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A federal program says you should keep your home above 78 degrees

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A federal program recommends people keep their homes between 78 and 85 degrees, and the internet is freaking out.

The guidelines come from Energy Star, a government-backed program to promote energy efficiency, and they've sparked a fiery debate on social media.
The program suggests different settings to automate at various times: 78 degrees when you wake up, 85 degrees during the day and 82 degrees when you're sleeping.
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I'm gonna have to take a HARD pass on that suggestion. 78? 85? **** that!

I've been really proud of myself this year, I've been keeping the thermostat at 73. That's hot for me. If Energy was free and I wasn't married I'd keep my house at 67-68. The think that has helped me deal with 73 is that I bought a room air conditioner for my bedroom and I turn it on when I go to sleep and keep my bedroom at 64 while I'm sleeping. I sleep WAY better when the room is cool.
 
Gameface said:
I'm gonna have to take a HARD pass on that suggestion. 78? 85? **** that!

I've been really proud of myself this year, I've been keeping the thermostat at 73. That's hot for me. If Energy was free and I wasn't married I'd keep my house at 67-68. The think that has helped me deal with 73 is that I bought a room air conditioner for my bedroom and I turn it on when I go to sleep and keep my bedroom at 64 while I'm sleeping. I sleep WAY better when the room is cool.
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Haha I'd lose my mind. I'm glad I live in a climate that reaches the nineties only rarely.

We'll see how long that lasts.
 
We do 68. Only have one zone and since we sleep on the second floor, we’re sleeping in somewhere around 72-74 degree temps this time of year.
 
My last electric bill was $711. Good times.

I think the one before was estimated and about $150-200 of that are my two sump pumps and dehumidifier all of which run nonstop basically.
 
Wes Mantooth said:
My last electric bill was $711. Good times.

I think the one before was estimated and about $150-200 of that are my two sump pumps and dehumidifier all of which run nonstop basically.
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WTH? How big is you house/apartment? Our apartment is about 60 m2 and electric bill is about 70 EUR per month and it is composed by the fixed fee and consumption by the kW per hour. Heating from october to may is about 50-100 EUR (we have central system using hot water - the apartment complex pays it to the heating company and the total bill is divided between apartments according to the size of the apartment) . Of course, the heating bill depends on how warm or cold are the winter months; i guess that if the entire month is every day over - 25 degrees celsius, then is about twice as expensive compared when it is mild (temperature between -5 ... +5 degrees)
 
fishonjazz said:
I do 75. I like it hot. Would be down with 80 if my wife was

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Wow.

For me the difference in temps I'm comfortable at vs my wife has had me questioning if I want to stay in my marriage. If for whatever reason I was single, comfortable temperature range would be on my top 5 list of compatibility items and if someone wanted to be in the mid to upper 70s it would be a deal breaker, no matter what else. I'm not very tolerant of high temps. On the other hand, when I was in the Navy I worked mostly in electronics spaces and those are kept at about 55f. Most people I worked with would wear a coat. I'd be in there in my regular coveralls with my sleeves rolled up comfortable as could be. I can be in light clothes into the 40s and be pretty damn comfortable. If you ever hear me say "It's freezing in here" the temp is literally below 32f.
 
lauriandres said:
WTH? How big is you house/apartment? Our apartment is about 60 m2 and electric bill is about 70 EUR per month and it is composed by the fixed fee and consumption by the kW per hour. Heating from october to may is about 50-100 EUR (we have central system using hot water - the apartment complex pays it to the heating company and the total bill is divided between apartments according to the size of the apartment) . Of course, the heating bill depends on how warm or cold are the winter months; i guess that if the entire month is every day over - 25 degrees celsius, then is about twice as expensive compared when it is mild (temperature between -5 ... +5 degrees)
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We’re 2,749 sf iirc.

Like I said the sump pumps and dehumidifier kill us. I imagine my normal $515 bill in the summer would be around $315-350 if I didn’t have those running all the time. Then factor in just one zone and keeping the house at 68, windows that need to be recaulked, and walls whose insulation is 45 years old and perhaps almost nonexistent at this point and you get my bill.
 
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Wes Mantooth said:
My last electric bill was $711. Good times.

I think the one before was estimated and about $150-200 of that are my two sump pumps and dehumidifier all of which run nonstop basically.
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Got us beat. We keep our thermostat at 72 during the night and 74 during the day and ours was $580 last month. We also have fans running all the time.
 
Gameface said:
I'm gonna have to take a HARD pass on that suggestion. 78? 85? **** that!

I've been really proud of myself this year, I've been keeping the thermostat at 73. That's hot for me. If Energy was free and I wasn't married I'd keep my house at 67-68. The think that has helped me deal with 73 is that I bought a room air conditioner for my bedroom and I turn it on when I go to sleep and keep my bedroom at 64 while I'm sleeping. I sleep WAY better when the room is cool.
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*random fart sounds*

I just can't do it. <= 70 please. I will absolutely invoke my "American Privilege" here.
 
Our electric bill used to be pretty bad. I went through and changed every bulb in the house to LED. While the initial cost of the bulbs was substantial it has dropped our monthly bill by nearly $200 a month. Only took about 2 months to recover the initial cost of the bulbs. Oh, and 78-85? Oh, HELL no!
 
Two bedroom apt, with one air conditioner in the living room. If the dew point is in the 70's, I leave the air conditioner at 70 when I go to bed, around 1 AM. The Mrs. retires well before me, and will be asleep by then. We use separate bedrooms, because my C-Pap machine noise bothers her. If the dew point outside is in the lower 60's, I open a window, no air conditioner, and try to fall asleep. Once asleep, the heat won't wake me.

Ours is an all electric apt., and we never go above $150 on the bill. But no way I could deal with 78 or higher. There was no such thing as AC when I was a kid, living in the top floor of a triple decker tenement. Can't imagine how we did it in those days.
 
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