Stay Cool, Save Money: The Best Thermostat Settings for Summer

Many homeowners assume that if the house feels warm, the thermostat needs to go lower.

So they bump it down a few degrees. Then a few more. Before long, the AC has been running for hours, the house still doesn't feel quite right, and the next utility bill arrives higher than expected.

The frustrating part is that lowering the thermostat isn't always the solution. In many cases, it simply makes your air conditioner run longer without improving comfort.

At ANC Heating & Air Conditioning, we've spent more than 60 years helping Southern Tier homeowners stay comfortable through hot, humid summers. One of the most common questions we hear is:

"What temperature should I actually set my thermostat to?"

The answer depends on whether you're home, sleeping, or away, but finding the right balance can help you stay comfortable while keeping cooling costs under control.

What’s the Best Thermostat Setting for Summer?

For most homes, 78°F is the sweet spot when you’re home and awake.

Why 78? It hits the balance between staying comfortable and keeping things efficient. At that setting, your AC doesn’t have to grind away all day to keep up, which helps keep cooling costs in check all summer long.

It’s also the setting many HVAC professionals recommend as a practical starting point. From there, you can adjust a degree or two based on your home, your comfort preferences, and how well your system handles humidity.

Comfort is personal, though. Some folks like it a touch cooler, while others are happy a few degrees warmer. The goal is simply finding a temperature that keeps everyone comfortable without making your air conditioner work overtime.

What Should You Set It To at Night?

A lot of homeowners think they need to crank the thermostat way down before bed. Most of the time, you don’t.

Most people sleep comfortably with the thermostat somewhere between 74°F and 78°F, depending on bedding, ceiling fans, and humidity levels.

If you’re dropping it into the upper 60s every night just to get comfortable, the temperature itself may not be the real problem. Over the years, our technicians have found that excessive humidity, restricted airflow, dirty filters, or aging equipment are often the real culprits.

Before you keep reaching for the thermostat, it’s worth asking whether something else is affecting your comfort.

What About When You’re Away?

One of the easiest ways to trim cooling costs is bumping the thermostat up when nobody’s home.

For most households, somewhere between 82°F and 85°F works well during the day when the house is empty. That helps you cut down on cooling you don’t need, lower your energy use, and take some load off your AC.

You don’t need to shut the system off entirely, though. If you let the house get extremely hot, it can take more time and energy to cool back down later. A modest bump up is almost always the smarter move.

Smart thermostats make this even easier by automatically adjusting temperatures based on your schedule, helping you save energy without having to think about it.

Why Cranking It Down Doesn’t Cool Your House Faster

This is one of the most common misconceptions our technicians hear during summer service calls.

If your home is sitting at 80°F and you want it at 72°F, setting the thermostat to 65°F won’t get you there any quicker. Your AC cools at the same steady rate no matter how low you set the number.

All you’ve done is tell the system to run longer to chase a lower temperature.

Instead of getting comfortable faster, you usually end up with:

• Higher energy bills

• Longer run times

• More wear on the equipment

• A system that ages before its time

If your home isn’t cooling the way it should, the thermostat setting usually isn’t the culprit.

When to Stop Adjusting and Start Asking Questions

If you find yourself constantly fiddling with the thermostat and still can’t get comfortable, your HVAC system might be trying to tell you something.

Keep an eye out for:

• Uneven temperatures from room to room

• Weak airflow from the vents

• Rooms that never seem to cool down

• Too much humidity inside

• An AC that runs almost nonstop

• Energy bills that keep climbing

Those are often signs of issues like dirty air filters, low refrigerant, restricted airflow, leaky ductwork, aging equipment, or a system that was never sized correctly for the home.

In any of those cases, turning the thermostat down won’t fix what’s actually wrong. A professional inspection can usually catch the real problem before it turns into a big repair or a full breakdown.

A Smart Thermostat Makes Summer a Lot Easier

If you’re still manually adjusting the thermostat all day long, a smart thermostat can take that chore off your plate.

A smart thermostat can help you:

• Set automatic temperature schedules

• Adjust the temperature from your phone

• Cut down on wasted energy while you’re away

• Keep comfort more consistent day to day

• Reduce unnecessary strain on your AC system

Instead of you constantly chasing the right setting, the thermostat adapts to your routine.

Smart thermostats installed by ANC can also connect to the ANC Home App, giving homeowners even more visibility into their comfort system. You can adjust temperatures remotely, receive maintenance reminders, monitor system performance, and book service appointments directly from your phone.

For a lot of our customers, that means more comfort, fewer surprises, and better control over monthly energy costs.

Quick Summer Thermostat Guide

For most homes, here’s a good starting point:

• Home and awake: 78°F

• Sleeping: 74°F–78°F

• Away during the day: 82°F–85°F

• On vacation: 85°F or higher

These are guidelines, not hard rules. The best setting is always the one that keeps your family comfortable while letting your system run efficiently.

Stay Cool Without Overworking Your AC

Summer comfort isn’t about setting the thermostat as low as it’ll go. It’s about finding the right balance of temperature, humidity, airflow, and efficiency so your system can do its job.

If your home still feels off even when the thermostat is set correctly, there may be something deeper going on with your HVAC system. A professional inspection can catch airflow problems, efficiency issues, or maintenance needs before they turn into something bigger.

For more than 60 years, ANC Heating & Air Conditioning has helped Southern Tier homeowners stay comfortable through every season. 

If your cooling system isn't performing the way it should, schedule service online or give us a call at (607) 748-6435. We're here to help you stay cool, comfortable, and confident all summer long.