See where Americans prefer to set their AC, and what experts say

The Next Heat Wave Is Coming — and the Thermostat Debate Is About to Reignite

Cybersecarmor.com – Forecasters are tracking a massive heat dome that has been churning across the western United States and is now pivoting eastward toward the Mississippi Valley, the mid-Atlantic corridor, and the Southeast coast. The system is expected to make landfall in those regions just as Labor Day weekend arrives, delivering a final, punishing stretch of summer heat before autumn officially begins.

AccuWeather projects that daytime temperatures in the affected zones will run 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above what historical records would predict for the opening days of September. Cities such as Raleigh, North Carolina, and St. Louis, Missouri, are forecast to brush right up against the triple-digit mark. Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., are expected to see sustained highs in the upper 90s. Separate heat-wave alerts have been issued for Chicago, Philadelphia, and Raleigh as the weekend approaches.

For millions of households, this means one question will dominate the next several days: where exactly should the thermostat dial be turned? The answer, as it turns out, is a matter of fierce disagreement between what Americans actually do, what sleep researchers recommend, and what energy regulators advise.

What Americans Actually Set Their Thermostats To

A national survey conducted by Consumer Reports in 2021 revealed that the typical American household keeps its indoor temperature hovering around 71 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day. That figure represents a broad average, however, and regional splits do exist. Respondents in the Southern states reported daytime settings closer to 72 degrees, while households in the Northeast tended to push the dial down to roughly 70 degrees.

The survey also uncovered a striking uniformity at the cold end of the spectrum. Not a single participant who reported having central air conditioning indicated they had set their thermostat above 76 degrees Fahrenheit at any point during the summer months. In practical terms, the American household treats anything warmer than mid-70s as unacceptable, regardless of what outside conditions or efficiency guidelines might suggest.

The Sleep Factor: Why 67 Degrees Keeps Coming Up

Comfort during nighttime hours introduces a separate variable. Sleep-wellness company Bear Mattress published a study on July 8 identifying 67 degrees Fahrenheit as the nation’s “ideal sleep temperature.” The research drew on responses from more than 2,000 adults spread across all 50 states.

“It’s the temperature most Americans say helps them fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer,” Bear Mattress stated in an Aug. 4 news release.

That finding explains why so many households drop the thermostat several degrees after sundown, even if daytime settings sit in the low 70s. The gap between a 71-degree daytime preference and a 67-degree nighttime preference means that, for much of the evening and overnight hours, American homes are running well below what energy-efficiency advocates consider reasonable.

What Energy Companies and the Federal Government Recommend

Several major electric utilities across the country have settled on a single recommended summer setting: 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Among the companies putting forward that figure are Constellation Energy in the Chicago market, National Grid serving New York and Massachusetts, and Carrier in Florida. The recommendation is not one-size-fits-all; each utility notes that local climate, humidity levels, and building construction can shift the optimal number up or down by a few degrees.

The U.S. Department of Energy takes a slightly different framing. Rather than prescribing a single number, the agency advises homeowners to maintain indoor conditions that feel comfortable while still allowing adequate humidity control. The DOE’s core efficiency principle is to keep the delta between indoor and outdoor temperatures as small as practical, because every degree of separation forces the compressor to work harder and drives up the electric bill.

The Gap Between Advice and Behavior

The numbers tell a story of persistent non-compliance. If the average American daytime setting is 71 degrees and the recommended efficiency setting is 78 degrees, that is a seven-degree gap — roughly equivalent to running the air conditioner at a noticeably higher capacity for every hour of the day. Multiply that across millions of homes over a full summer, and the aggregate energy cost becomes substantial.

Context matters here. Older homes in the South and Midwest often lack the insulation, sealed ductwork, and high-efficiency heat pumps that make a 78-degree setting genuinely comfortable. In a poorly insulated 1950s bungalow with single-pane windows, 78 degrees in August humidity can feel oppressive, and residents rationally compensate by running the system colder. The DOE’s own guidance acknowledges that comfort and humidity control are prerequisites; efficiency savings that come at the cost of unbearable indoor conditions are unlikely to be adopted voluntarily.

Still, the Consumer Reports data make clear that most households are not even close to the recommended range. The fact that zero respondents with central cooling reported settings above 76 degrees underscores how deeply embedded the sub-75-degree norm has become in American residential culture.

Practical Implications for the Upcoming Weekend

As the heat dome pushes through the Mississippi Valley and mid-Atlantic this week, expect utility companies to issue rolling-peak warnings and possibly time-of-use rate adjustments. Homeowners who can shift heavy cooling loads to overnight hours — when outdoor temperatures dip and the grid is less stressed — will reduce both their bills and their contribution to peak-demand events that can trigger brownouts.

For those who want to stay closer to efficiency guidelines without sacrificing sleep quality, a split schedule is the most common compromise: daytime settings in the low-to-mid 70s, dropping to the high 60s or low 70s after bedtime. It is not the 78-degree number utilities would prefer, but it narrows the gap meaningfully while respecting the physiological reality that most adults need cooler air to achieve and maintain sleep.

The final days of summer heat will not change the thermostat habits of millions of Americans overnight. But the approaching Labor Day stretch offers a concrete, short-term window in which small adjustments — a degree or two higher during daylight hours, a fan-assisted strategy in the bedroom, sealing drafts around windows — can shave meaningful energy use from the peak-demand period without turning any home into a sauna.