What’s the best temp to set your AC at to save energy and still stay cool in KS?

Staying cool inside your home while also saving energy (and money) can be quite the balancing act, especially as summer temperatures start to soar.

As you see your energy bill creep up, you may be tempted to reevaluate what temperature you set your thermostat at. And you wouldn’t be alone.

“Evergy customers use the most electricity during the summer months, as air conditioners run to keep up with extreme Midwest heat,” a spokesperson told The Wichita Eagle. Evergy serves more than 1.7 million customers, including those in Wichita.

Annually, U.S. households spend about $29 billion on air conditioning, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. About 12% of household energy costs are tied to running air conditioners.

To strike the right balance between keeping cool and keeping costs low, many recommend setting their thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer.

But this may not be the right setting for your home.

AC thermostat recommendations

“Each customer uses energy differently, and there’s not a one-size-fits-all thermostat number that works best for everyone,” Courtney Lewis, Evergy’s senior communications manager, said. “Customers looking to reduce their energy usage and costs, may choose to raise their thermostat 3-5 degrees, as long as safety allows.”

The Energy Department recommends setting your AC thermostat to “a temperature you find comfortable and that provides humidity control, if needed.”

To save more money and energy, officials recommend raising the temperature when you are away and then lowering it when you get back home.

“You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day from its normal setting,” the Energy Department said. “The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.”

Programmable and smart thermostats

A programmable thermostat can do this automatically.

“Don’t waste money cooling an empty home,” the Kansas Corporation Commission said. “Install a programmable thermostat and in warm weather, schedule the thermostat to raise the temperature when you are away or asleep, and lower it at other times.”

Lewis said Evergy customers who use smart thermostats, which can be scheduled or controlled through an app, can save up to $145 in energy costs each year. Customers may also get a free or reduced smart thermostat by enrolling in Evergy’s Thermostat Program, which “will automatically pre-cool your home before energy use is predicted to spike during peak demand periods like 4-8 p.m.”

These “Energy Savings Events” usually last about two hours and customers may opt out of them, Lewis said.

Other ways to cool your home

An air conditioner isn’t the only way to cool down your home. Other strategies include:

• Use fans when you are home, but turn them off when not in the room.
• In the summer, your ceiling fan should spin counterclockwise to create a downdraft.
• Close your blinds and shades to keep sunlight from warming up your home.
• Seal any air leaks around your doors and windows.
• Keep your HVAC system maintained.