Fuck that shit. I work outside for a living. Coming in after “my” weekend, we always ask each other “how was your weekend?” “What did you do on your weekend?”. When it’s hot and muggy, I steal the line from ‘Office Space’: “I did nothing, and it was everything I hoped it would be”. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/36 "2019-05-31T17:21:34Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > How long could you spend outside in 90 degree weather before you consider it absolute hell? > > When it is above 78 degrees outside, how long do you have to be outside before you consider it absolute hell? Let’s see, since “around the clock” generally means “all day” or “24 hours”, I’m gonna say “all day” or “24 hours”. I hope this makes my post clearer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/37 "2019-05-31T17:39:37Z")
We run 67 all year except when we can open windows for a few weeks (hopefully in Spring and Fall, N/W AR.) I need fans/air movement 24/7 to be comfortable indoors or outside. We have a tight house and once everything is that temperature We personally, with our all electric house & Heatpunp vs Furnace, and Electric Company pricing, it is cheaper operating this way over a years time. ( We discovered this while we were living in Central AR. {works out that way here also} and had gas filled double pane windows installed and went with a straight heat pump.) No natural gas available in our area and propane was too expensive in that location. This house is not as good as the one down South so it will go to 70°F if the temp gets up over 100°F. The one down South could go even lower with high temps and high humidity. Over sized unit which always had power to be able to cycle. The present house pump will cycle until it goes over 100° F outside. Not that often right in our little valley and with all the tree shade around us on the side of the mountain. We are old, I am a hot running person and the wife likes robes. Out side work when we feel like it or have to. A breeze is needed for all things except care for the critters. We care for them regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/38 "2019-05-31T17:47:53Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Fun anecdote: we had a [del]freeloader[/del] houseguest for a while last year, who was personally insulted that the house didn’t reach the target thermostat temp … in mid afternoon, in July/August. When it’s 103 outside. I pointed out that the A/C compressor didn’t shut off until well into nighttime - the poor thing labors nonstop for about 20 hours a day - but she couldn’t grasp that there wasn’t more the A/C could do, to cool her off. > > She kept turning the thermostat to mid 60s. Like that would, I dunno, make the compressor run 150% of the time? “It’s a thermostat, not an accelerator!” As a rule of thumb, a properly functioning central air unit is designed to cool the house to about [20 degrees less than the outside temp](https://www.wmhendersoninc.com/blog/air-conditioning-service/how-much-can-an-air-conditioner-cool-realistic-temperature-differences-between-inside-and-outside-air-in-broomall/). I keep mine set to 75 during the day and 72 at night. 75 should be achievable without overworking the AC unit too much on all but the hottest GA summer days. If the outside temp is expected to exceed 95 for a significant period of time I’ll bump up the thermostat to 80. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/39 "2019-05-31T17:50:51Z")
I’m okay at 72, my wife likes 68. We reached compromise at 68. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781/40 "2019-05-31T17:50:52Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > Coming in after “my” weekend, we always ask each other “how was your weekend?” “What did you do on your weekend?”. When it’s hot and muggy, I steal the line from ‘Office Space’: “I did nothing, and it was everything I hoped it would be”. I find myself doing that too. Problem is in the winter it’s too cold to go out, in the summer it’s too hot. And the spring and fall is often rainy/hot/cold. That leaves about 5 good weekends a year to really get stuff done it feels like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-who-run-central-a-c-around-the-clock-where-do-you-set-temp-when-youre-at-home/834781.md?page=3)