My ex-roommate had a brand new A/C (a year ago - I've since moved out) but it made me think -- he insisted since his A/C was so efficient, he could turn off the A/C during the day and just turn it on when he got home.
I've heard otherwise, saying (for example), if your comfort temperature is about 75, you should just move it to 80 or so when you leave for 2+ hours, and NOT switch it off, as it will take more energy to cool the rooms in the house or apartment. So which one is correct?
Also, if you are leaving for the weekend, say Saturday morning and you won't be back til Sunday night, wouldn't it be better to switch the A/C off (as long as its not blazing hot outside, like 90+ degrees)?
2007-10-09 15:55:55 · 5 answers · asked by dreamsasylum 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
They are both central air.
Please, don't forget about the last question!
2007-10-09 16:14:31 · update #1
it would be best to set the thermostat up a few degrees than to turn it off because of the amount of time it would take continuously running to re-cool house as to only cool it down 5 degrees....if you just turn the temp up it will keep the humidity in your home lower and make it much easier to cool.....if you are going to be gone a few days i would just turn it off or if you have a digital thermostat you could set it to turn off and then restart about two hours before you got home....that way it wouldn't use any energy while you were gone and would still have your home cool when you got back...
2007-10-09 17:02:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Remember that your air conditioner is a 'heat pump`.
Think of the heat build-up in your space as water rising
behind a dam. It only flows in at a certain rate,
(depending on how well insulated the space is),
and it can only reach a certain level,
(maximum outside temperature).
The only time it pays to leave the AC on is when you
would not expect the apartment to reach close to
outside temperature before you return.
Your last question first:
If for more than a day of course you turn damn the thing off!!!
Other questions:
Rely on you experience; how long are you going to be gone?
How quickly will the apartment heat up under the conditions you expect?
2007-10-09 17:15:48 · answer #2 · answered by Irv S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would really depend on whether its like central air or a window unit. If its a window unit it would depend on if it had a thermostat or not. If its running constantly regarless of the temperature then you aren't saving power or money. If it is controlled by a thermostat and only kicks on when it hits a certain temperature then it would be more efficient to leave it on.
2007-10-09 16:08:34 · answer #3 · answered by citykitty_333 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The simple answer is that anytime you are gone for several hours you save money by shutting the ac off. The best way to do this is with a programmable thermostat. That way you don't come home to a hot house. It is easy to replace your old thermostat with a programmable one. Most people can do it themselves and save 10-15% on electrc bills. For more info check out the thermostat page at my source.
2007-10-09 20:42:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't save money to turn it off. In fact it may cause you to pay more money. Think of it this way. When you turn it off, it gets warmer in there and takes more to cool everything back off. So you would be better off to have it a little cooler or a little warmer than you want. If it is a window unit, leave it on low instead of high or medium.
2007-10-09 16:01:48 · answer #5 · answered by Kris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋