# "We can't ... keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ..." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024 "2019-08-21T21:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/1 "2019-08-21T21:33:44Z")
Inspired by [the recent news](http://www.fox5ny.com/news/federal-energy-program-suggests-keeping-thermostat-set-at-78-degrees-82-while-you-sleep) about the EPA guidelines that [you ought to set your thermostat to 82° while you sleep](https://www.energystar.gov/products/heating_cooling/programmable_thermostats): **What temperature do you set your thermostat to while you sleep?** ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/2 "2019-08-21T21:43:58Z")
I answered 68-70. I’d keep mine at 74-76, but I’m married. My wife has a .5-degree temperature variance tolerance, mine is more like 20 degrees. [nitpick]Why is “other” an option?[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/3 "2019-08-21T21:46:21Z")
> [@Swampwolf](#): > > … [nitpick]Why is “other” an option?[/nitpick] In case someone doesn’t have a thermostat / doesn’t set it while they sleep (perhaps turns it off and opens windows) / doesn’t know / etc. I’m just trying to be inclusive here. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/4 "2019-08-21T21:53:54Z")
Other…I seldom use the air conditioner. When I do, it’s usually 80 or 81. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/5 "2019-08-21T22:07:51Z")
I answered other. In SoCal, near the ocean, we set the weather to 75-80 during the day and 65-70 at night. It seems to work pretty reliably. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/6 "2019-08-21T22:09:16Z")
82°?:eek: Is that so we can burn more fossil fuels and make the planet more hospitable to our up and coming reptilian overlords? I don’t like it when the outdoor summer temperature, in the SUN, is 82°. Left to my own devices I’d keep it in the 50s, but I’m married to a mammal and she would stare me down if I tried to achieve anything lower than 68. I loves heavy blankets (sensory thing) and shedding heat through my dome. I sleep like a baby when I go camping in The Rockies, but I’m a clean freak so I can’t stay out too long. 🙂 ETA: OOOHHHHH, 82 is to give the AC a rest at night, so don’t crank the AC. gotcha. Screw that, if Nature isn’t going to chill me down to at least 70 at night, I’ll move northward. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/7 "2019-08-21T22:11:27Z")
One of our local network affiliates posted a story online about this. I added a comment reminding them that not more than 3-4 weeks ago they interviewed an HVAC expert who strongly recommended picking a temperature and sticking to it. He said people _think_ they’re saving money buy raising the temp when they aren’t home, but that the savings are small and more than offset by the extra wear and tear on your cooling system. Also (and this would, of course, depend on where you live) air conditioning doesn’t just cool the air, it removes humidity. Opening your windows at night may lower the temperature, but it also allows the indoor humidity to match the outside pretty quickly. It can take 8-12 hours to bring it back down, meaning the AC has to run more during that time, costing you more. We keep ours set at 79 night and day. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/8 "2019-08-21T22:12:28Z")
I’m one of the no AC people in the winter we set it at 60 F but the poll seems set for summer temps and for us its just ambient temp so mid 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/9 "2019-08-21T22:20:01Z")
We set ours to around 73 on the rare evening that it’s hotter than that outside. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/10 "2019-08-21T22:22:05Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > 82°?:eek: Is that so we can burn more fossil fuels and make the planet more hospitable to our up and coming reptilian overlords? I don’t like it when the outdoor summer temperature, in the SUN, is 82°. > > Left to my own devices I’d keep it in the 50s. I loves heavy blankets (sensory thing) and shedding heat through my dome. I sleep like a baby when I go camping, but I’m a clean freak so I can’t stay out too long. 🙂 I guess I didn’t clarify this properly in the OP, but this is a recommendation for the temperature at which your air conditioner kicks on, not your heater. The recommended heat setpoint is 62° while you sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/11 "2019-08-21T22:22:12Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Inspired by [the recent news](http://www.fox5ny.com/news/federal-energy-program-suggests-keeping-thermostat-set-at-78-degrees-82-while-you-sleep) about the EPA guidelines that [you ought to set your thermostat to 82° while you sleep](https://www.energystar.gov/products/heating_cooling/programmable_thermostats): **What temperature do you set your thermostat to while you sleep?** LOL at this. Are they expecting Trump to give his next Oval Office address while wearing a mesh tank top? I can open my windows if I wanted 82 degrees at night, with about 1,000 percent humidity. It’ll get down to that temperature eventually… A/c can get ridiculous in commercial buildings in Texas. Like needing a sweater in the office cold. I generally keep the house around 76 or so. Even that is warm to sleep in. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/12 "2019-08-21T22:31:33Z")
Our a/c pretty much stays at 74°. In winter, the furnace is set at 68°, but we run our pellet stove constantly, so the furnace rarely kicks on. If I lived alone, I’d probably set 78° during the summer. If spousal unit had his way, it’d be 68° all summer. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/13 "2019-08-21T22:35:04Z")
Related topic recently explored in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=876394). ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/14 "2019-08-21T22:38:59Z")
I keep the AC at 76. I’ve experimented with higher but it seems to not kick on often enough to keep humidity from building up. It doesn’t go on for the summer until we get a stretch that is both hot and humid without a lot of cooling down at night. It goes also goes off for the season when the days in late summer/early fall can still hit pretty warm highs. Realistically, I average between 76 and no AC for what is most household’s cooling season. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/15 "2019-08-21T22:39:45Z")
It makes lots of sense to not run your air conditioner at full all the time: It saves energy and (contrary to what **Doug K.**'s HVAC guy says) wear and tear. But it seems to me that this suggestion has it backwards. Temperatures in the 80s are tolerable during the day. The worst thing about temperatures that high is that it makes it hard to sleep. If I were going to run the air conditioner for part of the day, it’d be at night. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/16 "2019-08-21T22:40:04Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Related topic recently explored in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=876394). Thanks, I hadn’t seen that thread, and it does contain a lot of answers that would be applicable to the question asked here too. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/17 "2019-08-21T22:45:51Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I guess I didn’t clarify this properly in the OP, but this is a recommendation for the temperature at which your air conditioner kicks on, not your heater. The recommended heat setpoint is 62° while you sleep. Yeah I got there eventually. I forgot that some folks have to deal with high humidity and temps over 80 at night (just another reason I don’t get along with The South). The only temperature targeting I do in Colorado is ‘between 70-75’ in the winter time. Summer is all about running the swamp cooler during the day, and the house fan at night–gets me to around 75-80 most of the time day or night. I haven’t had or wanted AC since…well since I left Georgia in 1994, so it doesn’t quickly register with me that people would want to aim DOWN for 82. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/18 "2019-08-21T22:47:24Z")
I can only wonder, what’s the OP’s angle here? But to answer the poll, I’m stuck in a place that is forever 72. And I don’t mind it, but it is a bit chilly for me. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/19 "2019-08-21T22:56:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Related topic recently explored in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=876394). I was sort of expecting your link to be to this thread: [Setting the AC higher when away versus a constant temperature](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=879196). ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024/20 "2019-08-21T22:57:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It makes lots of sense to not run your air conditioner at full all the time: It saves energy and (contrary to what **Doug K.**'s HVAC guy says) wear and tear. But it seems to me that this suggestion has it backwards. Temperatures in the 80s are tolerable during the day. The worst thing about temperatures that high is that it makes it hard to sleep. If I were going to run the air conditioner for part of the day, it’d be at night. Yeah, exactly. Plus, bedrooms are usually on the _top_ floor of the house, where it’s warmer. I usually set it at 75 during the day in the summer, but I can’t stand anything higher than 71 at night. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-keep-our-homes-on-72-degrees-at-all-times/839024.md?page=2)