When I'm at home, I've got my shit set at 72 ALL the time. Whether it's winter or summer, the a/c kicks on and keeps the temp at 72. I'm the type that prefers cold weather anyways, so I can stand it cooler but my fiances wants to kill me when I turn it any lower so 72 is a good "middle ground". Reason I'm asking, I'm visiting my parents for a week (been here 4 days and I've got a few more to go, sadly) and either the a/c is set on 80 or it's off completely. The temperature outside has been between 90 and 95 (with humidity between 70 and 90%) since I've been here and they flat out refuse to run the a/c "because it's too damn expensive". To put it in perspective, I'm out of work all week so for the most part I don't have anywhere to go, meaning I'm stuck here most of the day. The temp in my room reaches 104 by 4 o'clock. The way I see it, there's no fucking point of even having an a/c unit if you don't use it. Their excuse, beside "not being able to afford it" is that they are "used to it" because they grew up without a/c. My defense is that it's 2010 and god dammit, times change. You should NOT have to sweat or shiver in your own fucking house. Period.
I put my ac in the wall at about 65 degrees. I hate sitting around in my house when it's hot as hell. It can be 65 outside and like 80+ inside with sun.
75 for main house and i have my a/c in my room thats built into the attic set at 67 because it gets super hot up there
This sums up my thoughts well, I'm with the black guy, Leon: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZkB7FJ-9Js]Leon[/ame]
^Love the Great Compromiser I probably kick it on 78 or so too. I try to just use fans and open windows if possible, humidity permitting. The way I see it, you shouldn't use heat in winter/AC in summer unless you're really uncomfortable, that way you get used to the weather and not have it get used to you. Also, when you go from in to out or vice versa it's not as much of a shock. Besides, I'm skeptical of the safety of freon or whatever it is that AC's use. I got no evidence to back me up on that. Just seems too good to be true. Fridge, I'm keeping my eyes on you.
dog i have no ac in my new house i moved to. its bigger but no ac, wtf. my ass is sweating. good for u to know i have a nice fan though
I survived last summer with no A/C.... my apartment is shrouded by trees so its usually pretty shady... keeps it cool. my friend moved to an apartment with central air tho and gave me his portable A/C (Since most apartments in this area don't have windows you can fit an A/C in)... and i've put the actual AC on a few times... but it always gets super cold super quick so i wind up turning it off. But to answer the question - I only turn it on once my room hits 80 degrees.
I've never had a/c and I've never wanted a/c. I like being warm. i wear sweatshirts until it hits 70 out. my ideal day is 85-90 degrees and sunny. if you can't handle the heat, go to the basement, that's how we grew up. no point in paying hundreds of extra dollars when you can utilize mother nature.
I grew up in NJ where our summers easily get to 100 and winters can get below 0. i am a big fan of heat in the winter and AC in the summer. My ideal weather is 75 degrees and sunny... maybe with a light breeze. Cali weather stays pretty moderate where I am... i definitely don't miss the humidity of NJ's summers
I keep the windows open unless it's really hot and/or humid: so the off position. I value fresh (possibly hot) air over a cool but stuffy room any time.
You're right in one aspect, times do change. Back in the day, I wasn't getting ass-raped for electricity every fucking month. I average $300 electric bills in the summer for a home that's less than 2000SF, and that's still trying to manage with the A/C sitting at 78 degrees. My fucking bill would be over $500 if I tried to keep it at what you're used to living at. What do you pay a month for electric? Unless you're willing to toss your parents a $50 bill and set the A/C to whatever you want, deal with it.
^ what he said. i grew up with no AC. we had fans and dealt with it. Not everyone can afford cooling costs so sometimes its better to just rough it. I'd rather give up the AC if keeping it meant not having gas in my car or food in my belly.
Between 70-72 normally, only run it during the day. If I had the funds I'd keep it at 68 or so all the time.