Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism after temperature readings inside New York City Hall appeared to contradict his public request that residents keep their air conditioners set to 78 degrees during this week’s heat wave to ease pressure on the electric grid.

According to measurements taken by the New York Post using an infrared thermometer, temperatures in City Hall and several municipal buildings were frequently well below the 78-degree level Mamdani urged New Yorkers to maintain. Reporters said they tested 20 different locations they were able to access, with only five registering at or above 78 degrees.

The findings surfaced one day after Mamdani encouraged residents to conserve electricity by raising their thermostat settings in an effort to help prevent widespread Con Edison outages during the extreme heat.

“Maybe the mayor shouldn’t tell New Yorkers to sacrifice their comfort if he isn’t willing to do the same,” scoffed David Carr (R-Staten Island), the City Council’s minority leader.

Around noon, when temperatures in Central Park were climbing toward 100 degrees, most of the locations tested inside City Hall were reportedly within a degree or two of the mayor’s recommended setting.

Later in the afternoon, however, the readings dropped considerably. By approximately 4:30 p.m., one room inside the building housing the mayor’s office measured just 54 degrees.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, drew widespread attention online after recommending that New Yorkers set their air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher. Critics mocked the advice, though similar recommendations had also been issued during previous administrations, including those of Mayors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio.

The U.S. Department of Energy likewise recommends thermostat settings between 75 and 78 degrees during the summer months to reduce electricity consumption.

When issuing his recommendation, Mamdani also said City Hall would follow the same conservation practices.

“Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment,” he posted on X.

The temperature measurements reported by the newspaper, however, painted a more varied picture.

At approximately noon, areas near the mayor’s second-floor office, the Rotunda, the Governor’s Room, and the City Council chambers each registered about 77 degrees, while the mayor’s first-floor press office measured 78 degrees.

Later in the day, temperatures reportedly fell further. Outside the mayor’s office, the thermometer registered 74 degrees.

The Governor’s Room, where staff members were preparing teleprompters, cameras, and lighting equipment for Mamdani’s Independence Day address, also measured 74 degrees.

The Rotunda reportedly cooled to 64 degrees.

One of the coldest readings—62 degrees—was recorded near the mayor’s first-floor press office, where communications staff and other employees were gathered.

Air flowing directly from an air-conditioning unit inside the press radio room, where reporters have long complained about frigid conditions, registered 54 degrees.

The CityStore inside the Manhattan Municipal Building also measured approximately 64 degrees, according to the newspaper’s testing.

Reporters also said employees at several municipal offices, including sanitation and health department facilities, declined to allow them inside after learning they intended to measure indoor temperatures.

The newspaper further reported that while many city employees worked in air-conditioned offices, police officers and security personnel stationed in hallways remained in temperatures exceeding 80 degrees and had not been provided with fans. Hallways and lobbies inside the David Dinkins Municipal Building reportedly measured around 80 degrees, while elevator temperatures reached 89 degrees.

The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, which reporters said was unoccupied at the time, measured 81 degrees.

“The Mayor set the temperature at Gracie Mansion to 78 degrees yesterday afternoon,” said Mamdani spokesman Jeremy Edwards.

Edwards also confirmed that City Hall’s thermostat settings were adjusted to the recommended level later Thursday after the newspaper questioned the administration about its findings.

Meanwhile, Mamdani’s chief spokesman, Joe Calvello, spent much of Thursday defending the mayor’s recommendation on social media, arguing that the guidance was hardly unprecedented.

“This practice of asking New Yorkers to set their AC to 78 degrees dates back to Dear Communist Leader Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani,” he replied to Barstool Sports founder and Mamdani critic Dave Portnoy.

The debate unfolded as approximately 5,000 Con Edison customers in the Bronx temporarily lost electrical service.

“Due to an electric problem in Riverdale, we had to shut off power to some customers temporarily to prevent more extended outages,” the utility said in a statement. “We’re completing repairs as quickly as possible.”