Best Thermostat Settings for Summer in Texas
Published February 4, 2026 — by AMW Cooling & Heating LLC
Finding the right thermostat setting during a Texas summer is a balancing act. Set it too low and your energy bills skyrocket. Set it too high and your home becomes uncomfortable. In Conroe and throughout Montgomery County, where summer temperatures regularly push into the high 90s and humidity makes everything feel ten degrees hotter, getting this balance right matters more than in most parts of the country. Here is what HVAC professionals recommend and why it works.
The Department of Energy Recommendation
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you are home and active during summer. For every degree you raise your thermostat above 72, you save approximately two to three percent on your cooling costs. That adds up quickly in Texas, where AC systems may run eight or nine months a year.
At 78 degrees, most homes remain comfortable as long as the AC is also managing humidity effectively. The key is that 78 degrees at 45 percent relative humidity feels much different than 78 degrees at 70 percent relative humidity. If your home feels uncomfortable at 78, the issue may be humidity control rather than temperature. We will address that shortly.
When You Are Away From Home
When you leave for work or errands, raising the thermostat by seven to ten degrees can reduce your cooling costs by as much as ten percent annually. Setting it to 85 or 86 degrees while you are gone prevents the house from becoming excessively hot while avoiding the energy cost of cooling an empty home.
A common misconception is that it takes more energy to cool a warm house back down than to maintain a constant temperature all day. This is not accurate. Your AC uses more total energy maintaining 78 degrees for eight hours while you are away than it does to cool from 85 back down to 78 when you return. The total energy savings from the setback period outweigh the brief period of increased demand when the system catches up.
While You Sleep
Nighttime offers another opportunity to save. Most people sleep more comfortably in slightly cooler conditions, so you might keep the thermostat at 76 to 78 degrees at night. However, since outdoor temperatures drop after sunset, your system does not work as hard during nighttime hours even at these settings. If you prefer a cooler bedroom, using a ceiling fan allows you to raise the thermostat setting by about four degrees without any reduction in comfort, because moving air makes you feel cooler through evaporative cooling on your skin.
The Role of Humidity Control
In Conroe and Montgomery County, humidity is often the real enemy of comfort, not just temperature. Your AC system removes moisture from the air as a byproduct of the cooling process, but if the system is oversized, it may cool the air so quickly that it shuts off before adequately dehumidifying. The result is a home that feels clammy even at 74 degrees.
If you consistently feel uncomfortable at recommended thermostat settings, consider having your system evaluated for proper sizing and performance. A whole-home dehumidifier can also work alongside your AC to keep indoor relative humidity between 40 and 50 percent, which is the sweet spot for comfort and health. At the proper humidity level, 78 degrees feels perfectly comfortable for most people.
Smart Thermostats Make It Effortless
Manually adjusting your thermostat throughout the day is something most people intend to do but rarely follow through on. Smart thermostats eliminate the guesswork entirely. Devices like the Nest, Ecobee, and Honeywell Home series learn your schedule and preferences, automatically adjusting temperatures for maximum savings and comfort.
Smart thermostats also provide energy usage reports, so you can see exactly how much you are spending and identify opportunities to save. Many models offer geofencing, which uses your phone's location to begin cooling the house as you head home so you walk into a comfortable environment without wasting energy all day.
For Conroe homeowners, upgrading to a smart thermostat is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make. The savings typically pay for the device within one or two cooling seasons. AMW Cooling & Heating installs and configures smart thermostats, ensuring they work optimally with your specific HVAC system.
Ceiling Fans: Your Thermostat's Best Friend
Ceiling fans do not lower the temperature of a room. What they do is create a wind-chill effect on your skin, making you feel three to four degrees cooler. This means you can raise your thermostat by four degrees, from 78 to 82, and still feel just as comfortable in any room with a running ceiling fan.
The important detail is that fans cool people, not rooms. Turn them off when you leave the room. Running fans in empty rooms wastes electricity without any benefit. Make sure your fans are set to run counterclockwise during summer, which pushes air downward and creates that cooling breeze.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
One of the most common mistakes Texas homeowners make is setting the thermostat extremely low, say 68 degrees, hoping the house will cool faster. Your AC system cools at the same rate regardless of the thermostat setting. Setting it to 68 does not make it blow colder air or work faster. It just means the system runs longer, potentially freezing the evaporator coil and causing water damage or system shutdown.
Another mistake is closing vents in unused rooms. This seems logical but actually increases static pressure in your ductwork, forcing your system to work harder and potentially causing leaks in duct joints. Your system was designed to cool your entire home. Closing vents disrupts that balance and reduces overall efficiency.
Finding Your Personal Comfort Zone
Every household is different. Factors like home insulation, window orientation, number of occupants, cooking habits, and personal preference all play a role. Use 78 degrees as your starting point, adjust up or down by a degree at a time, and give each setting a few days before deciding. Combine your thermostat strategy with ceiling fans, proper humidity control, and good maintenance practices for the best results.
If your system struggles to maintain comfortable temperatures regardless of your settings, that is a sign it needs professional attention. It could be low on refrigerant, have dirty coils, need a new filter, or have duct leaks that are wasting conditioned air in your attic.
Let AMW Cooling & Heating Optimize Your Comfort
At AMW Cooling & Heating, we help Conroe homeowners get the most from their HVAC systems. Whether you need a smart thermostat installation, a system tune-up to improve efficiency, or an evaluation of your home's humidity control, our team is here to help.
Call us today at (936) 331-1339 to schedule a service appointment. We serve Conroe, The Woodlands, Spring, Magnolia, Willis, Montgomery, and surrounding communities throughout Montgomery County.
