PERRYSBURG, Ohio — The Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released air conditioning tips, telling consumers to keep their thermostat set higher than they think.
Many would think 72, 73, maybe 74 would be optimal temperatures for inside your house. But, a recent report has recommended that the lowest temperature people should set their thermostat at is 78 degrees during the summer.
That may sound high, but that's what is recommended for optimal cooling and energy efficiency.
Energy Star, which is run by the DOE and EPA, recommend keeping the temperature at 78 degrees while you are home, 85 degrees while you're at work and 82 degrees while you sleep.
However, experts at Wojo's Heating and Air Conditioning said the report is more of an average around the U.S. and not necessarily the best recommendations for Toledo area residents.
"Where we live, on a very warm day would be 90 degrees. Eight-five degrees is not much of a difference. So, if its 85 outside and you set it for 85, it won't come on at all. There's not temperature difference. Therefore you'll just be in a muggy, warm home. So, I don't believe that going to work in Toledo. I don't believe the 78 and 85 numbers are accurate," Wojo's owner Tom Wojciechowski said.
A sleep expert at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Dr. Michael Neeb, said the article takes the position of what's best for saving money and conserving resources.
Dr. Neeb said that sleeping in a cool environment is what's recommended because our bodies have a natural increase and decrease in temperature over the course of the day. At night, our bodies need it to be cooler to prepare us for bed and to sleep easier. The optimal temperature during sleep ranges anywhere from 65 to 73 degrees.
"Throughout the entire night, your body temperature continues to drop, drop, drop all night. So, you're body is trying to stay at a set point of about 67 degrees. When you raise the room temperature up to 82 for example, it's working against what your body is trying to do and that will wake you up repeatedly throughout the night," Dr. Michael Neeb said.
Dr. Neeb believes you can still save money without having the thermostat set above 80.