I wait until the spouse whines and complains (June). Then it's full blast (72), non stop until October.

holy shit -- we keep ours at 70-72. and i don't know a single soul who keeps it any higher. i grew up with it at 68. ours has been on for months (off and on.) who are you people?

DH and I both grew up in houses without central A/C, so we both feel like it is worth every cent we have to pay in order to feel comfortable. We have to keep it at 77 to stay comfortable on the first floor.

chickychen wrote:If you don't have guests over, why not hang out in the house au natural and then the A/C doesnt need to be as high?

Or have guest over but make sure they keep their footwear on.

78 unless I am really cleaning hard around the house and then I turn it down to 76 or maybe 75

To make you all feel better, ours has been on for a couple of weeks. I feel no guilt. Whenever it turns off, I count the minutes until it's on again. I visit people who don't have AC, or refuse to turn it on and their houses are hot. What's the point?

Necessity, but I wait as long as possible to turn it on every spring. I like fresh air whenever possible. If more of the windows in my house had screens, I'd have every window open all the time. I think I keep it around 75-78, and I turn it off/down during the day whenever possible.

I'm from Texas where not having the a.c. on pretty much most of the year would be hell. I have no guilt turning it on whenever I feel like the need.

If you don't have guests over, why not hang out in the house au natural and then the A/C doesnt need to be as high?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those who are not o.k. with AC set at 78 -- are you heavy set? Just wondering if you are more likely to feel hot when other people are o.k. Or maybe you like to wear heavier clothes?

It was 78 outside today. Did you sweat when you walked around? I do not usually wear shorts and a tank top to dinner at a friend's, nor do I expect to be mopping my brow periodically. People who are always cold are underweight, not the other way around!

You need to check the facts. Today it was 86 degrees and humidity was quite high, making it feel much hotter (heard of HEAT INDEX???). If we had a day of 78 and very low humidity (i.e. the conditions in my house when I have the AC set to 78), it would be perfect.

I don't need a medal. I also don't need high electricity bills. There is no need to be "mopping your brow" when you are in a house at 78 degrees and low humidity. Perhaps you are wearing too much insulation?

Grew up in DC without it. I remember being absolutely miserable during some of those summer nights.

Our house has been bearable, so we haven't turned it on yet. But you better believe we use it when it gets hot! No summer martyrs here.

I smell a new poll,

What do you set your thermostat to in summer and winter

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/237378.page

We just started running ours this afternoon for the first time this year.

In this area its miserable without it during the summer months. I would call it one of the necessities.

I grew up in St. Louis and do fine without the air. I have central and very very rarely turn it on. I enjoy the money savings and it's really not too awful.

I spent 10 years in DC without A/C. It wasn't always pleasant but it was doable. I saw a lot of movies and spent a lot of time at the mall.

Now we keep the house at 78-80. I am heavier than I used to be and the heat definitely bothers me more. One more reason to get in better shape.

And I'd rather conserve my resources than keep the a/c artifically low.