Best AC Temperature Setting for Energy Efficiency

Resetting your air conditioner thermostat temperature can be challenging while sleeping in hot summers. In fact, Having a bedroom with higher or lower temperatures can result in sleepless nights. Regardless of the outside temperature, the optimal temperature settings while sleeping should be between 16 and 19 degrees °C.

In areas that cool off overnight, opening the windows while sleeping is a good solution to keep you cool at night if it works for you and your surrounding climate. For better results, this method requires moderate to the cooler outdoor temperature. This method is less precise but more energy-efficient. Also, you can turn on the ceiling fan in bedrooms to circulate air and keep the rest of the house at the ideal temperature.

During the summer, the comfort levels of air conditioning temperature for normal human body temperature differ from night to day. If you’re working from home, have small children, or live in a hot environment, deciding what temperature to set your thermostat can be challenging.

During the summer heat, the cravings to crank up the air conditioner and enjoy the cool, dry air while keeping your home cool are unmatched. However, all that comfort always comes at a price! In this case, it comes in the form of expensive energy bills. In an attempt to save money, you need to set your thermostat several degrees higher, and this process will repeat itself.

In accordance with a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, cleaning your AC regularly and keeping the room temperature at 29 degrees Celsius for about 8 hours during high cool temperatures can save you around 5-15% on your air condition electricity bills.

The Ministry of Power has said that the default temperature setting for all air conditioning will be set at 24 degrees °C from 1st January 2020. So why has the ministry taken this decision?

The Ministry of Power has basically taken this decision to ensure less energy consumption and lower the power costs in the country. The ministry has said that the current setting which is at around 18 to 21 degrees °C is too low for the Indian weather and 24 degrees °C is the standard setting.

A lot of different temperatures input were also taken from neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and Japan where the minimum temperature default setting is almost 27-28 degrees °C. Therefore, considering a tropical climate like India where the humidity level is about 63.9%, the ministry decided that this will be a good temperature for people in India and it will also help us in energy savings. But the previous default settings happened to be between 18 to 22 degrees °C.

So how will this new setting impact customers? As far as customers are concerned, they will obviously benefit in terms of a reduced electricity bill. If the AC setting is increased from 18 to 24 degrees °C, the annual electricity will increase to around 4,000 rupees. Whereas, if you increase the temperature to 27 degrees °C, the annual savings will be almost 6,500 rupees. Because for every unit consumed or lower the temperature setting, the higher the energy consumed.

As far as cooling is concerned, there is a common misconception that the lower the temperature, the faster it is to cool a room of a standard size. But it is not the case. Whether the temperature in the AC is 18 degrees °C or whether it is 24 degrees °C the standard time taken to cool the room will be the same. After cooling the room at the cooling temperature, the compressor stops working and it is only the fan that is working to set the temperature. When you increase the temperature or the default setting to 24 degrees °C, you can save almost 20% energy and if you increase it to 27%, you can save around 31% electricity. Various studies have reported that 25 degrees °C temperature is sufficient to maintain the body temperature level in India and anything between 18 and 19 degrees °C may not be suitable as per the Indian tropical climate. Therefore, it definitely makes sense to save money while getting the perfect cool air at your home.

Lowering the smart thermostat settings when no one is home is one simple way of reducing electricity consumption. In spite of the temptation to simply turn off the AC, it is better to adjust the temperature several degrees higher, about 7 to 10 degrees higher. Making this simple energy-saving adjustment on your thermostat and installing a programmable thermostat can save you up to 10% on energy costs.

You can configure these thermostats so that they automatically raise the temperature while you are away from home, then return to a more desired level of temperature upon your return. Keeping the thermostat at a lower temperature after you’ve been away is another mistake to avoid when seeking out the desired temperature settings. You won’t notice any difference in cooling speed – the cooling rate will remain the same, but the amount of time it takes when the temperature reaches the lower side will increase.

Similar to a car, cleaning your ac unit along with routine maintenance and quality check is also necessary to deliver the best performance and cooling experience. Filters that have become dirty, clogged, or deteriorated can reduce air circulation, reducing comfort, and also putting strain on fans and motors, which reduces efficiency letting you sacrificing comfort.

Please note that the temperature recommendations above are for an average adult. If you are trying to ensure better, more restful sleep for your child or infant, it may be a good idea to set the temperature a bit higher than usual. We hope that this blog helped you with choosing the right temperature for AC according to your requirements. You can read our blog on how to calculate air-conditioning according to the space of your room.