Normally 73 in the summer, I have been known to set the upstairs to 72 at night sometimes. Everyone else freezes. 70-74 in the winter.

75 in summer; 70 in the winter during the day, 66 at night.

Offhand I don't recall what our thermostat is set for during the Winter months. But, for Summer it's set for 79º - we get a nice Sacramento Delta breeze, so the air conditioner doesn't come on at night unless it's really hot outside.

I’ve been feeling hot this summer, maybe hot flashes? Even with our tower fan going. We are in a heat wave here. So a few nights ago I lowered the night temp from 76 to 73, and have been sleeping all night long.

DH moved his office to the cooler first floor from upstairs, so maybe I can inch the daytime temp back up to 74 from 71.

70-72 in the summer. About 68 in the winter.

Ha, none of you must live in old houses. When it’s over 90, our thermostat is at 75 to keep the house at 81!😂😂😭.

Actually, besides not having much insulation were a little underpowered because of our addition - the HVAC system wasn’t that old when we did the work and it was in the cusp of being enough.

But when it’s cool at night we don’t need air at all until it’s in the mid 80’s thanks to lathe and plaster walls.

I was trying to do the suggested 78 to save energy but just could not do it. It is currently set at 75. Where I sit most of the time it is currently 80 and I have a fan on. At 78 the ac kept coming on and running for longer periods of time. Winter normally 68. I used to set a different day and night temperatures but found that leaving it one temperature used less energy.

It's odd to me if we are talking comfort that the temp wouldn't be the same all year 'round. BUT of course we too try and conserve. I could have the air off all day until time to start dinner--from then on it needs to be 74. We like it cool for sleeping so we have the thermostat at 55 winter and 72 summer. Winter I can't do cooler than 73 during the day. At work the thermostat is set at 65-68 and I come home a popsicle. The students all sit with their coats on.

arcy in this area the reason for the change in setting is that the summers are normally humid. This year it has been less humid but it is projected that we are beginning a drought. I just looked at my phone and outside the humidity is 61% with a temp of 86F. 61% is not that bad.

Summer: 79 during day, 77 evenings, 76 at night. Fans in whatever room we're in keep us comfy. Winter is 68 during day, 66 morning & evening, 64 at night.

The tabletop thermometer we keep in our bedroom always matches exactly what the thermostat is set to, and with the exception of the basement (always cooler) the whole house feels very evenly conditioned. Our old house had rooms that were hotter or colder than others, and none ever matched the thermostat setting. So thermostat = temperature is a welcome novelty!

I grew up in the northeast, where we pulled out our pretty sweaters, turtlenecks, and long underwear for our indoor life. I cannot tolerate a too warm house in the winter nor a frigid temp in the summer.

I love snuggling under quilts in my silk long underwear, my little electric fireplace glowing in the corner of my bedroom.

In the summer, we stay comfortable with fans to supplement our AC system.

Mine is set to off. We try not to use any central heating or air conditioning. We live in a temperate zone and have a house that is built on the side of a hill. Thus, we get good insulation on the lower floor from the earth and are able to vent out hot air, keeping us relatively cool in the summer. If the outside temperature stays above 90º F. for three or more days, then we will turn on the A/C after sunset to cool the house down so we can sleep. Our hottest months are August and September, so we aren't suffering as much as some of you.

At present it is 92 degrees outside, with 69% humidity. That is actually rather nice humidity wise... in the mornings it is near 100.

My AC has been on now for about 2 weeks, 24/7, set at 80 degrees.

I am comfortable. My joints don't hurt. In the winter I have it set at about 70, but I wear a lot of clothes... to not hurt. Arthritis SUCKS.

Moni

I've found that in each house I've lived in the thermostat settings are never near the same because of the layout of the house and air currents inside. I don't care to be in a house that is too warm, and I always set the temperature lower at night. Even one or two degrees makes a big difference in the quality of my sleep even though I don't feel the difference on my skin. Even though as a fire precaution doors should be closed during sleep I get very congested. What strange things our bodies are.

Right now it is 83 degrees out with 82% humidity, so the 'real feel' is 90 degrees. I've kept the thermostat on 80 degrees this summer, and supplement with fans when and where needed. I'm not able to be very active, so it's working for me so far. And the lower electricity bill helps, too. In the winter I keep it around 70, and wear more clothes. Again, being able to pay the bills is important to me.

Rusty

maifleur has it right, in places with consistently high summertime humidity or at such times elsewhere, a significant comfort factor created by air conditioning comes from how it dehumidifies inside air. That happens when the humid inside air passes by the AC's cold coils - water condenses out of the air onto the coil and is routed outside. It's the same effect as the moisture that condenses on the outside of a glass with ice in it. If your thermostat shows interior relative humidity, you'll see that number drops as the AC runs, the opposite of what you'd expect if the only thing happening were a drop in temperature.

Ceiling fans especially but other kinds of fans too can make higher inside temps much more comfortable (even with the AC running) because of the air movement. Especially true at night when sleeping.

Moni, you may know that the humidity number is RELATIVE humidity, it's the percentage of the maximum water vapor capacity at the stated temperature the air contains. Your 92 degree, 69% relative humidity air in the afternoon is the same air that at 70 degrees in the morning may be closer to 100% or even condense on the ground and feel much more muggy or with hazy visibility. Air can hold more water vapor as the temperature increases, and less as it decreases, so the relative humidity percentage of the same air changes when temperature changes, the two numbers move in opposite directions. Temp goes up, relative humidity decreases (warmer air has more capacity) and the reverse is happens when temp decreases.

Just a suggestion but rather than comparing the cost of electricity compare the KWH that are used.

78 right now. I hate being cold. In the winter it's 72. I will use a space heater in my bedroom, though, because 72 is too cold for me.

Our thermostat in Los Angeles is turned off - don't need cooling there - but in the desert, we have it set for 74° during the middle of the day, 76° in the late afternoon (for when we come in from the pool), and 75° at night, with ceiling fans on.

I keep kidding DH about this "meat locker". Since we're in a different, much smaller house, we are testing the power bills and cooling with wild abandon. He has it set to 75 during the day and 70 at night. When he leaves overnight every couple of weeks, I keep it at 78/72. I don't remember what we heated to, probably 68.

Nice clear explanations, Elmer, thank you. Now could you explain "dew point" -- is that tied to relative humidity? I can never remember.

Here in Missouri, it's typically rather humid. I keep the AC set at 78 morning and night, with ceiling fans on, and it's both decent in here, plus the power bill is affordable. In winter, I set the temp at 67 during the day and 60 overnight, as I sleep better in the cooler air. Heat pump with furnace backup, keeps the bill acceptable.

Long story short.....we have "no" AC, central heat or fans. The walls are 12" thick with hydronic radiant heat. Day temp = 70F. Night = 65F. Note: We're still sleeping with a down comforter.

DH is anemic and likes it warm.

When we run the AC (geothermal), we keep it set at 78. I think we've had it on only for 2 days so far this year.

For winter, we keep it at 69, and then build a fire in the woodstove during the day so it's often up to 75+ in the winter. But even on the coldest but sunny days in winter we will gain up to 4 degrees in temp from the sun.

In the summer I set it for 75, but by mid afternoon that's just a wish. We are having a heat wave and the inside temp probably goes to 80, but with ceiling fans it is still comfortable. In the winter it's set to 70.

Ours is set at 72 -73F. Day & night for summer.

Ceiling fans in every room, and running if we're in those rooms.

Mine is at 76 during the day and 70 at night. My house tends to be hot upstairs during the night so i have to keep the thermostat low so its comfortable for sleeping. If I happen to go downstairs during the night it is like the veritable meat locker down there. My other tricks are to close the downstairs vents so all the AC is forced upstairs ( plenty of cool air sinks down) and to run my ceiling fan. With that, I am comfy at night.

I remember office wars over the thermostat.. I was always freezing and had to keep a space heater under my desk. It was ridiculous. When we moved to a new office space, the thermostat was in my office. My much hated boss had it moved into her office so she could control it. Woe to anyone who moved it in her absence.

For the summer 78 degrees is the coldest I can take. This house has 12" thick walls also so it doesn't run much. One of the HVAC guys here has a client with 18" thick walls and they have to run their heat in the summer.

"Dew point is a better measure than relative humidity so far as comfort is concerned."

"Dew point" and "relative humidity" describe the same weather condition in different ways. One is derived from the other. Many people find the relative humidity reading more immediately understandable. It's simple and concise.

If it's 85 degrees and it's communicated that the dew point is 65, I'm not sure what that tells me about the present conditions I'm experiencing. If as an alternative I'm told it's 85 degrees and 65% relative humidity, that's comprehensible and comparable to other days and other situations without further thought.

Interior humidity readings on thermostats and devices always state relative humidity, not dew point. I think for the reason I stated. If the AC were running and instead it showed that the dew point dropped, I'm not sure whether to understand if the humidity is in a comfortable range or not. Do I need to add a dehumidifier because the AC isn't removing enough moisture from the air, or not?

mine is at 82 or maybe 84. I almost always have a fan running for air movement. in Nov I turn thee a/c off. the few wks in the winter I need heat I use my fireplace heater or other space heater. I usually only need it late at night or early morning.

I'm good with temps 68-78 outside.

Summer: 73 - 24/7

Winter: M-F during day, 62.... night 64......S & S: 64 24/7 i cannot stand a hot house. DH runs little heater in FR to take chill off.

Have ceiling fans that run 24/7. I hate the heat & the older I get the worse I am. Summer & winter it is set at 68 degrees & stays right there day or night.

73 during the summer.

SO likes it unbearably hot in the winter,But the thermostat is set at 75, he will supplement the heater with a space heater in whatever room he is in, a kerosene heater in the kitchen or a fire in the fireplace. It is not uncommon for our thermostat to read in the 80s in the winter. I can hardly stand it. When I get home in the morning and when he leaves for work, everything heat generating goes off.

Our present home is the only one I've lived in with dual returns (heating/cooling) for the forced air system. The furnaces are two-stage, with air cleaners, and flow-through humidifiers. Winter is 68 days and nights. We have a lot of French doors and windows on the south, but needed under-floor heat installed in north-facing rooms with high ceilings. It's a very *tight* house, new in 2001.

We run the system fans continually in summer. Our HVAC tech says fans last longer if they just run, rather than continually turning on and off, and it's comfortable to have the air circulating. Summer is 75 days; 68 nights.

77 for me, while hubby likes it at a cool 73. We compromise at set it at 75. If it were up to me, I wouldn't use the cooler except on the hottest of days as I don't like the feel of chilled air on my skin. I'd rather have the windows open and let the breeze in.

I like fresh air, too, but we haven't had any for weeks. The air quality in Chicago (and all the way up the lakeshore) is 'Worse than LA", according to the Chicago Tribune. I sure hope we get rid of the Present Occupant and reinstate the EPA. You can't eat corporate profits, you can't breathe 'em either.

"We run the system fans continually in summer. Our HVAC tech says fans last longer if they just run, rather than continually turning on and off, and it's comfortable to have the air circulating. "

I disagree with doing this for two reasons. The more important of the two is that you're raising the humidity in the house by keeping the fan running when the AC cycles off, and that produces less comfort, not more. Here's why:

The AC system dehumidifies the air when running (producing more comfort) because the inside air passes by the cold coils and moisture from the air condenses on them. Like water on the outside of a glass with ice. Every AC coil has piping that collects the condensate and runs it either to a drain or to the outside. You may know where that is. It's the same thing you see when you park a car on a hot day when the AC was running, there's a pool of water (condensation) that drips under the car. Same thing, same reason, same effect.

Anyway, in your home system the coil and the pan underneath that the water drips down to get wet when running. When the cooling cycle stops, they remain wet as the coil warms back up. By keeping the fan running, the air continues to pass through the coil and will pick up the remaining moisture that was removed from the cooling cycle, thus raising the relative humidity in the house.

A better practice is to have the fan operate only when the AC cycles on. If you want air movement, get some fans.

Second reason why I disagree - fans are meant to cycle on and off. Your HVAC guy is full of hooey. Most fans last longer than the systems they're installed in.

My other tricks are to close the downstairs vents so all the AC is forced upstairs

Dedtired, I recall that I used to close the upstairs vents during winter when I had a house, so only the first floor was heated. I can't recall now why it was, but I remember several people saying that it was bad for the system to close off a lot of vents?

Marital harmony has been achieved in our house with a mini-split system. Each room can be a different temperature. My husband likes it hotter in the winter and colder in the summer than I do. If the whole house was the temperature of his study I’d be very unhappy. I’m glad he can be comfortable.

We have a programmable thermostat. In summer it is set to 73 during the day and to go down to 71 at night. We like to sleep 'cool'. It automatically goes into night mode at 1030 and back up at 6 am I think. I will turn it down during the day sometimes if I am cleaning house. In the winter with the heat, we generally keep it at 70 during the day and down to 68 at night I think. I would have to check, it may be 67, I can't recall. Our house is well insulated and we live in North Alabama which is sweltering right now with heat and humidity, so we need the a/c. Sometimes the 73 degrees seems cool.

Unless it's a very large home with many vents, closing more than a one or two registers causes resistance to the blower fan and can lead to its early failure. Like running a small engine in a heavy vehicle only uphill, it's a load it's not designed to face.

It's the same reason why larger furnaces and AC systems need larger ducts and duct sizes are calculated based on physical requirements of the system. The ducts get sized large enough for the system in place to minimize unnecessary resistance. When closing registers, resistance is added. Not a good idea.

(PS - older homes typically have too small duct systems anyway. Mitigating that problem is that most of them leak. Both factors can be fixed but at a price)

77 in the summer & 73 winter (I am always cold)