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sauergeek ([personal profile] sauergeek) wrote2016-07-29 12:29 pm
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Thermostat settings

The AC at work[1] has public-access thermostats. As I've been thinking about my own carbon footprint lately, I've been paying attention to what those thermostats are set to. They all seem to be set rather cold -- mostly in the 71-73[2] range, but on a few occasions, I've seen as low as 68. I try to keep the one near me at 75, but occasionally people set it lower.

At home, I also have central AC. When I'm not home, it's shut off. When I am home, it's set to 78. If it's cool enough outside, I shut off the AC, open up some windows, and set a fan to try to get air circulating through them.

Do you have an air conditioner? If so, is it central or room? And either way, where do you have the thermostat[3] set?

[1] Nominally central, but in actuality a bunch of separately controlled units with a 40+ year age span.
[2] All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. It's what they're all instrumented in, and what I most easily think in.
[3] I'm assuming your room AC, if that's the case, has a thermostat, instead of a "more cool/less cool" control.
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jered: (Default)

[personal profile] jered 2016-07-29 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Central, programmable stats:
2nd floor: 85 away, 74 home
1st floor: 74 daytime (for the dogs), 85 nighttime (the're upstairs with us)
Basement: 74 always, barely runs, for dehumidification

This is mostly for cost rather than carbon footprint. While I still do it, I've been thoroughly convinced that any individual conservation, recycling, etc efforts are bullshit things to make use feel better about ourselves rather than make any difference toward the environment. Until there are business regulations, nothing makes a difference since you account for the tiniest fraction of consumption.

We need to stop inconveniencing ourselves for the sake of appearances, because it just avoids ever having the conversations on things that could actually make a difference.

[identity profile] fidgetmonster.livejournal.com 2016-07-29 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I have central air, set to 75, occasionally lower because the room with the thermostat doesn't get the afternoon sun. I haven't tested whether the thermostat is correct in its measurements, but heretofore I always used 77/78 in the summer and was comfortable, but in this current place that feels really hot. I personally love having windows open but in the southern states have gotten in trouble with the humidity and mildew issues if I don't at least nominally run the ac sometimes.

I had one tenant who would set the temp in the summer to 68. and in the winter to 75. Logically that makes no sense! I tried to point out how wasteful this was, not to mention hard on the systems. Don't know if it did any good--they were used to never having to pay for utilities.

[identity profile] xeger.livejournal.com 2016-07-30 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
I do not have central AC, which mean that the (single) window AC is set to either 69 or 70, which keeps the rest of the house around 76 or 77.

Blinds generally stay drawn during the day, to reduce incoming heat -- and windows/fans get opened if it's cool enough (and dry enough).

[identity profile] kazmat.livejournal.com 2016-07-30 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Central air: 75F when I'm home, system off when I'm not (where "not" means traveling, since when I'm not traveling, I'm home 24x7). I've had my AC on for the sum total of a week and half this year. In the winter, oil heat set at 60F when home and 45F when not (to keep the pipes from freezing). If I'm gone for more than a couple weeks, I'll drain the pipes and shut off the water, too. Unsurprisingly, I show up as extremely efficient to my electric company.
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[personal profile] mindways 2016-08-09 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
We have room-ish AC: ductless minisplits. One big one for the dining room/living room on the 1st floor, room-specific ones for our workrooms, bedroom, and guestroom. If we turn them all on, the effect resembles central AC, carrying over to most of the house (save the sunporch).

All units are off by default. When turned on, they tend to get set in the 75-78 range. (Once I set mine to 80 during a heat wave.) Occasionally I'll set the downstairs one as low as 72 if I'm having a lot of people in the dining room playing games; AFAICT, "72 at unit" == "75-76 at people".

One of the many lovely things about minisplits is that they don't use up windows, so even in rooms with only one window when the weather cools off we can just open the window instead.
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