Which uses less energy when using the air conditioning in my house?

Question

Should I wait as long as possible to turn it on (like waiting until it's 80 degrees or more in the house), but then it has to work hard to get from 80 degrees to 74, for example. Or should I turn it on earlier in the day so the A/C doesn't have to work so hard because it's been working to maintain 74 degrees all day?

Answer 1

Your AC should never take too much of a swing in temperature because that will cost you more money. If you like to have it at 74 when you are there, don't let it get hotter than 78 when you aren't there. The consistency is better on the unit and your pocketbook.

Answer 2

There are two main functions in air conditioning. One, is lowering the temperature, the other is reducing the humidity, or latent heat. When you turn your system off, the relative humidity continues to equalize itself with the outside air. If it happens to be raining , your outside humidity is 100%, and it will attempt to achieve equilibrium with the relative dry air inside by bringing in water vapor through every minute opening in the home.

So when your a/c is not operating, it's not just the heat that accumulates. Your comfort is determined in a large part by the relative humidity. In order to keep things dry when you are away, and temperature is not an important consideration, a dehumidistat might be effective. This will turn the unit on at a certain preset relative humidity regardless of the temperature.

But the simplest and most effective method to stabilize your indoor climate is with a programmable thermostat, where you can set the unit to really crank before you get home, and simmer down after you leave. But, in any case, keep your temperature within 4-5 degrees of your ideal condition to keep heat and humidity from overwhelming your environment and your wallet.

Answer 3

Your ac will run at the same rate no matter the temp. It won't work "harder", just longer..
If you try to keep it 74 all day, then it's going to kick on more often than if you wait. Later in the day, it will cool off outside, and once the ac gets the temp down to where you want it, it won't come on as often to keep that temp.. Really, I don't think I've explained it well enough, but it's a personal choice.

Answer 4

It's better to keep the house cool rather than let it heat up and then cool it down from higher temperatures. You lose efficiency and thus it uses more energy when you run it very hard.

I would recommend that you add a second layer of insulation in your attic. I added 12 inch thick fiberglass bats on top of the blown insulation in the attic and it lowered my cieling temperature by 5 degrees in the hottest part of the day.

Answer 5

air conditioning should be turned on early. It works too hard the other way. It is also good to clean the filters of a window a/c once a week and change a sponge filter once a year. If you have a vent knob, close the vent during the day and open it at night. This will save you money and prevent eye burn.

Answer 6

You should have the thermostat set on your ac unit to automatically turn on if the temperature gets above 78 and to shut off if the temperature drops below 72. It will save you money in the long run.

Answer 7

Personally, I'd wait til it's hot as hell. But then again, it sounds like you know more about how a/c works than I do and I didn't know that it had to struggle more when the tempurature gets higher. Good question.

Answer 8

invest in a programmable thermostat. better to leave it on and let it gradually cool as needed. simply turning on and off makes it work harder causing you more energy consumption in order to achieve the desired temp. same with your heating in the wintertime too

Answer 9

leave it on at all times, unless the weather does not call for it