Roommate and air conditioning issues?

Question

So my roommate and I are arguing over the temperature in our apartment. I think is more efficient to have the apartment set a one temp(74) and never change it. She insists that we have at 72 when we are there(6pm-7:30am) and then turn it up to 80 when we aren't there(7:30am-6pm). I need help and how to explain to here what is the best way to save some money.

Oh I forgot to say that we live in Georgia so the temp outside is not the coolest of the temperatures.

Answer 1

I have heard that old wives tale before that it will consume more energy if you keep the house at a higher temperature while you are gone.

the enegy required to keep a room at a certain temperature is related to:

the difference between the inside and outside temperatures, and the amount of time the difference is forced to exist ( by heating or cooling)

so the most enegy efficient temperature at all times is to keep the house as close to the outdoortemperature as you can reasonably tolerate. In my opinion you could get used to > 74°C while you are there and turn the air off while you are out if you don't have pets. another option is to get a programmable thermostat with a timer so when you get home the house is already comfortable. When I lived in Miami, most folks kept the air conditioner at 80°C when at home

depending on different costs for electricity at different hours, your electric bill may not reflect the energy savings too clearly

Answer 2

You are going to save money by having the A/C at a higher temperature during the day and only turning it down at night when you're home.

7:30 AM to 6 PM includes the hottest part of the day. So, your A/C unit is going to work that much harder - and use that much more electricity - keeping your apartment at 74 degrees. By turning the thermostat up to 80 degrees during the day, the A/C unit will not have to work nearly as hard or as long as if you had the temperature at 74.

Then, when you come home in the evening, you turn the thermostat back down to 74 and the A/C unit runs until it reaches that temperature. But, because it's now getting into a cooler part of the day, it doesn't have to work that hard (relatively speaking) to get the temperature to 74.

If you have access to your electrical meter (and know how to read it) you could do a comparison test where you leave the A/C at 74 all day for a couple of days and note how much electricity you used. Then, try the 74/80 approach and compare how much you use. All else being equal, I would imagine you will see a significan amount of energy savings using the 74/80 approach.

Answer 3

It really depends on the outside temperatures. I think that if you keep it at a fixed temperature that is slightly on the warm side, you save the most money. I would try 74 or 75. Letting the house warm up to 80 will not let the airconditioner dehumidify the air long enough to cool it quickly. Airconditioning works through taking the water out of the air and cooling it also. Do NOT take showers in the middle of the day, or run the clothes or dish washer, to keep the humidity down.

Answer 4

It is true that if you keep it the same temp that it would be more efficient. But, I do know how HOT Georgia can be. The way my hubby and I do it in our apt is this.....When we are home at night - we are usually warm..so we set it at 72. When we are not home, which is most of the day. I set it at abround 79 and leave the paddle fan on to help circulate the air. I think you are both right in a way...Try and come up with a way that you are BOTH comfortable..74 may be too warm for her..but ok for you. Especially in that Ga sun...

Answer 5

The closer you keep an air conditioner to the outside temperature, the less work it has to do. To ventilate and cool, conditioning units both pull in air from the outside and inside of the room and make it the temperature that you request. So there is less energy put towards cooling the outside air if it doesn't need to cool as much.
Also, putting the conditioner in a window that gets less direct sunlight will keep the refrigerant cooler in general, which saves on cost.
You also want to make sure that your unit is correctly sized so that you're not over-working it.
In summation, unless you're only leaving for a short time, you should either turn the unit off completely or raise the temperature setting until you get back.

Answer 6

For more efficiency, leave the temp on the a/c at one setting, which would be 74 degrees, whether you're home or not. Raising the setting while you're gone, will only cause the a/c to run even longer when you come home, until it reaches 74 degrees. I live in S.C. & I know what you're saying about the heat, as it's hot here as well.

Answer 7

Actually, your roommate is closer to the mark on this one. If you're not home, why pay to keep the apartment cooler? If it's managible, close the shades or pull the curtains on the side of the house that get the most sun in the afternoon and you shouldn't have a problem leaving it at 80 during the day.

Answer 8

Your roomate theory is more correct and will still keep your apartment comfortable when you arrive home. You can then set it on the desired temperature for more comfort.
Her method will keep your cooling costs in line.
We do that with a central air unit in a 3000 sq ft house. When we go away for a weekend we leave it at 80 and then set it at 77 degrees when we return. With draperies, blinds and other window coverings our house is still comfortable even though it is set at the 80 degree level.

Answer 9

Your roomate is correct. the best way to do that is with a programmable thermostat which can be easily installed and removed when you leave. Another trick that I use is I purchased a small window unit for the bedroom. I keep the apartment a bit warm and use ceiling fans to tolerate it and turn on the bedroom unit when I go to bed, then turn it off when I get up. It works really well at the minimum cost.

Answer 10

OK I Understand ur problem......Your roomie says so to save the electricity which is not true.....it actually consumes more energy if u do the way she says .......as the temp will be high and it takes lot of energy to cool down.....so tell her that and we had the same problem so one month we did the regular way (keeping at one temp) the other month we did the diff way (diff temp) there was a diff in the electricity bill adn the diff temp gave more electricity..............so u guys have to decide how to use the electricity efficiently.............
Thanks
A