Set your air conditioning to 78 degrees during the day, 82 degrees at night, federal agencies recommend

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Looking to beat the heat without breaking the bank? Energy Star, the federal program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy, has some tips — but you might not like them.

Energy Star recommends that, in order to reduce costs and energy usage, you should set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible through the summer.

Specifically, they say you should set your thermostat to 78 degrees while you're home.

Spending the day out? Turn that thermostat up 7 degrees to 85.

Then, when you finally hit the hay, the federal program recommends setting your thermostat to 82 degrees.

They add that, if you're using a ceiling fan, you can even turn up the temperature another 4 degrees without losing any comfort.