Boston Gal's Open Wallet

72? I live in Atlanta and keep mine at 78. Occasionally I might knock it down to 76 but eventually the "program" will kick in and put it back up to 78.

 

Hum,

Maybe I will raise the temp once the house cools down. Last year was the first time I really used the central AC all season. The prior year the unit was out of order for most of the season. My only other experience with AC are individual window units which have a low/medium/high setting.

When I had the unit serviced the technician was pretty firm that I turn the unit on once for the season and keep the temp at 70. I asked if I could raise it to 72 and he reluctantly said that would be ok...

 

I keep my thermostat at 78 during the day. But it could depend on how air flows through your house. At night I will lower the temp to 76, since the bedroom tends to be warmer than the rest of the house. If you don't have one already, a programmable thermostat helps a lot in controlling heating/cooling.

 

I'm terrible.. I keep the a/c on almost all of the time, pulled down to about 68... all summer, all the time...
NCN

 

Hi Boston Gal...I think your service tech was right to give you the tried and true "set it and forget it" advice because an AC unit typically achieves its highest efficiency when it can maintain a constant temperature. However, there's no need for the constant temperature to be as low as 70 or 72! It can be whatever you want it to be. I think the Dept of Energy recommends 78 for the greatest energy savings.

 

Hmm, I don't have A/C (in the Boston area as well, and away from the shore). I guess having an A/C would be nice, and if I did, I would probably just leave it around 78 just so it doesn't hit the sweaty-80 mark.

 

OK - you have convinced me. I will raise the temp to 78 and leave it there. Hopefully that will keep the cool air flowing and my electric bill reasonable! :)

 

Yeow! At 70 I would freeze my a$$ off. I set mine at 80, or about 10 degrees below outside temp. If it's really humid but not particularly hot I might dip lower into the 70s to dry things out a little for sleeping.

You are still using your fans, right? And shorts and t-shirts? 70 with the fans would have me in long sleeves and jeans.

So far in spite of two hot spells well into the 90s, my electric bill has not gone above $30 (I pay about 12 cents/kwh).

I keep the windows closed and pay for heat during the cold months to keep winter out of the house, but I like summer. Why close the windows and pay for A/C to keep summer out (unless it turns ugly)? Up with the windows! Come on in!

I don't care how advanced the HVAC system you install, nothing is cooler (pun intended) than a summer breeze.

 

I just moved to a new apartment which has an air conditioning unit. I have yet to turn it on, and I am also trying to avoid turning it on (for fear of my electric bill)...I guess I'll just sleep in front of a few fans

 

Hey there, Boston gal,
Check out http://www.nstar.com/residential/energy_efficiency/spring_summer.asp
for the savings of setting your A/C temp to 77 degrees or above.

 

Gee,

As an HVAC technician for over 35 years, I can tel you that 75 degrees is just fine with me. How old is your central unit?

Ray

 

One of the things to remember is that using the AC will cut down on the humidity and not just the temperature. So setting the temp to a relatively high value like 78 will still make things more comfortable since the air is drier.

 

I'm with dcsmith.The killer 90 degree days are relatively few in Boston. Sleeping with AC makes my nose get stuffy so I use window fans. I have always hated overhead fans but during a May trip to Florida I discovered how well they work. I'm debating getting one installed in my bedroom for those nights when it is just sticky. Any advice?

 

I WISH I could do this....its almost 100 degrees down here in TN with like 100% humidty...the air is so thick you can't breathe! I do raise the a/c a few degrees higher though, because I heard it saves energy..I use cold water with our laundry, but I use the dryer....Also I turn the heat dry setting off on our dishwasher...luckily our electric bill is $120 or less.

 

During the day I leave my air on 80 degrees, but at night I have to turn it down to 78 or I can't sleep. A fan does help, though. I think 72 is really low, and I'd probably freeze!