Perhaps Energy Star should just stick to putting those labels on appliances. Their attempt at giving thermostat advice didn’t go over so well.
My brother actually told me about this one, while talking on the phone from Florida. He heard about it on the local (Orlando) news. Energy Star said to keep the thermostat at 78 while at home, 85 while away from home and 82 at night. He said the news anchors openly ridiculed the idea and found it rather funny at best. His and my view as well.
The advice is particularly moronic in high humidity areas such as Florida, Southern California, much of the Deep South and areas of Texas. In much of those areas, Air Conditioning is as much about humidity control as temperature control and with insufficient temperature control, it is not possible to have sufficient humidity control.
78 is the bare minimum setting in a high humidity area, period. In the summer, you must control the humidity or mildew will set in, damaging the house. And it simply is not very livable above that point in any event. And at night, if anything, people such as myself need it cooler. I need a cool, dry humidity bedroom for comfortable and adequate sleep.
Then the issue of turning it up to 85 while away from the home. In a place like Florida, you will lose everything you saved during the day, while the air conditioner fights to get the house temperature down from 85 to 78.
If your leaving the house for an extended period, such as a vacation, I could see turning it up to 82 to cut costs, but you still need to control humidity.
For me in Pennsylvania it is a bit easier. I set up portable A/C’s in the bed and around the house, usually during the first week of June and operate them as needed during the summer, usually taking them down about the middle of September. Most of the summer, I need only operate the bedroom units at night, running the other units only during late July and August heatwaves.
At my house under construction in North Carolina, there will be a dual central A/C system, that will allow the master bedroom and other areas to be kept at a cooler temperature than the rest of the house. Fortunately, the climate at that location will result in a very limited period each summer requiring A/C.
Where do these Energy Star people live? Minnesota??? Canada???
Certainly not from down south if they came up with a silly idea like that.
Turning off the air conditioner at night and opening up the windows. Wonder how THAT would work out in Florida.