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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: MechAg94 on August 20, 2019, 10:31:07 AM

Title: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MechAg94 on August 20, 2019, 10:31:07 AM
https://www.wtsp.com/amp/article/life/the-coolest-you-should-keep-your-house-is-78-degrees-federal-program-recommends/67-17ad6fc5-e591-44e8-b556-09f5a2781945?__twitter_impression=true

 :O  These guys are nuts.
Quote
Energy Star, the federal program from the DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency, said the coolest you should keep your home is 78 degrees when you're home.

When you're at work or away, the program recommends setting it at 85 degrees. When you're sleeping, Energy Star said to set the thermostat at 82 degrees.

I can't imagine how much mold and crap I would end up with if I set my thermostat that high.  And 82 degrees at night is crazy.  78 is the maximum my AC gets to during the say.  

Of course, looking at the Twitter comments, I was surprised how many people try to keep thermostats set in the 60's.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: BobR on August 20, 2019, 10:36:49 AM
We run the central air (@74) only during the day for the most part and then when it cools off (below 78) we will open up the house. I have a portable A/C unit in the bedroom that goes on 1 hour prior to bedtime and it is set at 62 degrees. My bedroom will get down to 64-66 degrees on a good night. I seem to sleep better in the cold than the heat.  :)

bob
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Ben on August 20, 2019, 10:37:45 AM
I saw that yesterday. If I had to sleep at 82 deg, I wouldn't sleep between JUL-SEP. I guess eventually you can get used to it, but man, I hate sleeping warm. When I have stayed at VRBOs in Hawaii in the Summer, where there was no AC, even with a fan going I would wake up at least a half dozen times at night hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. That was around an average of 82 at night.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: charby on August 20, 2019, 10:45:30 AM
Must be recommendations for old people.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MechAg94 on August 20, 2019, 10:59:17 AM
Must be recommendations for old people.
Maybe it is part of their efforts to get social security costs under control. 
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Brad Johnson on August 20, 2019, 10:59:50 AM
First Rule of Energy Management: Occupant Comfort Is Irrelevant

Brad
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: TommyGunn on August 20, 2019, 11:07:07 AM
I refuse.  Period.  End story.    :mad:
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: RoadKingLarry on August 20, 2019, 11:12:38 AM
My wife sets the A/C somewhere between Nuclear Winter and Glaciate.
I think I could hang a side of beef in her office to age.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MikeB on August 20, 2019, 12:01:45 PM
82 degrees basically means no sleep without consuming large amounts of alcohol. I can't sleep if I'm sweating and if it is 82 degrees I'm probably sweating unless the humidity is really low.

I try to get my bedroom to at least 68 degrees, I have been known run the A/C or opened windows in the winter time.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: RocketMan on August 20, 2019, 02:14:49 PM
You must get with the program, comrades.  Having air conditioning is exercising your unfair [insert type here] privilege.  Set your thermostats to 78º or you will be sent to the camps for reeducation.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MillCreek on August 20, 2019, 02:58:02 PM
The menopausal Mrs. MillCreek says nyet, comrade!
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: 230RN on August 20, 2019, 03:12:25 PM
Trouble is, too often goobermint horse manure like this morphs into goobermint mandate.

"Energy Star" ratings will be withheld from AC mfrs who do not make their minimum setting 78°.  Say hello to non-law law again.

And goodbye to "STP" (Standard Temperature and Pressure) at 68° and 760 Torr.  >:D =D

And there will be a black market in clandestine devices which will blow warm air over your new Energy Star air conditioner's thermostat.  :facepalm:

Terry, SRF (Standard Rage and Fury), 230RN
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: brimic on August 20, 2019, 03:55:05 PM
There is a reason why I never signed up for the local Utility’s power throttling program.
“So you can shut off my A/C on the hottest days of the year, and in exchange, I save $1.50/month on my electric bill? Screw you.”
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Hawkmoon on August 20, 2019, 04:04:55 PM
You must get with the program, comrades.  Having air conditioning is exercising your unfair [insert type here] privilege.  Set your thermostats to 78º or you will be sent to the camps for reeducation.

Do the camps have air conditioning?
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MechAg94 on August 20, 2019, 04:38:35 PM
First Rule of Energy Management: Occupant Comfort Is Irrelevant

Brad
Neither is the long term maintenance on your home.  I would have dew on my floors every morning. 
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MillCreek on August 20, 2019, 04:58:18 PM

And there will be a black market in clandestine devices which will blow warm air over your new Energy Star air conditioner's thermostat.  :facepalm:


My wife's hairdryer comes to mind.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: brimic on August 20, 2019, 06:53:58 PM
The movie ‘Brazil’ was supposed to be satire, not a how-to on governance.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on August 20, 2019, 07:37:54 PM
We keep ours at 75 day or night.  Of course, we didn't even HAVE AC until last summer, when the new house was ready. Southern Colorado is hot and dry, but since we're high plains, the nighttime temperature is between 55 and 60, even if it's 100 in the afternoon.

In the old (1933) house, we slept upstairs, and in the wintertime the room was in the 50s at night.  Ideal for sleeping. Quilts were invented for a reason.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: grampster on August 20, 2019, 07:49:43 PM
Ahhh, yes.  21st century problems. =D

We keep ours at 77 and if it cools down to that or below, we turn it off.  Sometimes we don't use it during the day even if it's in low 80's as long as it's not muggy.  We live in Michigan.  We like the warm and seeing that strange bright yellow ball in the sky...What is that anyway?
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Ben on August 20, 2019, 07:57:07 PM
Ahhh, yes.  21st century problems. =D

We like the warm and seeing that strange bright yellow ball in the sky...What is that anyway?

In August, we call that the evil orb of sweating.  =D
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: HankB on August 20, 2019, 08:53:22 PM
Quote
Energy Star, the federal program from the DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency, said the coolest you should keep your home is 78 degrees when you're home.

Dear President Trump:

Please issue an executive order that all DOE and EPA office facilities - particularly those in Southern states - have their summertime air conditioning control locked at 78 Degrees.

Thank you.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MillCreek on August 20, 2019, 08:54:43 PM
I wonder how the White House thermostats are set.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: brimic on August 20, 2019, 09:00:23 PM
I wonder how the White House thermostats are set.

Probably 75.
Its probably the perfect atmospheric conditions for eating a well done steak with ketchup.
No reason to turn it up, as Trump doesn’t sleep, as evidenced by his tweets.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Boomhauer on August 20, 2019, 09:08:50 PM
Probably the same fucksticks who want to tax away the consumption of meat.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Ben on August 20, 2019, 09:15:28 PM
Probably 75.
Its probably the perfect atmospheric conditions for eating a well done steak with ketchup.
No reason to turn it up, as Trump doesn’t sleep, as evidenced by his tweets.

At the highest. When I'm in a suit, I like 69.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: MillCreek on August 20, 2019, 09:16:18 PM
At the highest. When I'm in a suit, I like 69.

I like 69, but while out of the suit.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: zxcvbob on August 20, 2019, 10:46:55 PM
"The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends"

The operative word there is "you".  I'm sure that whoever wrote that nonsense don't keep their thermostats set that high; they don't have to.  Convince other people to do it, and they've done their part.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Perd Hapley on August 21, 2019, 04:15:33 PM
OK, I set my t-stat to 79. Now how many sweaters do I need to wear, to stop sweating?
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Andiron on August 21, 2019, 05:01:13 PM
When I was last at sunny and beautiful 29 Palms (2011),  none of the barracks thermostats would go under 78 (?).  We'd cure this by flicking lighters under them until the room was cold.  Eventually replaced that useless thing with a civvy one and had the coldest room in the bldg.

Dumbest part,  it was also a preset in the base hotel,  which friggin sucked.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: RocketMan on August 21, 2019, 06:47:06 PM
When I was last at 29 Stumps, we were able to set our thermostats to a comfortable temperature, around 73-74° if I remember correctly.  Of course, this was back in 1977.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Ben on August 21, 2019, 07:32:37 PM
I caught it on the news this morning, so can't remember the name of the research organization, but the anchors were talking about this and said some national sleep research organization recommended 65 deg for good REM sleep.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Boomhauer on August 21, 2019, 09:06:40 PM
I sleep best around 55-60. Winter we hardly run our heat, except in the morning.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Andiron on August 21, 2019, 09:54:55 PM
When I was last at 29 Stumps, we were able to set our thermostats to a comfortable temperature, around 73-74° if I remember correctly.  Of course, this was back in 1977.

That's the first time I've heard an "in the old corps" story where things were actually nicer  >:D
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on August 21, 2019, 09:57:44 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!  :rofl:

If I ever get AC, it'll be 70, max, in the summer... and if I get cold, I'll just open a window until it warms up a bit. After all these years of surviving Virginia summers without such wonders, the government can suck it. I'm going to revel in arctic temperatures, just because I can.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: K Frame on August 21, 2019, 10:05:09 PM
Yeah, they can go screw themselves.

I normally keep the house at 70 when I'm here because of Seren, and also because I need to run the AC to keep the humidity at a reasonable level.

I turn the thermostat up in the morning before I leave the house, to 80.

By the time I get back, around 3:30 most days, the temperature in the living room is usually 75 to 77. The temp in the front part of the house is a bit higher because I get afternoon sun, and the upstairs is always a couple degrees warmer.

The heat loading used to be a LOT worse before I put the extra insulation in the attic back in 2010.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: Calumus on August 22, 2019, 01:49:59 AM
If new AC's start coming with a 78 degree lower limit, I'll point a hair dryer at the thing to make it keep cooling if I have to. I'm a big fan of there being a noticeable difference between outdoors and indoors. Our AC is set to 66 in the summer, and I keep the heat around 75 in the winter. I seem to remember reading an article during Obama's first term, about how he was suggesting that we should wear sweaters in the house to cut back our carbon footprint, meanwhile the oval office thermostat was set to 80 so he'd be comfortable without a jacket.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: HankB on August 22, 2019, 12:11:25 PM
At the other extreme, back during the Carter administration, my employer wanted to be politically correct, and one Monday morning we all came in to a downright chilly office. (Minnesota in winter.) When I went to adjust the thermostat, I saw a tape "seal" on it over a small setscrew that had been installed to prevent moving the temperature over 65. Which gets rather chilly if you have a desk job.

Every desk also had a note on it with a lot of frak about saving energy and warnings against space heaters, heating pads, etc. ("Du is't kold, un you vill REMAIN kold!")

After about a half hour, not being French, I decided to do something about it. A razor blade allowed me to scrape off the tape seal without damaging it and access the setscrew, so I could have a decently warm office. Now, my manager (a former Hitler Youth - I kid you not!) walked in and frowned, but didn't stop me. And an hour later, teeth chattering, he came in and asked me to fix the thermostat in HIS office.  =D

By mid-week, most thermostats in the labs were restored to full functionality - management never commented again.
Title: Re: The Coolest You Should Keep Your House is 78 Degrees, Federal Program Recommends
Post by: RocketMan on August 22, 2019, 09:34:07 PM
That's the first time I've heard an "in the old corps" story where things were actually nicer  >:D

The Old Corps we referred to in my era probably didn't have it as nice as either of us.  They likely didn't have A/C at all back in those days.