Deciding on the best temperature to set your air conditioner to can be a real process. It gets especially complicated when you have several people living in the home. But, the temperature on your air conditioner’s thermostat has a serious impact on your power bill.
Here are some ways that will help you decide on the best temperature for your home:
Energy Star recommends that you set your thermostat for 78 degrees. This is thought to be a comfortable temperature for most people and an energy-efficient temperature for your power bill. First, try 78 degrees on your thermostat and see if it is a temperature that works for you and your household.
If 78 degrees is too warm, lower the temperature by one degree an hour until you find a temperature that works for you. Make this the temperature that you set your thermostat for while you are home and awake. Be aware that each degree cooler that you make the thermostat will effect your power bill.
If 78 degrees is comfortable to you, try raising the temperature by a couple of degrees. Raise the temperature by as many degrees as you can and still be comfortable. Make that the temperature you set the thermostat for when you are away from the home. For maximum cost-effectiveness, this temperature should be at least seven degrees warmer than your base temperature.
Next, you will need to determine a comfortable temperature to set while you are asleep. This should be at least four degrees warmer than your base temperature. But, if you can sleep in a room that is a bit warmer, this is a good thing to try as you are sleeping for at least six hours and that can have a big impact on your monthly power bill.
Most people can sleep comfortably in a warm room and you can always run ceiling fans or, box fans to keep your room cooler. Plus, once the sun goes down the temperature outside gets much cooler and having the windows open will cool off your room by several degrees.
With the major points on most people’s minds being saving money and saving power – finding ideal sleep, awake, and away air conditioner temperatures is an exercise that is well worth the time.