Can i set my thermostat very low in summer?
Like so many other home energy question, this is one without an easy answer.
Before I jump to answer the question with a resounding “Yes, feel free to set your thermostat low in the summer”, there is one critical question I have to know – do you have central air, or does the thermostat control a “climate control” system that has an air conditioner unit with it?
If your thermostat just controls a furnace, when the weather gets warmer, you can just turn off the furnace altogether (there should be a power switch near the furnace or at the thermostat) – making the temperature setting completely irrelevant. No matter what you set it to, it won’t turn on because the furnace is off.
So I think this question is probably geared more towards systems or homes with air conditioning. Setting a thermostat low, meaning a lower temperature reading, means the air conditioner is required to run to maintain that temperature. The longer the a/c runs, the more energy it uses. More energy = more money. Probably not something you want.
Of course, the preference is yours what you decide to keep the temperature at. I would recommend, depending on your situation, no lower than 68 – 70 degrees.
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You’re right when you say you can set the temperature to whatever you want, but you’re going to pay for it! A good rule of thumb I like to follow is that for every degree you lower your thermostat, you can see a roughly 4% increase on your summer air conditioning bill. On a $200 bill you’re looking at ~$8 / per degree… the question a homeowner needs to ask him or herself is if it’s worth it.
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