How to save money, electricity during summer: What AC temperature?

Apr 21, 2024

Temperatures of over 100 degrees, extreme heat events in multiple states, and rising emergency room visits for heat-related illness across the entire southern part of the United States. It's the time of year where air conditioning is essential for both comfort and safety for many Americans.

But staying cool can be expensive. The average household spends about $262 a year on air conditioning, with costs ranging from $525 in the hot and humid Southeast to as low as $60 in the temperate marine areas along the West Coast, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In a nation where most electricity generation isn't yet green, those high bills also mean more emissions fueling climate change.

It might feel as if it's a lose-lose situation: Save your wallet (and the planet), but face uncomfortable heat in your own home − or make the choice for costly comfort.

But, experts say, there are ways to stay cool while still saving energy and money. Here are some tips.

If you have a programmable thermostat and leave your home during the day, try this strategy: First, find a temperature you're comfortable with when you're at home. Let's say that's 72 degrees.

When you leave in the morning, set the thermostat to bring down the temperature to 70 from about 11 until 2, which is typically when electricity rates start to rise (check your local costs, of course).

"Then let the thermostat drift up to 75 or so," said Ram Narayanamurthy, with the federal Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy's building technologies office.

Set it to drop back to your preferred temperature after 8 or 9 p.m., when the heat is less intense and electricity rates ratchet down in some parts of the country. You'll have pre-chilled your home when power's cheaper without letting it overheat while you're out, even as you lower the burden on your local power grid.