We stay home all day, my house was built in 26, I keep the blinds closed in all rooms, run ceiling fans in the rooms we occupy. It seems that if I keep the house at 75 or 79 degrees the AC runs the same, so do I save money at 79 degrees? Or should I just leave it at 75? Should this be 24/7?
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Once you reach the target temperature (either 75 or 79) then the same amount of energy is used to maintain it — your thermostat kicks the AC on once the air near it is about 2 degrees higher, cools for two degrees, shuts the AC off again.
The energy question comes into play when the AC is turned off, maybe at night or when you’re out of the house. If the inside temp reaches 85, for example, then it will take more energy to cool to 75 than it would 79.
Keep in mind that your AC also removes humidity. You feel cooler at 85 degrees and 50% humidity than you do 75 degrees just before a thunderstorm (approaching 1% humidity). So if you can reduce humidity in the house (toilet lid down, boil water in the microwave instead of on the stove, etc) you may find you’re just as comfortable at 79 as you are at 75. 🙂