Some summer days aren’t quite hot enough to warrant the use of your air conditioning. Days like that are perfect for having the windows open and the ceiling fans running to help circulate cool air.
But on these exceptionally hot or humid days when the A/C is a must-have, the Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 78 degrees. It’s a good temperature to keep your home comfortable and cool without making you lose your cool over your utility bill.
When you’re not at home, the recommendation is to turn your thermostat to 85 degrees. Now you might be thinking, why wouldn’t I just turn it off completely? And that’s a good question. But it takes a long time and a lot of energy to cool your house down. Rather than allowing your home to heat up and then returning home and attempting to cool it down again, keeping your home at 85 degrees requires less energy to get back to a cool state once you’ve returned.
Turning your thermostat up when you’re not home can help you cut down on your energy bill by 10% during the summer months.
An added benefit to running your A/C throughout the warm and particularly humid months is that your air conditioner acts as a dehumidifier. Keeping your thermostat set, even at a high temperature, will help cut down on the humidity level inside in addition to keeping you cool.
Maximize your efficiency by using ceiling fans in conjunction with your A/C to keep cool air circulating. However, unlike your air conditioner, running ceiling fans when you’re not in the room to enjoy the air circulation, is simply a waste of energy. Turn of ceiling fans when not at home or not in the room to help conserve energy and money.
