October 10, 2020

Air conditioners are typically the biggest users of power in the home, so information technology is no surprise that many people shut off their system to save electricity. Notwithstanding, there is a lot of defoliation nearly whether or not this is actually a good idea. Is it a ameliorate idea to go out your Ac on or off when you leave home? Hither's what you need to know.

Does It Use Less Money to Plow Your AC Off?

First of all, it is important to dispel the myth that your Air conditioning will have to work so hard to absurd your home back down that information technology ends upwards costing more to shut down your air workout. That just is non how Air conditioning systems work. Your AC runs at the aforementioned speed regardless of what temperature information technology is. To cool your abode down more, it simply runs a little longer.

This means that if you left your AC on all day, information technology would switch on and off ofttimes to maintain a cool temperature. Meanwhile, if you only turn it on in the evening, it will run steadily for a few hours instead of switching on and off several times. Ultimately, all the fourth dimension spent turning on and off adds up. Your AC will actually run longer overall if it is left on all mean solar day instead of beingness shut off. If you lot turn information technology off for part of the day, it runs less and results in more than energy savings for you.

In about all cases, it will save you money to shut off your AC while you are away from home. However, some cities charge more for electricity used during peak hours which is usually betwixt about v p.m. and 11 p.m. If you alive in an surface area with this sort of payment plan, information technology may cost more to absurd your home downwardly in the evening than keep it cool during the mean solar day. The savings typically outweigh the college costs of dark cooling, just every power company is dissimilar. You volition need to check your local electricity rates before bold yous will get big savings.

Is It Bad for Your System to Close Off the AC?

Another affair people worry about is the safety of their equipment. Some people have heard that forcing your organisation to run continuously in the evening is bad. Supposedly, making your air conditioning run for likewise long will fire out your system and crusade it to break down sooner. This is technically true, merely only if your air conditioning was running literally nonstop. Having your Air conditioning run for a couple of hours to cool down your abode in the evenings volition not put enough strain on your organisation to blow out a compressor.

In fact, some experts believe that turning off your AC during the solar day can actually be good for the system. Since information technology runs less fourth dimension overall, y'all are putting less wear and tear on your organisation. Furthermore, virtually ACs are fairly stable when they are running at full speed. Breakdowns are more likely to happen when the car is shutting off or turning on since this involves a lot of pocket-size parts suddenly beingness put into motility or halted. By running your Air-conditioning more than consistently in the evening, you can prevent short-cycling that could cause problems with your machine.

Reasons Non to Shut Off Your Air Conditioning

So if it saves money and does non hurt your system, why would anyone proceed their AC running during the day? The unfortunate reality is that this AC schedule simply does not fit most people's needs and schedules. If you have a typical nine-to-five chore, shutting off your AC ways it is non running during the hottest role of the day. In Florida, that ways you could hands end up coming home to a house in the 90s. It could then have three to five hours to get the home cooled downward to a comfortable temperature, past which time you would already exist in bed.

In addition to cooling downwardly the home, ACs likewise remove humidity. If your air conditioner is non running for hours, your home can become extremely humid. This is bad for both home furnishings and the house itself. Mold and mildew are more than likely to abound, and wood or paper can warp. Whatsoever frail electronics may get damaged. Another potential trouble is that the extra high inside temperatures caused by shutting off your AC can be unsafe to other living beings. If you have a pet or a lot of houseplants, it is not a practiced idea to plough off your air workout.

Turn Air conditioning Upwards—Not Off

How can y'all save money without making your home horrifically uncomfortable? For most homeowners, the best compromise is turning their thermostat up instead of shutting it off completely. When you leave for piece of work, turn your thermostat to somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees. This makes your AC run far less, so yous even so save coin. However, it will switch on every now and then, and then your dwelling doesn't reach extra high temperatures. And then when y'all come home, you tin can drib it back downwardly to your preferred temperature fairly quickly.

Just a 1-degree difference in thermostat settings increases your Ac efficiency by around ane to five%. This translates to impressive savings. The verbal amount you save will depend on your current energy rates, the blazon of organisation y'all have, and the temperature setting you choose. Homeowners who bump upwardly their thermostats by seven to ten degrees for merely eight hours each day tin reduce their cooling costs by roughly ten%.

Go More Savings With a Programmable Thermostat

It is possible to relieve money by frequently adjusting a traditional thermostat. Even so, it can exist a little time consuming to mess with it each time you leave and enter your home. A ameliorate option for many homeowners is a programmable thermostat. These thermostats tin either acquire your schedule automatically, or you lot can fix information technology to turn to a different temperature at each time. This tin can save around 10% to 15% on your monthly cooling bill. A programmable thermostat provides enough savings to pay for itself inside a couple of years.

In addition to being convenient, programmable thermostats are also smashing because they handle the temperature switches for you. Afterward keeping the temperature in the 80s all day, a programmable thermostat tin can outset running a few hours earlier yous are scheduled to come home from piece of work. This ways that when you actually go home, it feels great. Programmable thermostats tin can also slightly increase temperature after you fall asleep, and so you get more than savings in the evening also.

McGowan'due south Heating & Ac is here to assistance make sure your air conditioner runs as efficiently as possible. We can answer all your questions near how to prepare your thermostat, and our technicians tin can assist you with regular maintenance. Northeastern Florida residents can count on us for all sorts of AC and heating repairs, installations, and maintenance. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

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