Federal program says you should set your thermostat at 78 degrees

Apparently, no one from the federal government has ever spent a summer in Arizona.

The U.S. Environment Protection Agency ( USEPA ) and U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star program recommend setting your thermostat to 78 degrees only while you are home, a benchmark designed to reduce costs and energy use.

The USEPA reports the recommended level is 85 degrees cutting back to 82 degrees while you sleep.

According to the feds, you can bump the temperature up 4 degrees if you’re using a ceiling fan.

” Set your thermostat at as high a temperature as comfortably possible and ensure humidity control if needed. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be, ” said USEPA .

Other tips for staying cool: Minimize activities that generate a lot of heat, such as a computer, running a dishwasher, and using hot devices such as curling irons or hair dryers.