What should you set your thermostat to in a Texas summer? The honest answer might surprise you.

July in Texas is no joke. When it's 103°F outside and your electric bill is already climbing, the thermostat becomes one of the most debated appliances in the house. Too high and nobody's comfortable. Too low and your bill tells you about it. There's a sweet spot — and it's probably not where most DFW homeowners have their thermostat set right now.

Let's walk through what actually works, what's a myth, and a few simple habits that can keep both your family and your wallet comfortable all summer long.

What temperature should you set your thermostat to in summer?

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends 78°F when you're home and active during summer, and higher when you're away or asleep. That number gets a mixed reaction from Texas homeowners, and honestly, that's fair. If you're used to 72°F, 78°F feels warm at first. But here's what most people don't realize: your body adjusts to indoor temperatures faster than you think, especially when humidity is managed well, and your system is running efficiently.

The bigger point is this: every degree you raise your thermostat above where you'd naturally set it saves you real money. Not a rounding error. Real, noticeable money on your monthly bill.

~3% Energy saved per degree you raise your thermostat in summer

78°F DOE-recommended setting when home and active

85–88°F Recommended when away from home for extended periods

A NOTE FOR NORTH TEXAS SPECIFICALLY:

The humidity here plays a real role in how temperature feels. At 78°F with good humidity control and proper airflow, most people are genuinely comfortable. At 74°F with high indoor humidity and poor circulation, you can still feel sticky and warm. Temperature on the thermostat isn't the whole story.

The smartest thermostat schedule for a DFW summer

Running your AC at the same temperature 24 hours a day is one of the most common — and most expensive — thermostat habits in Texas homes. Your system doesn't need to work that hard when nobody's there to benefit from it. Here's a schedule that balances real comfort with serious savings:

OVERNIGHT (SLEEPING) 75–78°F Most people sleep better slightly cooler. Ceiling fans help move air without extra AC load.

MORNING (HOME, ACTIVE) 76–78°F Mornings are naturally cooler. Your system works less to hold this temperature before noon.

AWAY FROM HOME 85–88°F Don't cool an empty house. Set it higher while you're out — your system catches up quickly when you return.

EVENING (HOME, RELAXING) 76–78°F Peak heat hours in DFW are typically 3–7pm. This is when your system works hardest — keep the setting reasonable.

ONE THING TO AVOID IN TEXAS SUMMERS:

Don't turn your AC completely off when you leave the house. On a 105°F day, an unoccupied home can reach dangerous indoor temperatures within a couple of hours — and your system will have to work much harder (and longer) to bring it back down than if it had simply maintained a higher setpoint while you were away.

Does a programmable or smart thermostat actually make a difference?

Short answer: yes, meaningfully so, but only if it's set up well. A smart thermostat that learns your schedule and adjusts automatically takes the guesswork and forgetfulness out of the equation entirely. It raises the temperature when you leave, brings it back down before you get home, and can even adjust based on outdoor conditions.

For DFW homeowners, the payoff is real. If your thermostat is currently a manual one you set once and leave, upgrading to a programmable or smart model is one of the higher-return investments you can make in home comfort and energy efficiency. R&R can help with installation and setup. Call us if you're not sure where to start.

ALREADY HAVE A SMART THERMOSTAT BUT NOT SURE IT'S SET UP CORRECTLY?

R&R Cool Club members receive priority scheduling. We can check your thermostat settings and overall system performance as part of your Cool Club tune-up. No separate appointment needed.

Three thermostat myths worth putting to rest

MYTH 1

"Setting the thermostat lower cools the house faster."

Your AC runs at one speed regardless of the setpoint. Setting it to 65°F instead of 75°F doesn't speed things up; it just means the system runs longer than it needs to, burning more energy and overworking itself in the process. Set it where you want it, not lower.

MYTH 2

"It costs more to cool the house back down than to keep it cold all day."

This one is persistent but incorrect. Your system uses far more energy maintaining a low temperature in an empty house for 8 hours than it does bringing the temperature down when you return. Letting it rise while you're away and recovering when you're home almost always wins on energy cost.

MYTH 3

"If my house feels warm at 78°F, my AC must be broken."

Not necessarily. High indoor humidity, poor airflow, dirty filters, or an improperly sized system can all make 78°F feel warmer than it should. If something feels off, the thermostat number is often not the problem, the system health is. That's exactly what a tune-up catches.

Little habits that make a big difference alongside your thermostat setting

• Run ceiling fans counterclockwise in summer. They create a wind-chill effect that lets you feel comfortable at a higher thermostat setting. Just remember — fans cool people, not rooms. Turn them off when you leave.

• Close blinds and curtains on south and west-facing windows during peak sun hours (roughly 11am–5pm). Solar heat gain through windows is one of the biggest contributors to indoor heat load in Texas homes.

• Change your air filter regularly. A clogged filter forces your system to work harder to pull air through, reducing efficiency and comfort at the same time. Cool Club members get 2 annual filter changes included — this one is easy to forget on your own.

• Unplug or power down electronics and appliances that generate heat when not in use. Computers, TVs, and even phone chargers release heat into the room — small amounts individually, but they add up in a closed space.

• Schedule a tune-up if your system hasn't been serviced this year. An inefficient system struggles to maintain any temperature comfortably, and no thermostat setting fixes a unit that's running below capacity.

  
  

When your thermostat setting isn't the real issue

Here's something worth saying plainly: if your home regularly feels uncomfortable even at 72°F or 74°F, the thermostat isn't your problem. The most common culprits we find at R&R are dirty coils reducing system capacity, low refrigerant levels, leaky ductwork losing conditioned air before it reaches the rooms you're in, or a system that was never correctly sized for your home's square footage in the first place.

These are things no thermostat setting can fix. They require a technician to diagnose and address. The earlier you catch them, the cheaper they are to solve. July is not the month to wait on a system that's been "kind of struggling."

The bottom line on thermostat settings in Texas

Comfort and savings aren't opposites; they just require a little intention. Set your thermostat to 78°F when you're home, higher when you're away, use fans to stretch that comfort zone, and make sure your system is actually running efficiently enough to deliver on whatever temperature you ask of it.

That last part is where R&R comes in. A system that's been tuned up, cleaned, and inspected does its job better, which means your home reaches your target temperature faster, holds it more consistently, and costs you less to run all summer long. Cool Club members get that service built in, twice a year, automatically.

Stay comfortable this July without dreading your electric bill.

Cool Club membership includes free tune-ups, priority service, no after-hours fees, and more. 

Join the Cool Club: randrac.com/memberships  |  Call us: (972) 264-0569

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