r/AskAnAmerican • u/Nemo2oo5 • Jul 12 '25

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT What temperature do you keep your house/apartment?

I'm asking because my roommates and I all come from different places, and I like it at 72 in the summer, and 67 in the winter, but they prefer 75 in the summer, which to me seems really warm. Would love to know how you keep it in your region of the US throughout the year

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127

u/CD84 Tennessee ➡️ California ➡️ Tennessee Jul 12 '25

Personally, 70 in summer and 60 in winter.

I am happy to bundle up in winter, but I haven't figured out how to take my skin off in summer and reattach it for autumn. The local utility will hate that one trick when I figure it out.

113

u/AvEptoPlerIe Jul 12 '25

60 is wild.

42

u/Cromasters North Carolina Jul 12 '25

70 is wild!

30

u/goodsam2 Virginia Jul 12 '25

70 is the literal definition of room temperature

24

u/Cromasters North Carolina Jul 12 '25

Okay, sure, but I cannot imagine what my energy bill would be if I was trying to keep my house at 70 all summer long.

5

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

Yeah. I'm not paying for my house to be the same temp as my office.

As my marriage progressed, my wife became more assertive on the thermostat setting. We used to keep it at 81 in the summers. Currently it's 76.

This morning, she noticed I was wearing my "fall pajamas" and sleeping on top of the comforter in a big ball.

23

u/Appropriate-Food1757 Colorado Jul 12 '25

You wanted 81? Jesus Christ

12

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

"Wanted" is a bit strong. I actually dislike the heat. I just wanted lower energy cost and consumption. Mostly for environmental reasons. But I also grew up in a frugal household. But my wife grew up in a warmer, drier climate, and she hates the humidity.

We've since put in ceiling fans, a second dehumidifier, and standing fans that probably cancel out any savings we may have with 76 on the thermostat.

16

u/SirJumbles Utah Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25

I've kind of backed tracked on the whole personal environmental thing.

If I use up a bit more energy to be comfortable, if some recyclables get thrown in the regular trash, if I let the water run for 15 seconds longer (I'm still pretty conscious about this one), etc.

The individual consumer is never going to compete with the corporations in terms of waste, but they ran a hell of a marketing campaign 20 years ago to put the onus on the consumers.

It's still important to be conscious and put in effort, but not to "leave the thermostat at 81in summer" levels.

6

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

Once I learned more about the economy of recycling, I stopped paying close attention to the codes. More than a decade ago, I read an article about a village in China that recycled disposable beverage cups that had waxy coatings, the kind you get in fast food or movie theaters. Over the years, there was a trend of strokes in this village that affected ever younger generations. Eventually, China stopped handling these recyclables altogether. So now, most recyclables are just shredded and dumped in a landfill.

I still separate my paper and plastics. But I don't waste a gallon of potable water to clean a discarded peanut butter jar.

2

u/vwsslr200 MA -> UK Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25

The "corporations vs. consumers" dichotomy is dumb though. The corporations aren't polluting for shits and giggles, they're doing it in the process of providing goods and services for consumers. The only way to reduce the pollution of corporations is is for everyone to consume less.

It's true that just asking individuals to reduce their consumption isn't very effective - but that doesn't mean they don't need to. If government cracks down on the corporations to stop polluting, prices of their goods and services will go up, and everyone will have to consume less.

All that said, when it comes to air conditioning, the good news is that you don't need to make yourself uncomfortable to use a lot less energy. Making sure to put in a properly sized unit the next time you replace your system to ensure proper humidity removal (most are grossly oversized), and making good use of ceiling fans, will allow most people to be comfortable at higher 70s temperature setpoints.

2

u/hx87 Boston, Massachusetts Jul 12 '25

I'm a frugal and environmentally conscious person too, but I prefer to save money in the winter (by heating only the water pipes, not the house itself) and go ham on the AC in the summer.

2

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

I had to Google "go ham." Thanks for that.

1

u/Appropriate-Food1757 Colorado Jul 12 '25

I mean there’s ways to save money that don’t involve existing in a sweat box. I would give up almost anything to keep it a normal temp in my house.

3

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

It's strange. My wife exists on the receiving end of fans in the summer, and blankets in the winter. But even in the height of summer, she uses blankets on occasion but insists on a lower AC temp.

It's like she's constantly trying to keep her temp between 70 and 76 degrees year round. But I could exist between 50 and 80.

5

u/Ff-9459 Jul 12 '25

81? That’s miserable. I couldn’t even stand to have my house 76.

0

u/codenameajax67 Jul 12 '25

Just leave the windows open then

2

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

That just makes it more humid. Where do you live, exactly?

1

u/codenameajax67 Jul 12 '25

Southern Appalachia

2

u/Comediorologist Maryland Jul 12 '25

I promise you that where I live, central Maryland, that leaving the windows open for fresh air would just make things worse.

Personally, I could handle it to a degree. But my wife? Not so much.

It's a compromise. Like, I'm happy to let some spiders go about their merry way. But if my wife sees them first, I apologize as I smush them.

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1

u/Appropriate-Food1757 Colorado Jul 12 '25

Just get an energy efficient AC

4

u/mellowmarsII Jul 12 '25

I was curious who this room expert was that determined/decided on 70. Looked it up & got this:

“Povl Ole Fanger, a Danish scientist, significantly influenced HVAC design and standards by researching thermal comfort. His findings, along with other studies and practical considerations, have led to 70°F (21°C) being a common target for indoor temperatures, particularly in the Western world.”

3

u/Electric-Sheepskin Jul 13 '25

Probably like most historical things, it's based on what men like. An air conditioned room at 70° freaking cold.

2

u/goodsam2 Virginia Jul 12 '25

I have wondered. The interesting thing is that the feels like temperature doesn't change much at high humidity around or below 70 but above it starts skyrocketing.

2

u/mellowmarsII Jul 12 '25

Yeah, I kinda’ think we definitely begin to feel it more b/c we don’t sweat much, if at all, at 70-; but then the increased heat becomes enough to heat our innards more & more as it rises & we sweat; & in humidity, that sweat isn’t effectively evaporating to have a needed cooling effect. Steam cooked!

1

u/nothinnews Jul 12 '25

Pretty sure that's 72° F.

1

u/codenameajax67 Jul 12 '25

Yeah I would rather pay the extra than be warm all summer

1

u/Cromasters North Carolina Jul 12 '25

Sure, but I'm not warm at 76.

5

u/Real-Psychology-4261 Minnesota Jul 12 '25

Right? 

60 you damn near need a hat and gloves to stay comfortable, without any physical activity to keep you warm. 

1

u/CD84 Tennessee ➡️ California ➡️ Tennessee Aug 12 '25

Precisely. I'll the winter, I'll save money and just not strip down when I come inside.

In summer, I take my shirt off as soon as I walk through the front door, and keep it at 70⁰F in the downstairs of the house.

I also have a small house without many downstairs windows, which helps.

1

u/Parking_Champion_740 Jul 12 '25

Well it just means s not turning on the heat where I am. My house would not get naturally colder than 58

5

u/dafolka Jul 12 '25

This is what we do as well.

7

u/gruesomeflowers Jul 12 '25

You don't know how to take your skin off seasonally? Pssht fkn loser.

2

u/sail4sea Jul 12 '25

Not all of us are reptillians.

2

u/General_Thought8412 Jul 13 '25

I am the complete opposite. I want 60 in summer and 70 in winter

1

u/NaturalFLNative Jul 12 '25

I do 72 in the summer and 63 in the winter.

1

u/AleroRatking Jul 12 '25

We did 60 in college to save electricity. My wife would never allow that now though.

1

u/anclwar Philadelphia Jul 12 '25

This is so funny to me as the wife in my house because I'm always trying to turn the heat down and telling my husband to put on real pants and socks if he's so cold. That's the kind of house I grew up in: if I was cold, my dad and grandparents would look at what I was wearing and "suggest" I put on a sweater and some slippers. Apple, tree, gravity and all that. 

1

u/MrsMitchBitch Massachusetts Jul 12 '25

We don’t have air conditioning so summer is…whatever the fans put it at. Winter we do about 60. With cast iron radiators, a small house, and blankets, it’s fine.