Air Conditioners; Does it cost more to turn off completely then turn it on when needed again or...?

Question

does it cost less to just turn the thermostat up so it just automatically turn on when it gets to a certain temp???

Answer 1

to save electricity and use the efficiency of your unit it is best to leave it set on one temperature unless you plan on being gone for days.....for day to day use even if you turn the thermostat up while you are at work and then turn it down when you get home or if you use a programmable thermostat to do this ...the amount of power used to cool the house down the extra degrees between what you normally leave it set on as to what you set it on when you are away..will be way more because of the extra time the compressor has to run to drop the temperature vs the time it runs to just keep it at one temperature.....

Answer 2

You can get a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature when the home is unoccupied. You will burn energy removing heat gain either way; leave it at 78 degrees all day, or have it remove the heat gain at 5:00 when you get home. A "smart" thermostat will remember that it took 1 hour at 5pm to bring the house down to 74 degrees, and the next day it will start at 4pm so that when you walk in the door it is 74 degrees. If you will be out of the house for more than 4 hours, you will save a little money, and the thermostat will pay for itself in less than one season of cooling.
Of course, you will need to try it one month to see if you get a savings.

Answer 3

That depends on how much time will lapse between cool downs. I would not turn the A/C off unless I knew the house would remain cool enough not to cause a problem until I returned. I assume you will be gone for a few days. if you mean on the same day-then no-I would leave in on. Of course you can raise the thermostat a few degrees while you are out.

Answer 4

it costs more to turn it on when your house is really hot, than if you set the thermostat on auto.
But, the best thing to do is turn the stat up higher while you're away at work, say 78 degrees, then turn it down when you are home. If you turn it off while you're gone, and then turn it on, it will take a long time to catch up, and the compressor will be working continuously for hours. It's the compressor that hogs electricity.
Of course, if you are gone for a long time, turn it off completely.

Answer 5

It is more economical to set it at a comfortable temp, say 78 or 78 and leave it on auto. If you are gone for 8 hours or so, you can set it so it comes on about an hour before you expect to get home.

If you are gone for days then I would shut it completely off then on when you return.

Answer 6

It's costs less to keep it on Auto. It will come on when it needs to, and won't have to work as hard to cool.