Hi Jillian,

I would set the t'stat on whatever is appropriate for your personal taste.
For example - if you like sleeping at night in a cooler environment - set it
at that. If you're gone during the day - set it at about 76°. Leave the
fan on the "auto" setting (reasons on humidity previously posted.)

Now - the way to retain as much cool air as possible and to keep as much
heat out would be to keep all your closet doors closed, and invest in some
insulated drapes. Keeping the sun out during the day will make a tremendous
difference. Imagine sitting in front of a sunlit window all day. That
happens to our upholstered furniture that just soaks up the heat. When the
temp. in the room is lowered - the heat is released from the furniture.
Hope this helps (and I hope you're not in an upstairs apt - always warmer -
especially down here in Texas!) :-)

Jim
PS: love the moniker "uvadixiechicken"

"uvadixiechicken" wrote in message
...
Hello all,
I'm new at this, so i'm not sure if I'm posting to the right group, or
if
this is even appropriate. But, here goes---I'm on a tight budget, and I'm
trying to lower my AC bill. I don't have a programmable AC (live in an
apartment). So, I was wondering if you could tell me how I could most
efficiently set my thermostat and the fan (only settings are 'auto' and
'on'). Thanks for any guidance you can give me.

Jillian