How hot does it have to be for you to use your AC?

[shirleyb]

Gasp! I don't have central air. We do have one window unit and some fans, but luckily where I live it always cools down at night so we can sleep.

 

[Keli]

I grew up without a/c (actually my very stubborn parents still don't have it! In KY!) I have a pretty high tolerance for heat/humidty as do my dh and dd so we generally don't turn on the a/c unless it's above 93-95 degrees. So far this summer we've used it two days, lol.

But then I love the light and breezes from outside and it's hard for me to give that up. I hate having to close the windows. That thought alone keeps me from using a/c sometimes.

 

[drcorey]

I live in Florida, so most of the year I don't really have a choice about the A/C, it's just ON! LOL I turn it on when I start to sweat in the house, probably around 76 degrees I guess.

76??
don't ever come to las vegas in the summer, it gets up to 131 here. but at night then it's a cool 110.

 

[polkadotladybug]

I really think that where you live - and the humidity level - plays a big part in when you turn it on. We are 20 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean and the humidity here in Charleston, SC is pretty darn awful! For the person in Maine who turns on the a/c 4 days out of the year - I can't even imagine that! LOL But I certainly can't complain - we don't get snow here and oftentimes wear shorts when we go to purchase our live Christmas trees.....! So what we pay in extra a/c bills, we save on boots/snow clothes/and paraphernalia related to snow (shovels, blowers, salt, etc). It all evens out in the end - LOL!

 

[arminnie]

Our average electric bill in the summer is in the typically $65 - $80 range

WOW - most people I know have bills that run $400-500 a month.

My bill in New Orleans (900 sq. feet) runs $50 a month when I am not there and no a/c on.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

I usually don't turn ours on until it's at least 90 but then only if there's humidity otherwise it's ceiling fans ... What can I say I love heat!

 

[juligrl]

Humid. I can take heat, but you add humidity 90% or greater, than that AC gets flipped on quicker than a blink of an eye. If the forecasters predict a very humid day the next day, we turn ours on low the night before so we aren't fighting to get the house cool all next day.
I'm an open windows person at heart (so is my husband), so we tend to be the last ones in our neighborhood to flip on the AC. It's crazy, most of my neighbors have theirs on at 76! But then again, most of my neighbors couldn't care too much about $ either.

 

[Belle5]

We keep the house at 77-78 degrees during the day and sleep with it at 75 degrees at night. Our past four electric bills have been in the $500-$600 range. We just tried unplugging our huge deep freezer to see if that would knock $50 or so off a month. We'll see...Our electric bill is killing us. I think our biggest problem is the large amount of windows we have that get afternoon sun. There are 17 windows that get afternoon sun. Ugh!

 

[Belle5]

Now I can understand why so many people have expensive electric bills after reading this post! Ours is set at 80/82 during the daytime and 78 at night. At 68-70 degrees, I'd have to wear sweats around the house because I'd FREEZE

Your 80/82 might be the same as my 77/78. I say this because I can go into someone else's house and freeze and they tell me that they are set at 79 degrees. In my house we would suffocate at that temp.

 

[disneysteve]

Your 80/82 might be the same as my 77/78. I say this because I can go into someone else's house and freeze and they tell me that they are set at 79 degrees. In my house we would suffocate at that temp.

This is very true. It depends on the power and efficiency of the AC unit, the construction and insulation of the home, how much shade there is, what type of sun exposure, etc.

In our house, our family room stays cooler than our kitchen and dining room, and the whole first floor stays cooler than the 2nd floor. So what we set the AC on partly depends on where we are spending our time. If I'm up in the computer room, I'll put the AC down a degree or two because it gets hotter in that room. If we are in the family room watching a movie, I'll turn it up a couple of degrees.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

This is very true. It depends on the power and efficiency of the AC unit, the construction and insulation of the home, how much shade there is, what type of sun exposure, etc.

In our house, our family room stays cooler than our kitchen and dining room, and the whole first floor stays cooler than the 2nd floor. So what we set the AC on partly depends on where we are spending our time. If I'm up in the computer room, I'll put the AC down a degree or two because it gets hotter in that room. If we are in the family room watching a movie, I'll turn it up a couple of degrees.

Very true, Steve. I can be comfortable in the rest of my house, but in order to enter the dining room area, I have to put on a sweatshirt and slippers. We don't have central air- we have an AC window unit in the dining room. We always leave it on low, though "low" can be set on "4" through "10". Even with it never on med or high, the dining room can get as cold as 65 degrees. We use ceiling fans and this one AC unit and it cools our entire house. I have an AC in my bedroom and I used it three nights last year, since it was cool enough from the other AC.

To tell the truth, I'm actually a little afraid of that air conditioner. It's scary how strong it is, esp. considering it's 8 or 9 years old. I am most comfortable from 75 to 85 or even as high as 90 depending on humidity and breeziness.

 

[Kimmumum]

Humid. I can take heat, but you add humidity 90% or greater, than that AC gets flipped on quicker than a blink of an eye. If the forecasters predict a very humid day the next day, we turn ours on low the night before so we aren't fighting to get the house cool all next day.
I'm an open windows person at heart (so is my husband), so we tend to be the last ones in our neighborhood to flip on the AC. It's crazy, most of my neighbors have theirs on at 76!

I agree. I don't usually turn mine on unless the humidity is really bad.

 

[kinntj]

I would have to say on average it's 85 degrees. We set the AC at 75 all the time with the ceiling fans helps push the air around a bit.

Open windows only happens in early spring, when I'm cleaning the house and do a good dusting. We live in a new subdivision, so houses are still going up and basements are being dug. Dust flying around outside constantly. YUCK! Better to keep those windows closed.

 

[marcyinPA]

We don't have central air (old house, 1910, cast iron radiators, no ductwork) but we have window units. I put the one on in the attic almost every day. It gets very hot up here, and this is where our computer is. The other ones (in two bedrooms and the kitchen) don't go on unless it's humid. It doesn't matter the what the temp is outside. If the humidity is high, I turn on the air. I HATE humidity! We do have ceiling fans and we use those 24/7.

 

[Angela&Kayla]

We like our house cold. In Wisconsin, we get really cold winters and really hot and humid summers (generally), so this strategy helps in the winter with our heating bill (we set the house at 63 - brrrr), but in the summer, we keep the house set at 68. So, I guess we never really turn *off* the ac - we just switch from heat to cool when the house feels too warm or cold.

By the way, our house is only 1 year old, so even with the air on cold during the summer, our energy bill stays well under $100 and in the winter stays around $150.

 

[DaisyD]

My AC has been on since it reached 72 degrees in my house. We keep it at 68 in the summer and 70 in the winter. Even though it was beautiful here today I still keep the ac on as we get bothered by pollen.

 

[angwill]

We only have a window unit which is fine with me since I really don't like AC. It has to be high 80's for several days and then go into the 90's for me to turn on the AC and then I set it around 80. I am always cold unless it is in the 90's. Now my husband is a whole other story and he is hot when it is over 70. I will be cold and he puts on the AC set at 68 and freezes me out so I go outside or wear winter clothes. Then when he falls asleep I shut the AC off. lol I wish I could get him to move south before I turn into an ice burg one of these winters. lol

 

[CEDmom]

I hate a/c so ours doesn't go on unless it's really hot and/or humid out or it's raining. I hate the closed in feeling and feeling cold. However, if I'm sweating just standing in the house or our feet keep sticking on the floors it goes on. We have ceiling fans in every room and great cross ventilation so that really helps as well. My DH has allergies and so does DD but they're fine with the windows open.

Right now we've got beautiful weather so the windows are wide open.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

We are in Florida and our area is extremely humid and hot from May through Septmeber. The a/c is always on during these months, otherwise everything in the house would mildew! A/C or heat are on most of the other months too, but we have a total of probably about 6 weeks out of the year (added all together) when we don't have heat or a/c on. Even when the temperature is fairly cool, we often will have to run the a/c to dehumidify.

 

[mamalle]

about 80 outside with humidity. we live in south fla so its on alot. I like to keep it at 79 but at night dh likes to turn it down..