Air Conditioner Madness (What do you set yours at?)

[Dessert Nomad]

What I'm using as a master bedroom is actually at the far end of the HVAC system (the original master bedroom is closest to the HVAC), so I set the thermostat based on both 'is most of the house comfortable' and 'is the master bedroom at a temp I can sleep at'. I normally set my AC to 73, which leads to the master bedroom staying around 74-75, which is fine for me to sleep in with a fan and the rest of the house is a good temp. During the winter I keep the heat set at 71, which leaves the master bedroom in the high 60s, which is fine for me. When I have a partner with a warmer preference sleeping over, I have an electric heater that I use for the bedroom, since cranking the heat higher just for the master bedroom would be too much in the rest of the house.

 

[Cadence]

I am saying that 86 is not really hot. Even 90 is imo still bearable inside homes for longer periods of time. Once you hit 100 for more than a few days I concede that AC might be a very good idea.

Are daytime temperatures in US today's houses when it's above 90 outside a lot different than when buildings were designed to have good natural airflow 100+ years ago,? And do the roads, dark roofs, and lack of trees in many cities add several degrees to that while also taking away places to cool down? That feels like asking for a lot deaths in those back-to back weeks in the 90s when the humidity is 70%+ and the overnight outside temperature might not get below 80 for a few nights. It also feels like asking for a massive drop in productivity in those areas during the daytime. How do modern laptops and desktops do if kept running long term in the 90s?

But in the US AC seems to be on nearly all the time even for lower temperatures. The only country I have seen with a similar/higher AC usage was the U.A.E
Even in southern Italy and Greece there is not that much AC use as in the US.

That It feels to me like much of the US keeps the dials really low is what motivated this post. But I'm guessing the percent of environmentally conscious health professionals that would agree with you on no AC until 100 is awfully close.to 0% for a huge variety of age groups and health conditions.

 

[Nikosandros]

I live in Italy. Normally, I keep the AC at 25 or 26 Celsius (77-79 F).

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I am saying that 86 is not really hot. Even 90 is imo still bearable inside homes for longer periods of time. Once you hit 100 for more than a few days I concede that AC might be a very good idea.
But in the US AC seems to be on nearly all the time even for lower temperatures. The only country I have seen with a similar/higher AC usage was the U.A.E
Even in southern Italy and Greece there is not that much AC use as in the US.

Nah. I ain’t sweatin in my own damn home for no reason.

 

[payn]

What I really want is a mini-commercial dehumidification unit. These bad boys super heat in coming air and pull out moisture and then cool the air down again and send it into the space. Thats the ticket if such a thing could ever be feasible for home use. (These bad boys run 50K+ U.S. $)

 

[Marc_C]

I use the dry function a lot to remove humidity from the house during the day and then switch to AC around 6-7pm for the night at 21°c. Obviously closing the blinds 3/4 with panels to reflect the light towards the outside helps a lot.

 

[DammitVictor]

This last heat wave did that....A LOT of people dead. Not good.

I'm curious....if you set your AC to 68 or 70 .... what do you set your heat to in the winter? (not the poster I'm responding to, but anyone)

Sixty.

 

[payn]

Broke down and turned the AC back on after 3-4 weeks. The humidity is just too damn much.

 

[Eltab]

MidWest USA:
Thermostat set for 76-ish °F.
I am a physical toothpick.

 

[J.Quondam]

MidWest USA:
Thermostat set for 76-ish °F.
I am a physical toothpick.

Me too. What other people call "room temperature" is what I call "refrigerated."