So what do you have your A/C set to?

[NickB79]

We've got ours at 77F, but we're lucky it's "only" been in the mid-90's up here in MN. I was curious what everyone else keeps theirs at.

Also, do you program yours in any particular way? Cooler or warmer at night for sleeping?

[H2O Man]

1. I don't.

There were a couple of AC units when I bought this house, but in 18 years, I've never used it. Not that it isn't hot around here lately. But I prefer to go sit out in the woods, where it is always comfortable.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. We only have fans

A/C doesn't work

[Motown_Johnny]

3. Off, right now

but I tend to turn it off at night and open up windows and doors. Then in the morning I close up the house and turn on the air.

[cilla4progress]

110. Me too!

We raised our thermostat to 75. Anything lower was too cold, and felt like waste!

[BlueJazz]

4. Mine stays on 71 degrees.

[turtlerescue1]

5. 72F.

TWC sends daily Alerts r/t heat. Today was 102 and tomorrow is predicted to be 104. We just had a couple pop up storms, so it'll be a sauna tomorrow.

Needless to say 72 Degrees feels wonderful and instantly relaxing after being outside.

Yah youbettcha.

[We are Devo]

6. At this moment, 72

I've had it on since 6 this morning. I cannot tolerate heat, it literally makes me ill. I'm in Los Angeles, btw. Oh, and I have it set on 75 all night.

[bitchkitty]

7. No A/C.

But I'm in Oregon, and lucky to have big trees all around my apartment building. It's a bit muggy today, but bearable.

[dballance]

35. I'm w/ bitchkitty. Off in Oregon.

Just open windows. Since I'm from the South originally it feels very pleasant here in Oregon.

[Denninmi]

8. Off today, thank God. It's cool, drizzling here in Michigan.

I just have a window unit, since it's a small, old house built well before central air, and in a "normal" year we might only have to turn the a/c on 4 or 5 days in the whole season. I usually set it around 72 to keep the entire house tolerable, cool in the living room where it is, warmer up to about 78/79 in the farthest bedroom.

I have another smaller one in the garage I could install in the far bedroom if I needed to, but even 100 degrees hasn't made that necessary.

I much prefer it this way, though, cool enough to have the windows open.

[nclib]

9. 79/80

79 during the day and 80 at night. Sometimes we'll turn it down if company comes over.

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. hi there!

you should come to Tomatopalooza - in Efland Sat July 28!

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. 80 overnight, 78 during the day - we are fine even when it's been 105 outside.

ceiling fans help considerably.

[safeinOhio]

11. When I go to work I set it at 78.

Get home and put it at 76.

Works for me.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Same as you

Any cooler than that and we are freezing to death.

Don

[kiva]

14. Got the swamp coolers on today,

and they're just on/off. The air conditioning is only for the humid days, mostly because I tend to turn it too low

[hlthe2b]

15. 78--- over 100 degrees here today

I use ceiling fans, a small evaporative cooler to keep the upstairs cool since the thermostat is downstairs.

[Art_from_Ark]

16. My AC here in Japan is kept to a minimum

The office where I work has it set to about 80 degrees F due to the company's efforts to avoid rolling blackouts in the TEPCO service area. At home, the air conditioner is run only when the mugginess becomes unbearable, and only in one room at a time. The temperature is initially set to about 68 degrees for fast cooling, then raised to about 78 after the room has sufficiently cooled. Fans are used at night.

[Zanzoobar]

29. I don't think it works that way

They work like furnaces. The fan may be adjustable, but not the temperature released by the unit.

Only one temperature is generated by the unit.

[Art_from_Ark]

44. There is a temperature setting in the remote control

as well as a fan speed setting (automatic, low, medium, high). There is also a setting for "dehumidifier", which is nearly as effective as the "air conditioner" setting, as well as a digital display of the estimated cost to run the unit at the current temperature and fan speed settings.

[Zanzoobar]

47. So it's related to the fan speed.

That I can understand. I don't think my fan is adjustable.

[Art_from_Ark]

56. Fan speed does play a role, but

Running the fan on High at 19 degrees C is going to turn the room into a refrigerator, while running it on High at 27 deg C is not going to be very noticeable. The air conditioner actually consists of two units-- one which is installed in the wall of the house, and one which is installed below that unit outside the house and is connected to the house unit by a fairly large hose.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

65. Do you have a ductless mini-split?

[Art_from_Ark]

70. I had to look up photos of "ductless mini-split" to see exactly what it is

And yes, that's what I have.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

96. I just re-read your post and saw Japan. It's a no-brainer. Mini splits are big there.

They are becoming popular in the states (Home Depot carries and displays them now).

They're great for retrofitting older homes without ducts (boiler homes or homes with base board heat). They're also great for new energy efficient alternatives.

I'm considering installing a system in my third floor 2 bedroom condo in Chicago when the time for a new central A/C system arrives (soon).

Even though I have ducts I'm considering the minis to bypass my ducts which run through an un-conditioned attic/crawl. We managed to blow in a bunch of cellulose last year to bury the main trunk and some of the duct branches but some ducts are still marginal. We also deleted some ducts and tapped in to the main trunk in the living area (open floor plan).

Some experts say, even under good circumstances, ducts are responsible for 30% loss in efficiency. I was probably losing 50%. (between the new cellulose, duct reconfiguring, and window film, we have a HUGE drop in electric bills and huge increase in comfort).

The mini-split pumps refrigerant to the individual zone or zones. Much more efficient.

The added bonus for me would be a heat pump that is part of the system. A heat pump for Chicago isn't ideal as the heat pumps lose efficiency under 18ish? degrees Celsius. But a heat pump would be a great heat source for fall and most winter days. I'll still have my only 10 year old furnace to do the heavy lifting.

The draw back for me would be mounting registers on the walls. It would look a little out of the ordinary in this market as the systems are relatively new. But I have run across some systems that have a flush mount ceiling register that is hardly noticeable.

[Art_from_Ark]

101. The mini-splits are very efficient

At the peak heat time, the digital display on the air conditioner (in dehumidifier mode) estimates that the cost per hour is not much more than 10 yen-- or 12 cents-- which is roughly equivalent to a half kilowatt hour.

The heater part of the unit works very well, too-- although it doesn't get as cold as Chicago here. Our lowest temperature this past winter was around 12 degrees F, and only in the early morning, for about 2 weeks.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

108. My furnace is only 12 years old but the A/C compressor has to be 20 plus.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it does, I may spend the $3-4k on a highly efficient mini-split. Versus the same amount on an old fashioned compressor ducted system.

I can probably install it myself (hard core DIYer semi-pro here). The 220 power is already on the roof and the minis come pre-charged with refrigerant. Evacuating, testing and purging the system takes some knowledge and specialized tools I would have to purchase. I'll never use those tools again if I have to purchase them. I may go it on my own or find someone with tools that I can trust to do the refrigerant piece for a fee.

We had a handful of super cold days here so a natural gas furnace is nice to have. Even in the absence of a "real" furnace, my understanding is the minis will heat - just not as efficiently. The mini kicks in to "emergency" mode and heats with a heating element.

[Art_from_Ark]

116. $3-4K for a mini-split?

I think mine cost around 120,000 yen ($1500 or so, including installation)

[Hassin Bin Sober]

117. I haven't done much shopping yet. But I'll need a 3 zone unit.

I'm assuming the splits are cheaper there (most are Japanese or Korean made). Also, they are still relatively new here. I've asked a few HVAC guys about them and got answers ranging from puzzled looks to 'yeah, we are starting to do those'

Hopefully the prices will come down more (they appear to have since I heard of these things).


Here's an LG - Life is Good (formerly known as Lucky Goldstar). Not that I would every buy an LG anything again.




3Zone Heat-Cool Multi-Split Standard Package - (3)LMN096HVT & (1)LMU247HV - 27,000 BTU
SKU:LG3HV27S
Brand: LG


3 Zone Heat-Cool Multi-Split Standard Package - (3)LMN096HVT & (1)LMU247HV - 27,000 BTU Qty Price
$3,241.95 / each

[Zanzoobar]

83. My mind is blown!

I'm a techno-fool.

[footinmouth]

92. We have the mini-split

and we love it. It cools the entire downstairs quite nicely. We keep it set at 70 degrees during the day, and turn it off at night. We have one portable unit upstairs in our bedroom and we try to keep that one around 70. It strugges to keep up. It's been very hot here in Buffalo, NY.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

103. Do you use the heat pump for heat also? Is it your primary system or do you have a furnace?

Boiler?

[jade3000]

105. It's based on temperature, provides a differential

A window AC provides a roughly consistent drop in temperature between the air it brings in and the air it sends out. So it will make the room cooler over time. It doesn't provide a fixed temperature output. The thermostat basically tells the AC when to stop running. Once it's bringing back air that's below the set point, it'll turn off the compressor (and fan, depending on your settings). Then the air temperature will slowly start to rise due to heat from sun through the windows, people inside, etc. until the thermostat turns the AC on again.

I set mine at 78 F when I'm home and 80 F when I'm out during the day.

[tridim]

17. 78 is perfect IMO. My work A/C is set to 68. Brrrrr.. Server room.

[RoccoR5955]

30. They hang meat in my server room.

It must be about 36F

[RC]

79. Cold is hard on the hard drives. They will fail sooner.

Around 70/75°F is fine in the server room and saves money too.

[tridim]

120. I agree. We don't even have that many servers.

I lobby daily for them to turn the AC to a normal temperature.

In the mean time, thank jebus for fleece.

[RKP5637]

74. I remember well just about freezing in server rooms working on

equipment. I used to take a jacket. Way back we used to work to chip level. Schematics, scope and some sw routines, hours, man did it get cold. ... especially when the vented false floor was all around the CPU - standing there with cold air blowing up your pant legs. Brrrr....

[soccer1]

18. 74 degrees day and night.

[RKP5637]

19. Same, 77F. Also have a couple of window auxiliary units and keep them at 78F so they

kick in when the temp really starts to rise. Temp here has been over 100F a lot and next week forecast for about 108F +. One main air intake draws from the basement (furnished) which is very cool. I should set the main house higher for night and just use the window units for the bedrooms.

[tammywammy]

20. 74 when I'm home, 85 when I'm not.

A/C was broken for over a week and just got replaced today, house still cooling down from 92.

[LadyHawkAZ]

21. 73

The airflow in this place is lousy and if we set it higher, the apartment never cools down.

[customerserviceguy]

85. Same here

The thermostat is in the dining room, and the bedroom is two levels of stairs above that. With fans on, it works for us, but tonight it finally cooled down, and I could turn the thing off for a few days.

[procon]

22. Mojave desert...

78 during the day, 84 at night. The house is well insulated and we can usually make it until noon with just the ceiling fans before the AC kicks on. The outside temp is between 104 - 112, but there can be as much as 60 drop at night so we usually have the windows open and blankets on the bed.

[littlewolf]

23. 78 here .... also using fans and ceiling fans .... nt

[AsahinaKimi]

24. I CAN'T really set my A/C....

You see, its KINDA HUGE...

[Odin2005]

68. Quit bragging!!!

[AsahinaKimi]

77. awww...

sorry! I would send you some if I could!! Really!!

[Odin2005]

87. It was almost 100F in Fargo, today.

I am so sick of this heat.

[AsahinaKimi]

91. Is that dry heat?

Or do you have humidity as well? When I lived down in Santa Barbara and it got really hot, my best friend was a bottle that was used for misting plants. I also had a big box fan. The combination of those two really helped. I also wore a bikini.. didn't want to get my clothes drenched! I loved the high setting... and even if it did push hot air around, the spritzing helped as did the ice in the bottle.
(squirms)

[Odin2005]

95. Humid heat, Dew Point was 75F.

(A DP over 60F is considered sticky)

[AsahinaKimi]

99. oh my...

I have been in high heat with humidity... you almost can't breath... and if you have allergies its even worse. I would rather be in 112 degrees with dry heat, than be in 80 degrees with high humidity.


Still an ice water spritzer can work in that icky stuff.

[RKP5637]

80. I used to almost freeze in SFO at night, then lived in Ebay, oh, it used to

get cold at night. From the spa to the house was like a deep freeze at night.

[AsahinaKimi]

89. just to let you know..

I am typing this next to my space heater, which is up all the way.

[RKP5637]

93. Ohhhh, definitely, I can believe that ... and I used to go out at night

sometimes with just a T-shirt or light short sleeved shirt. I froze.

I really miss the fog rolling in, that's incredible! Such a beautiful city!!!

[AsahinaKimi]

97. When I lived in Arizona...

I remember being amazed at 12 midnight, the temperature could be a dry 90 degrees. I used to run outside in a tee shirt, shorts and flip flops and run around.


Here its totally different... If I did that, they would have to give me aide for hypothermia. Once the fog comes in at night, it has a way of sneaking though walls, cracks, windows, though clothing, under blankets... and chill you to the bone. Tonight is a typical San Francisco night.

brrrr...

[Edweird]

25. Stun

[virgogal]

26. Only put in on for bedtime,and very cool.

[greytdemocrat]

27. 77 in the summer...

Of course in SW Florida it's always summer.

Edit: Ceiling fans help a lot too!!!!

[RoccoR5955]

28. 110 volts, 60 Hz. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

31. What is this "A/C" of which you speak?

I know, I know, I'm Canadian. But we're regretting we don't have it.

Sometimes, we have to abandon the house to seek relief from this heat. We had 15 minutes of rain the other day. First rain in a month.
The corn is dying and the marshes and streams are dry near the house.

I've never seen such hot, dry weather here in Ontario.

[jberryhill]

32. "Permanent Press"

[unblock]

33. 120v

[permatex]

34. We like to keep it at 80-85

We live in So. Nv., but, as they say, it's a dry heat, so not as bad as the mid west or east. I like to say, yeah, it's a dry heat which means you burn up that much faster. LOL.

[annabanana]

36. Stun .. . . . . n/t

[Texasgal]

37. 74 at night

79 during the day while we are gone. I have dogs and a fifteen your old diva cat.

[Iggo]

38. Off.

Unless, of course, we have guests over. I mean, we're not jerks!

[femmocrat]

39. 74 usually.

We also use ceiling fans and a couple of tower fans. We turn it up to 78 or off when we leave the house. When it's cooler (like in the morning), we turn it off.

This has been a really hot and muggy summer here in PA. The weather person said it was the warmest first six months of the year on record and 9th warmest June.
Everyday is the same... 90 and humid. I am so looking forward to winter!

[nevergiveup]

40. 80 during the day while I am at work

and 75 when I get home in the evening.

[riderinthestorm]

59. +1. I work outside all day, dogs are with me so 80 feels heavenly when I walk in

to eat breakfast, lunch or to grab a drink. The dogs stay out with me all day so I'm not worried about them overheating.

We turn it down at night to 75 so we can sleep. If its forecasted to be 75 or cooler then we switch the A/C off by 10 pm and open the windows.

[mnhtnbb]

41. Our new house has 3 zones and all are programmable.

We have ceiling fans in every room. Hubby keeps his office cooler
in the daytime--74--and I keep the other zones at 76 or 77.
At night his office zone is up to 78, living room at 78, our bedroom
at 76 with the ceiling fan on all night.

[RKP5637]

78. That's a wonderful way to have it set up, 3 zones. We need that

here, but just too costly to retrofit. The house is very well insulated, so we kind of simulate that with the main AC and then a couple of window units. Fans sure make a huge difference. I'm always amazed at how far a little AC can go with fans.

[mnhtnbb]

88. One of the benefits of building our own house after the fire was getting the HVAC done to our specs

because most of the process sure was a PITA.

[RKP5637]

94. Here, they overtaxed the system when they finished the basement into a really nice lower level. An

additional central system should have been installed, but instead they tapped off the first floor to feed the lower level. It works rather well, since the basement is cool, but a zoned unit would have been nice. Yep, best getting it done to your specs.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. 72, but that's only because it's a little bitty window unit

that is able to produce only about 78 if I set it to 72.

[panader0]

43. No AC here, (Az) just a swamp cooler.

It works pretty good when it's hot and dry, but lately we've had the monsoon humidity and I turn it to vent only, just a fan.
Jeannie thinks if we leave it on fan while we're gone it'll cool the house, I maintain that fans do not lower the temperature unless the air hits your body. Perspiration.

[badhair77]

45. We set it at 77

and we close off rooms we do not use. The bedrooms seem to be warmer because our house has an open floor plan and the heat rises up. So we also use the ceiling fans at times. It's been 90+ almost all month. We've spent some holidays and weekend days outside for a few hours but usually we stay inside. I can't stand the heat. Also, we try not to use the oven and stove. We grill or make cold sandwiches or salads.

[IDemo]

46. 120v, 60Hz

[FarPoint]

48. 68 F............

............It's nice...house is well insulated...really.

[GoCubsGo]

69. That's about what I have it set for nighttime.

I have a programmable thermostat. Most of the day, it's at 76 degrees in the summer, and much lower at night, with periods in between to ease things to the other temperature. I only keep it that cold at night so that I can sleep. I get really hot at night. It's a weird thing that runs in the family.

[sakabatou]

49. We don't have one. All we have are fans.

[Incitatus]

50. 78 and I rarely use the heat in the winter. (Florida)

I ceiling fans in the bedrooms, office, and living room and only use them when those rooms are occupied.

[RegieRocker]

51. 15 degrees lower than the outside ambient temperature

lately 85 during the day and 75 at night

[MrMickeysMom]

52. 76 the lowest...

when I'm having a hot flash after moving to the upper floor, or cooking dinner, or blow drying my hair.

[Marie Marie]

53. 78 F all the time.

Our upstairs always feels a lot warmer but our ceiling fans help with that.

[Nye Bevan]

54. 75.

I love the feeling of walking into my house on a hot and humid day.

[AnOhioan]

55. No central air..just a window unit that I set at 79 when it gets up into the upper 80's or 90's

[kestrel91316]

57. I tend to have it set at 78 when I am around, and 84 when it's

just the cats. It's dry enough that it's tolerable.

I'd be bankrupt if I tried to cool it to even 76. It tends to run 24/7 at the office AND here at home if I set it that low.

[KarenS]

58. 77F ~ here in Arizona this time of year it's usually one-oh-something each day.

It's monsoon season as well so the humidity is up.

77 day and night.

[Spirochete]

60. Mine is at 76 n/t

[ForgoTheConsequence]

61. Cranked.

I keep mine at a brisk 54 degrees.

[demosincebirth]

62. Mine's at 77.

[longship]

63. What's air conditioning?

I am one of those "you people" who don't live in the lap of such luxuries.

When it's hot outside, it's hot inside. When it's cold outside, I try very hard not to freeze to death. That is what poor people do.

[marybourg]

64. 82 altho it's about 107 out. This is

where the famous "dry heat" comes into play. The humidity is about 8% so it's not an issue. 80-82 is what most of my neighbors are comfortable with also.

[died-in-1994]

66. 77 all day

[Odin2005]

67. 70F. I cannot tolerate heat and humidity at all.

Even in the 70s I feel sick because it is soo damn humid.

[Hippo_Tron]

71. It depends on the humidity

If it's dryish, probably 73-74 and thus it's not really running once the sun goes down. If it's humid, I will turn it down to 70-71 and it will be running rather frequently.

[Lil Missy]

72. 68 n/t

[SoCalDem]

73. 72...life is too short to be sweaty

[oldhippie]

75. 76 almost all the time .....

.... and ceiling fan going in whatever room I am in.

[one_voice]

76. When it's hot..74 all day until...

11 at night...then it drops to 72 till 8 in the morning..then back to 74. If I had my way it'd stay at 72 all the time. But I was freezing my hubby to death.

Keep my heat at 68/69 and he's freezing then too. Used to be I was always cold and he was hot, we've changed places now. He just puts on a sweat shirt.

I much prefer being able to open my windows even if it's a little warm during the day, if it's cool at night, nothing better for sleeping!

[flyguyjake]

81. Same all summer

I keep ours at 75* all summer day & night

[JesterCS]

82. 73. but im in the basement so its about 65.

[tech3149]

84. Generally 78 but if it weren't for my 90 y/o mother, it would be off

I'm lucky that the house is shaded from at least the morning sun. I manage the use of AC manually. When the temp falls to something matching or below the inside I open up all the windows and doors. I'll put a couple of box fans in the windows to help the wind. Most nights get down to 65 but the house won't get below 70. If the nights don't cool down I will run the fan on the furnace to draw cool air from the cellar. That is usually about 65 to 70 anytime of the year.

[DCBob]

86. 79 night 82 day

[csziggy]

90. Ours is set at 76 F but the room I spend most time in stays at 79-80

The thermostat is in the hall so there is not as much exposure to sunlight and windows. The room with my computer and needlework has three walls that are mostly windows and gets direct morning sun so it heats up early. My husband spends his time at home upstairs and it gets warmer there, too. Both rooms also have added heat from the computers and TVs.

Our house is well insulated - we tried adjusting the programming for the thermostat and it really didn't do that much good. The temperature stays pretty constant in all the rooms no matter what.

[Kalidurga]

98. On, I don't have temperature control.

I found out the hard way that I have to have my a/c running. When it was over 90 degrees it didn't work very well. It would have been cool enough for most people to tolerate, but I got very sick. I brought in an extra fan to blow the cool air back toward me so the a/c is working better now even when it gets over 90 degrees.

[Marrah_G]

100. I have it set to "as cold as I can get it"

hormones + getting old = omfgiamhotallthetime

[highplainsdem]

102. 75F

[gopiscrap]

104. as low as it will go

49 degrees

[lunasun]

106. 84 day/night lower to 79 when cooking or heavy work briefly then return 84 but we all sleep

in the finished basement rooms@ night on these hot months in the

last few years ..and there is an all house fan in the attic that draws air up

..used to be cool @night but not this summer or much of last lots of 90-100 days....

rarely used the porch to eat on or sit out on the picnic table this year

too damn hot!!(Illinois)
a public pool in town would be nice but no such thing

[Tikki]

107. The Pacific Ocean...

breeze....


Tikki

[ChazII]

109. Keep it set at 80 degrees

even when it hits 115.

[grantcart]

111. Full blast

but at 110 it only gets it down 85.

At night turn it off if its under 90.

[yewberry]

112. Don't have AC.

Eh, in the Seattle area, we rarely need it.

[laundry_queen]

113. I just have a small portable unit

I'm in Canada and while we rarely need it, I have a really crappily (yes, that's a word, lol) insulated 2-story and my bedroom is freezing in the winter, which is okay, I can pile on the clothes, but is an oven in the summer, even in moderate temps. And it's mostly MY room, not the other 2 bedrooms where my kids are, since the sun shines right in my room when the sun sets and the white blinds help only a small bit. Anyhow, when the temps are normal, I keep it at 76. Recently we had hellish weather where we hit 92 degrees with 80-something % humidity (so it 'felt' like over 100). Not normal for here at all - usually at 90 degrees we are at 10% humidity, LOL. So I totally couldn't deal with it. I kept it at 70 at night so it could keep up with the heat and I could sleep. It has a remote I keep on my night stand so if it gets cool enough, I can just raise the temp in the middle of the night.

My downstairs is perfectly cool and fine and doesn't need a/c at all, even on hot days it only reaches 25 C (77 F).

[JVS]

114. On

[BoWanZi]

115. 68 if at all possible. I hate the heat. The perfect day should be 72 outside, no hotter

[hfojvt]

118. apparently 84

when it does not cool off much and it is over 100 degrees and sunny, my two little window air conditioners cannot keep up. My target temperature is 80, but I sometimes cannot hit it. 84 is bearable though with no shirt, no shoes, a cold drink and a fan on.

[Blue_In_AK]

119. No A/C here ... EVER.

I have the thermostat set at 68, which is where it stays all year round.

[glinda]

121. 74-75 mn.