Can air conditioners, AC, turns on by a 24 hour clock automatically? What can I buy one?

Question

I want to buy an AC for my office, that has a timer on it. I want it to AUTOMATICALLY turn on at 5:00PM, reguardless of the temperature before, at or after 5, so by the time I get home, the room is cool. Do any ACs come with this feature?

Answer 1

Yes, but you need a programmable, digital thermostat.

You'll also want to read up on this exact method. While energy can be saved, simply turning it off and then on later won't be effective but turning it down 2-4 degrees and then back up later would be. Thing is, it takes btu / hour to cool and to keep cool, so the only energy saved is during the hours the a/c maintains the energy saving temp, the recovery portion eats as much and maybe slightly more than the completely off portion saved.
As a rule, the house will have to stay at the savings temp for at least 8 hours from begin to end, and longer is better.
Anyway I found most of this information googling, talk about 'energy saving thermostat' or 'energy saving temperature settings' and searches along those lines.

I have one I installed last year, it's kind of neat but I find the biggest impact is from the fact it is digital, thou the programmable portion is a neat feature, might save a few dollars but it sure was a lot of work, nevertheless an interesting experience I would recommend.

Another great energy saver are the new fluorescent light bulbs, they pay for themselves in 3-4 months time or so, my electric bill is around $20 / month lower now but my whole house is lighted with these things, they're great.

Turning your hot water heater thermostat down to 130 degrees helps also, and it is still very hot. Same thing can be said for water saving shower faucets, wow.

Answer 2

You would need a new thermostat, with a timer.

Answer 3

Home depot.