What is your thermostat set at?

[Gumby]

We have a 163 year old house in Connecticut. We have no AC, and radiators for heating. Currently, the thermostat is off. We open the windows at night and close them and draw the blinds during the day. In July, we'll install a window air conditioner in the bedroom so we can sleep.

 

[aja8888]

Last used heat in January of 2015.

I have 2 AC units, neither work, and have never turned on AC in a house I owned.
I use a fan maybe 10 days in the summer.

I have no idea if the thermostat works or not.

When we lived in Thousands Oaks, Ca (Ventura County), we never used the A/C unit, but did run the heat in the winter on occasion.

Here in Houston, TX, it's a different story!

 

[teachme]

No central HVAC in current home although it has spray foam insulation and today in TX was 82 in the house which was a few degrees cooler than outside. Although seemed nice and cool after working out outside in the sun When the real heat comes will turn on window units and they will keep house as cool as we want but usually we do not go much below 76 in the summer when it is 100+ outside.

Winter we use computer equipment that is constantly doing processing which keeps house warm enough, coldest I remember was this winter it got around 64 but usually it we do not let it get much warmer than 70 before we open windows.

 

[GeneS]

68 Gas heat, Nov-March
78 AC, July-Sept
Evap cooler, April-June & Oct, no thermostat

Tucson AZ

 

[fruitful]

68 winter
76 summer

until our 30+-year-old A/C and 20-year-old heating unit give up the ghost. getting bids on replacement now...

 

[RetiredAtThirty-eight]

Live near the water in Western Washington. We are most comfortable at:

68F day, 64F night.

We turn the boiler off from May-Sept. and maintain comfortable temperatures by opening the windows at night and closing them before the day gets warm. We don't have A/C but would only use it a week or two/year so it's not really worth putting in.

 

[SCarpenter]

75 heat. 76 cool

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Winter: (September thru May)
Heat set at 66 when we're home; 62 at night and while we're at work
Summer: (June thru August)
A/C set at 68 during the day and 65 at night.

 

[travel55]

Fl. We keep our daytime a/c about 78, 79 with a fan or 2 on. Overnight at 72 with a fan. Winter here in FL heat will be turned on when needed.
Windows open whenever possible. We are close to the beach so the seabreeze is wonderful.

 

[Car-Guy]

We don't have air conditioning,

Yikes!!! That's scary to someone who lives in Texas with summer coming...
Heck we keep large AC window unit on standby just in case our central air goes out.

Anyway, "my" preferred temp is ~71 winter and summer. Maybe lower at night.

 

[Big_Hitter]

72 right now - still have the heat on - normally we have the heat set at 70 but I got cold on the golf course yesterday

 

[REWahoo]

Yikes!!! That's scary to someone who lives in Texas with summer coming...
Heck we keep large AC window unit on standby just in case our central air goes out.

+1

I'm of the opinion back-up cooling is an absolute necessity. I grew up in Texas without air conditioning and have no desire to revisit "the good old days", even temporarily.

Many years ago we converted our unused screened porch to a playroom for the grandkids. It has a PTAC unit we can use in case of central air failure, plus we can run it on our portable generator in case of power failure. We've used that room as a refuge from the heat half a dozen times or more in the 20+ years we've lived in this house.

 

[papaof2]

68 winter with night setback. The gas logs in the family room see frequent use as it's at the far end of the house from the thermostat and, even with added insulation and double-pane windows, the room is often several degrees cooler than the thermostat shows.

78 summer, but occasional drop of one or two degrees, sometimne for as little as 20 minutes, just enough to get the A/C running for its dehumidification value. Thermostat has automatic return to the set temperature after four hours if we forget to set it back up.

 

[Big_Hitter]

+1

I'm of the opinion back-up cooling is an absolute necessity. I grew up in Texas without air conditioning and have no desire to revisit "the good old days", even temporarily.

+1 - same here - we had a backup window unit just in case

one of my buddies had a dorm at TAMU that had no A/C - don't know how he did it

 

[statsman]

I'm of the opinion back-up cooling is an absolute necessity. I grew up in Texas without air conditioning and have no desire to revisit "the good old days", even temporarily.

We moved into a newly built house here in Central Texas a year ago. I've thought about this and wondered what our options were. While I expect the new HVAC unit to last a long time, I'm more concerned about the electornics surviving a power outage, especially one triggered by a lightning strike (had one of those earlier this month - lightning strike nearby caused the power to immediately go out, returning a few seconds later).

 

[RE2Boys]

Most years we heat to 68, AC set at 76. We do have a gas fireplace in family room so one room is toasty in evenings.

This past winter though we heated to 70, I was constantly feeling chilled. Found out that it was being caused by a medication I was on, among other side effects. So glad to be off that drug.

 

[mickeyd]

77 day/72 night.

 

[Poopycat]

In cold weather, 72 day/68 night. Maybe 73 if it’s really, really cold out.

In warmer weather, I keep at 72 during the day and turn it off at night. I’m warm-blooded so if 72 doesn’t feel cool enough for me, I’ll drop the temp to 70 for a little while.

I’ve been doing my best to just turn the system off as much as possible. It’s off now and the room temp is 67. It’s a bit chilly but I’m doing ok.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'm more concerned about the electornics surviving a power outage, especially one triggered by a lightning strike (had one of those earlier this month - lightning strike nearby caused the power to immediately go out, returning a few seconds later).

Consider getting/using surge protector(s), especially for your sensitive electronics. Or even better, UPS w/surge protection.

 

[aaronc879]

Mine varies depending on how I feel but a good average is:

Heat: 70/day, 60/night
AC: 78/day, 75 night--fan on in bedroom if needed

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I like a cool house.
In the 12 years we have lived here, the central heating has never been turned on - north central California. Instead we heat the body with heating pads/electric blankets. When the inside temp drops below 50F, we will use a space heater to temper the immediate surrounds.
During the hot summer, I use the step-down thermostat to gradually lower the temp to 64F by morning. The AC stays off through the heat of the day then resumes the cooling cycle by early evening.

 

[Planner]

Heat - 74 day, 66 night.
Cool - 78 day, 75 night


Phoenix area

 

[Calico]

I grew up in New England, lived in the Chicago suburbs for ten years, and spent two years in Maine. I cannot abide being cold, and I will pay whatever I have to for propane to stay warm now.

Central North Carolina

Heat - 73 day, 70 night.
Cool - 76 day, 71 night

 

[Rustic23]

While my earlier post answered the question ask, it is worthless without knowing there are ceiling fans in every room but the bathrooms and dining room.

 

[FrankiesGirl]

We moved into a newly built house here in Central Texas a year ago. I've thought about this and wondered what our options were. While I expect the new HVAC unit to last a long time, I'm more concerned about the electornics surviving a power outage, especially one triggered by a lightning strike (had one of those earlier this month - lightning strike nearby caused the power to immediately go out, returning a few seconds later).

We turn off the HVAC during electrical storms. We've lost one unit about 15 years ago, and for the cost, I'm willing to put up with a sweaty night to be able to keep it the rest of the time without spending lots of money to repair. And the added hassle of waiting for the repair companies to get to us (as usually we weren't the only ones dealing with issues).



For the main question:

Gulf coast of Texas. Can't even imagine how anyone could live here without A/C. We have slowly acclimated to higher temp/humidity in the name of saving both money/environmental impact, so the temps I'm seeing on average are shocking to me. Not saying that as a judgement; just amazed at my own household being comfortable at the levels we set things. We have to bring in jackets to most stores because it feels like walking into a freezer.

A/C is off or set up to 84 during the day to cut humidity. Unless we're doing lots of movement inside, then we'll set it down to 80 so we don't get overheated (housework/exercise). We use ceiling fans to circulate air, keep window coverings closed, planted shade trees to help. Set to 78 at night, sleep with fans as well. Unless someone is sick or otherwise feeling badly, the A/C is turned off from morning around 7am to noonish until the heat gets too bad.

Winters are mild and we see below 40F temps rarely. We have gas heat, but rarely turn it on. Did not use at all last year. I think the lowest we got was 60-ish inside (it got to the high 40s outside). We did set it to 60-62 one year we got actual hard freeze warnings over a 4 night period many years ago.

We LOVE the cold, and I have a lovely collection of blankets/quilts and long sleeved/sweaters that are greatly neglected. I grew up much further north, with a dad that threatened any kid that even looked at the thermostat, and still hear "if you're cold, go put on a sweater or do some work around the house - you'll warm up quick" in his voice.