setting thermostats – New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to set thermostats to 78 degrees during a heat wave, sparking backlash from politicians including Georgia congressional candidate Rick Jackson and Rep. Clay Fuller. Georgia Power, meanwhile, has long recommended 78
When the heat dome settled over North Georgia last week, it wasn’t just uncomfortable—it strained the air inside homes and the grid outside them. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani tried to ease that pressure with a simple demand: set thermostats to 78 degrees.
In a post on X. Mamdani said the city’s power grid was working “overtime” to keep people cool and urged residents to “keep their home temperature set at 78 degrees” to reduce demand. He added instructions to turn off lights and electronics not in use and unplug what residents could. “A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved,” he wrote. “Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together.”.
The guidance landed with a thud back in Georgia, where the idea was met with pushback from politicians across the country.
Congressman Clay Fuller, who now represents Georgia’s 14th congressional district after winning a special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, responded quickly. After reading Mamdani’s post, Fuller said, “I will be cranking my A/C down to 64.” He added, “America will never become Europe.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson also drew a line, warning voters that Democrats would take similar steps if given power. Jackson is facing Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms for the governor’s seat in November. “If Mamdani does it in New York, you can bet Keisha would do it in Georgia,” Jackson said. “When I’m governor. we aren’t going to force Georgians to set their A/C to 78 in the middle of a heat wave.”.
Even as the political fight played out, the details of the policy diverge from the fight.
Mamdani’s recommendations are not requirements for private homes and businesses. Only city-operated buildings in New York City are required to follow the higher temperature guidance. The mayor also recommended turning off unnecessary lighting during peak electricity demand and “asking private partners to do the same. ” but there are no ordinances requiring residents to follow suit.
That distinction matters in Georgia because the thermostat advice isn’t new.
Energy providers have long urged Americans to turn thermostats up during summer heat. The U.S. Department of Energy has suggested keeping homes at 78 degrees during heat waves in past years, including under the Trump Administration. But after Mamdani’s post. the Energy Department’s “Home Cooling Systems” webpage was deleted just days later. and the page now shows a “Page not found” message where energy-saving information had previously been. according to multiple reports.
Georgia Power’s long-running approach is blunt and specific. In its energy-saving guide, the top tip recommends setting a programmable thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and 68 degrees Fahrenheit in winter for energy-efficient results.
Georgia Power also urges customers to turn off lights that aren’t in use and to use smart power strips that prevent electronics from using lots of electricity when they aren’t needed. The company says making these changes could reduce a power bill by 3% to 5%, depending on usage.
On days when people will be away, Georgia Power recommends setting the thermostat higher by 5 to 10 degrees. It also points to programmable thermostats that can cool a home automatically ahead of a return, without running the air conditioning all day.
That advice connects to a technical reality HVAC professionals describe as the “20-degree rule.” When outdoor temperatures approach 100 degrees, the rule says many residential air conditioning systems are designed to cool a home by about 20 degrees compared to the outdoor temperature.
So if it’s 100 degrees outside. many systems may only be able to maintain an indoor temperature around 80 degrees while operating normally. Experts say trying to push the thermostat much lower during extreme heat can cause the system to run almost continuously—raising wear and energy use—without delivering dramatically cooler indoor temperatures.
Irene Wright. an Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. wrote in the source material that the 20-degree rule also explains why lowering your thermostat well below what your system can realistically maintain won’t cool the home any faster. Instead, it forces the air conditioner to run longer.
The tension playing out between New York’s mayor and Georgia politicians may sound ideological. but the numbers on the thermostat are familiar to energy utilities and federal guidance alike. Georgia Power’s energy-saving guide recommends 78 degrees in summer—the same temperature Mamdani asked New Yorkers to set—while also laying out practical steps like reducing unnecessary lighting. using smart power strips. and adjusting settings while away.
As the heat continues, the stakes remain straightforward: keep cooling systems running reliably while reducing the strain that comes when everyone demands full power at once.
heat dome thermostat 78 degrees Georgia Power power grid energy conservation HVAC 20-degree rule Clay Fuller Rick Jackson Keisha Lance Bottoms Zohran Mamdani