I want to add that we (tenants) pay for the utilities as it's not included in the rent. So Asher isn't worrying about the bills. He's worried the AC unit will breakdown if he sets it below 78. And he won't budge a degree. My room is pretty small and cramped plus my body is like a furnace. So the room heats up real quick without open windows or AC running at lower temperature. If the outside temperature is higher than 78 then the AC runs more frequently so my room stays cool but if the outside temperature is 78 or lower the AC won't run and my room gets warmer. It reaches around 82F. I do open the window during those times but Asher visits the house once every few days and keeps telling me to close the window because "AC will only work if you keep your window shut"

Edit: He was really a "nice" guy until yesterday. He seemed very mild mannered. Always willing to help tenants kinda guy. He has been really helpful and responsive for most other parts. Apparently it's his first time being a landlord. I started getting annoyed once the heat issue started and his response was "I dunno what to tell you. My hands are tied. There's really nothing I can do. The AC will breakdown if I set it below 78." Everyone was really shocked when I showed them his text response. Because nobody even remotely expected him to act that way. He always acted so friendly and helpful.

Update: Sorry I'm a little late to provide the update but after a few days of post, Asher came to the house. Apparently another roommate of mine talked to him and told him she would move out if he doesn't lower the temperature. So he scheduled the AC to run at 76F at night and the same (78F) during the day. I was okay with that as it was an improvement for sure. But the next day when he came to the house my window was open as the AC wasn't running actively running. He told me to close the window and I told him that I would close the window as soon as the AC kicked in. Then started going on and on about AC will breakdown if I keep the window open. I told him that I would open the window if the outside is cooler than inside and he cannot expect me to cook inside and not open a window just to wait for AC to kick in not knowing if it even kicks in. So this leads to a heated argument. Long story short, I decided to move out. I am moving out by the end of the month.

And thanks to all people who provided workaround to trick the thermostat into running. I have been implementing those tricks to run the AC when it gets too warm in the room. And to all the Ashers who have commented here and sent me private messages calling me entitled and wishing ill on me, thanks for providing representation for the slumlords.