What Is The Right Temp To Set South Dakota Summer Thermostat?

It's an ongoing debate in many South Dakota households. What is the RIGHT temperature to set your air conditioner thermostat during a hot South Dakota summer?

This summer has been a hot one. Household air conditioners have been running long and hard.

And if you have more than just yourself to keep cool at your house chances are you have had a conversation/argument about what is the right temperature to set your thermostat.

At our house, my wife sets the air conditioner at +74. I prefer it a little lower around +70.

We keep it at +74.

Turns out the U.S. Department of Energy thinks we should keep things set a bit warmer during the summer.

The DOE says in order to be energy-efficient while cooling your home appropriately we should set the air conditioner to +78 degrees.

Given the choice +78 with this South Dakota humidity seems a bit too warm for a comfortable household climate.

I believe if I were to insist that we keep our house cooled to +78 degrees my wife would insist I find somewhere else to live.

The DOE also says that you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees up for summer or down for winter for 8 hours a day from its normal setting.