Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa introduced new legislation Monday which would make the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) set their headquarters’ thermostats to no lower than 78 degrees.
The Lead By Example Act would require the EPA and DOE to set their headquarters’ thermostats to at least 78 degrees, in alignment with recommendations supported by the EPA and DOE. Energy Star, an EPA-backed program that issues energy efficiency recommendations, suggests that Americans should keep summertime ambient temperatures in their homes between 78 and 85 degrees in order to save energy, according to CNN.
The DOE also urges Americans to “set (their) thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer,” according to a 2022 DOE report. “The greater the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the more energy it will take to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home,” the report also states.
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