AC: How Much Is Too Much?

It's hot out. When it is hot, and especially when it is humid, having the AC on is nice. I get it. I even have central in my house and I do use it a lot. But how much is too much?

Last week we stopped at a hamburger joint. Considering that we were all dressed appropriately for the heat and humidity outside we were all uncomfortably cold inside. Halfway through out meal my two year old started shivering and his lips were tinged blue. I had to wrap him in a baby blanket I found in the trunk, and since we were all uncomfortable we ended up rushing to finish. This was an unplanned outing so we didn't have jackets in the car. But even that is ridiculous, having to plan ahead and carry jackets in August when the heat is in the 90's so that we can deal with crazy cold AC when going out to eat.

This isn't a recent phenomenon either. For more than a few years now I've had to carry a sweater or a jacket with me in the middle of summer so if we went to the movies or out to eat I wouldn't freeze.

Does anyone else out there find themselves carrying a sweater, or wishing they did, to deal with overzealous AC in the middle of summer?

I've always felt that way. For some reason, 72 is the preferred indoor temperature of winter and 66 for summer. Meanwhile, office workers across the country sit at their desks with space heaters blowing on their legs all summer long.

It is ridiculous. Half my office have sweaters on and space heaters going under their desks. We can't open windows. The HVAC people tell us our thermostats are not attached to the system, and we can't actually control the temp in our offices, even though we have the illusion that we can.

There is a better way, and it's not that hard to balance/adjust/make temperature regulation less wasteful. But apparently, it's currently not a high priority for those who prioritize the work it would take to do so.

And so we continue to waste energy in multiple ways...

I used to work with clients in their homes. Since the job involved physical labor, I would be dressed in shorts and t shirts in the summer. A lot of the clients set their central AC to 68 and walked around the house in sweaters.

Even if someone is dressed in business attire, 78 is comfortable without a suit jacket..76 with one...there is no reason for restaurants and stores to be much cooler than 78.

When I used to work in restaurants people complained about the AC. Because of the nature of the work, carrrying heavy dishes (tray service), and going in and out of the hot kitchen, I couldn't feel the cold at all. I think a lot of restaurants have trouble finding the right temp for staff and customers. I understand the comfort of the customer should be tantamount, I just came away with the impression that it was difficult to keep the temperature comfortable in all the spaces. On the other hand, maybe some restaurant owners or managers are jerks and don't care? Me, I always carry a sweater when I eat out.

Some years ago NY Bd of Health did a study about AC temps. They concluded that most people feel comfortable at temps as high as 78. I like 74-75 for AC and 69 for heat.

The real key is patience

Nope. I love AC. The colder the better! I miss the days when a movie theater was like an ice box!

I like it around 70 inside the house year round, maybe a little cooler when it involved heat because I hate the feeling of heat coming on when I am sleeping.

I wouldn't mind taking the temperature of my new office. Where I was a couple of month ago was pleasant, but in the new one I need a little fan on my face constantly.

For the house, we run it around 71 in the summer and 68-70 in the winter.

My thermostat settings:

Winter heat:

63 at night; 70 during the day.

Summer A/C:

81 at night; 78 during the day.

I see your avatar is a cat. That explains a lot. One of my cats likes to hang out on the top floor of my house where temperatures hit the very high 90's or more on hot days.

It's a grumpy cat. I get grumpy when I'm cold. Or too hot. Or hungry....

Our house is comfortable (I love the central air of our ugly 1960's ranch). At 78 degrees in the summer, it doesn't feel hot, it doesn't feel cold. It's feels 'normal'. That said, I think the thermostat is in the room farthest from the compressor -- so it's likely that the temp is cooler in most of the other rooms. (And reverse with heat)

With window units, it would probably need to be set cooler since the thermostat is on the AC unit, which is measuring the temp in the coolest part of the room.

ac is good

better cold than hot for me.

nite temps at 76 with ceiling fans (upstairs) daytime 81

daytime at 78 with ceiling fans down stairs 81 at nite

68 degrees year round at home and work. At work its to keep all of the engines and components at the same temps as the manufacturer's assembly rooms. At home its because I don't like being hot .

What are you complaining about? It's crazy hot outside, and it's crazy cold inside, so the average temperature is reasonable.

Tom_Reingold said:
What are you complaining about? It's crazy hot outside, and it's crazy cold inside, so the average temperature is reasonable.

77° in the summer, although a bit cooler to sleep. 66° in the winter, 62° at night. I'd prefer it a bit cooler at night in the winter but at the advice of our local HVAC specialists, I don't vary it more than four degrees. Anecdotal evidence: last winter is the first time I did this. Before it was 6° between day and night. My budget program equalized and I am going to be paying $40 less per month. Yay me