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Jrs6494
Member
03-30-2006
| Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 8:46 pm
Since it is getting warmer out I was wondering what everyone sets their AC to in the spring and summer. This is my first spring in my own house and I have no idea what to set the AC to. Let me know, thanx.
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Oldtex
Member
03-06-2006
| Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 9:01 pm
Jrs, in the spring, I wait as long as I can stand it before turning on the AC. I have great cross through ventilation with only a couple of doors open and 1 window, especially if there is a good breeze. Once the temp starts getting near 90 degrees, on comes that AC. That will happen probably next week. I then set the thermostat on around 72 to 74 degrees. I think it really depends on the climate you live in...and your own personal internal climate. Some people think my house is too hot...others think it's too cool! Today, was near 90 degrees, but I wasn't very active and tomorrow only 80 degrees. Summer gets to mid 90's to 100+! My name indicates where I live and I'm in the humid part of the state. Heat I can bear with...but it's the humidity that knocks the wind out of me. Don't know if any of this helps, but you asked so I gave my 2 pennies! Just be prepared for that first energy bill.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 9:03 pm
I don't have A/C. When I had it, in my last condo, I really didn't use it except in the very hottest times of the hottest days. Maybe there are some suggested guidelines in your area for your summer weather. I spent quite a lot of time at a friend's house in Yuma, Arizona and they did a coordinated dance with ceilling fans, the swamp cooler and the A/C and also with keeping windows covered so as to keep their bills down as much as possible, while keeping the house as comfortable as possible. I'm sure you'll be most happy to have that A/C on certain very hot days, huh?
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 6:41 am
I set mine at about 80, which will keep the house about 75.
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Jagger
Member
08-07-2002
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 6:56 am
I have central air, it usally gets set at about 77 degrees. Than I also have a window air conditioner in the bedroom. I turn that on about an hour before I go to bed, and that gets set at about 65 degrees. I can not sleep in the heat. My bedroom air gets turned on as soon as it hits about 75 degrees, although if it gets cool at night I don't use it. Once I turn on the central air it pretty much stays on until fall,with an occasionally shutting it off to air the house out.
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 9:13 am
We HAVE to have A/C, as it gets very hot and humid here. We set ours around 75 or 80. It stays that way most of the year. We also have ceiling fans going. That helps, too.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 11:50 am
I know it's done up north, but I cannot imagine folks who don't have A/C. I think the energy guidelines indicate something like 78 or 80 for A/C and 68 or 70 for heat. During the summer, we can't handle the house being that warm, so I keep it around 75 during the day when I'm there and 70 at night when the ceiling fan on high. When I'm not there during the day, it's set at 80. In the winter, I set the thermostat at about 70 and decrease it to about 60 when we're not there.
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Cndeariso
Member
06-28-2004
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 11:57 am
summer: 72 all the time with ceiling fans, except when i take a shower first thing in the morning then i crank it down to 68 until i get dressed. winter: 65 unless we have folks over then we move it up to suit them unless it makes me ill. i cannot deal with the heat in a house. at a beach it is no problem. go figure.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 1:17 pm
We keep our house at 77 all summer, which is fairly warm I think for most people. I don’t mind the heat but what does bother me is the humidity. Even having the air conditioning at 77 is enough to significantly cut the humidity. A lot of places that we go, the air conditioning is so strong that people are wearing sweaters. I don’t get it.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 1:49 pm
We dont have an A/C but have a swamp cooler (no thermastat.) Darren would keep it on 24/7 during the summer if I let him and if he's getting chilly he'll throw on a sweater. I figure if me AND the kids are bundled up in blankets it's time for the swamp cooler to be turned off, lol. During the summer when I'm home alone I don't turn the cooler on til about half an hour before the kids get home. With the ceiling fans going the heat doesn't bother me. Then I try to turn it off an hour or two later. I do turn it on before they go to bed hoping to cool the bedrooms down, it gets too stiffling hot to sleep without it. I turn it off around 10 or so because by then we've gotten past the worst of it. Now if Darren's home, he'll turn it on at 10am and leave it on til I gripe and complain and turn it off myself, lol. Heater in the hallway I turn on half an hour or so before they go to bed then turn it down when I go to bed. Darren turns it off when he gets up for work. I set the thermastat for 72 in the living room before I go to bed and turn it off when i get up (I don't want the kids getting up and freezing!) I deal with heat much better than cold, can't stand freezing and that includes walking into a store or someones house in the summer when they have the a/c or cooler jacked up to high!
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Hypermom
Member
08-13-2001
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 2:02 pm
In Illinois, I only turn the a/c on at night, and only when the humidity is high. I set it at 75 and run the ceiling fans. In Nevada, once summer hits, the a/c is on almost all the time. I have it set at 80 during the day and 75 at night. I run the ceiling fans at night.
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Halfunit
Moderator
09-02-2001
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 2:08 pm
I turn the AC on when the nighttime temps stay above 60°F. I keep the setting at 72°F. Jimmer, when I was a kid I had a window unit in my bedroom - I was the only one who slept upstairs and it got hot! I would turn the AC on the highest setting about 2 hours before I went to bed. It probably got down to 55°F or so, lol. My mom would wake me up and I'd be in a ball under my blankets with blue lips and chattering teeth, lol. I like it cold.
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Irishtxgrl
Member
12-07-2005
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 2:45 pm
We just turned ours on yesterday as it hit 84 and the humidity was killing me. I could handle the heat if there was no humidity and I can do the beach thing with no problem as well go figure. We keep the a/c at 73 degrees, which we have one window unit in our two bedroom house but with the way the house sits and the floors all being tile it keeps us plenty cool. Our house is rather old so we have a big wall heater that heats the whole house we set it on between 75-78. I used to live in NM and we had swamp coolers there and to be honest I would rather have a swamp cooler than an a/c
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 3:54 pm
You are all making me envious. Around Toronto it stays pretty cold until late May and then all of a sudden the temps are in the 90's (and humid!). I like the Winter but I also like the heat in the Summer (and it gets hot up here!). That's funny Half. When I have to wear extra stuff at bedtime, I figure the A/C is a little too high. What is a swamp cooler???
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Buttercup
Member
09-10-2000
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 4:34 pm
I'm in South Florida and have the A/C set at 79 during the day--it still amazes me that that feels cold sometimes after having been outside We keep it at 74 at night. The ceiling fans are always on.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 7:42 pm
Jimmer you're weather sounds just like ours. It's cold then it gets hot. No real in between, though we do get hotter sooner (and then have a freezing cold week around the end of May or begining of June) and it stays hot til usually Halloween night.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, April 03, 2006 - 8:44 pm
I live 4 miles from the ocean. There ARE some days in the summer when I would turn on A/C if I had it, but there are many things that need fixing in my condo that would come before A/C if I had the money. Heck I wish I could get my sunroof fixed in my car.. I must find out what it would cost because I really love having it open. I don't even use the A/C in the car unless it is REALLY hot.
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Chewpito
Member
01-04-2004
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 1:24 pm
Just reading all your posts and was wondering what cha all are doing for your hot days now? Its 108 today in no ca. and I dont use my AC, I have a nice system but I feel clostrophobic when every thing is sealed up. Im hot though..sweating to death.. Ive got ceiling fans and floor fans that run constent...my dogs look like they are miserable...so I take them in the yard and hose them down... the older I get the more I think im in the wrong area...a cooler area would be good..but where? about 4yrs ago I did use my air and my bill went thru the roof, now I average about 50 to 60 dollars a month yr round..
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Tabbyking
Member
03-11-2002
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 1:35 pm
you guys are spoiled!! i only turned mine on if it hit 100 degrees (about half the summer) and kept it at 82. for every degree you can keep it above 80, it cuts about 10% off your electric costs. up here we don't have a/c. we have windows LOL...wouldn't you know, down town it's 108 and up here it's 92. pretty hot, but we close up the house early and turn on the ceiling fans to make it bearable. fortunately, most of the summer it should be in the low 80's. we just have a heatwave this weekend. also, i'm glad i made our party for 5 p.m. tomorrow night---our entire backyard and deck are in full shade by 4:00, even though it's west. the tall trees block all the direct sunlight.
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 1:37 pm
The other day I had my air conditioning set at 72. My BF said you could hang meat in my house ... lol! We like it cold!!!
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 1:39 pm
Tabby, you are like me. The house we live in now is shaded entirely on the west side by huge mulberry trees. When it gets the hottest and the sun is headed that way, the trees keep the house a bit cooler. We might turn it on for about an hour at 75 to cool the house down, then we shut if off, turn on all the fans, and open all the windows on the west side of the house, with fans in front of them all. Let me just tell you, it gets kinda chilly in the middle of the night by doing this. We love it and our power bill was only about $60 this month which is a nice change from $300 like this past winter and the gas prices.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 2:13 pm
I set mine for 68, that way it keeps the house about 72. Vac, we just keep having these coincidences, don't we? I LOVE living in a meat locker because I hate the heat!
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 2:15 pm
HUK! I hate the heat, I live in N. California and I hate the heat. I would rather it be 20 degrees outside so I can put on my big sweats and a comfy sweatshirt, wool socks and cuddle up with a blanket. IMO, it's easier to keep yourself warm than it is to keep yourself cool. I think that is why we have body heat, not body cool, and we sweat to keep ourselves cool, and that's just not.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 2:15 pm
It's too hot and humid where I am to be without a/c. Soon as the temps hit 80 the a/c came on and stayed.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Friday, June 23, 2006 - 2:17 pm
I think you should move to New York then, Escapee! I LOVE my winters...like you said, there's nothing more comfortable than wearing sweats and snuggling up under a blanket! I don't have a thyroid and that helps to regulate your temps somewhat. So when I get overheated, I stay that way. Then, I'm miserable!
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