We’ve all wondered at some point during the summer, “Is it best to leave the AC on when I leave the house?” After all, it sure is a lot more comfortable when you come home from work or running errands all day and the house is actually cool, not sweltering hot!
But as many people question this, they begin to think that leaving the AC on all day while they’re gone has to be more expensive. So, they shut it off when they leave the house and return to a home that’s too hot for comfort. As soon as they walk in the door, they crank on the AC, blow the hot air of the windows and wait...a long time before the house reaches a comfortable temperature again.
What is the Best Solution?
As heatingand cooling experts, we’d love to say you’ll save money by leaving the AC on while you’re gone all day, but unfortunately that is not the case. Simply put, you’ll save money by doing what you’ve probably already been doing: by shutting it off when you leave and turning it back on when you get home.
It seems like your AC unit will be running extra hard if you turn it on after the house has reached scorching temperatures, but in reality, it runs more efficiently when you do this. Though it may seem like you’ll be stressing your unit out by making it cool the house down, AC units run best when they’re running at full speed as opposed to shutting on and off at low speeds to maintain a constant temperature throughout the day.
If you have a central air conditioning and hate coming home to a house that is 80 or even 90 plus degrees, we advise setting the thermostat at 78 degrees while you’re out. This is a happy medium. It keeps your home comfortable, while saving you money.
Related: Taking Air Conditioning for Granted
If you have ceiling fans, we recommend using them while you are home because they allow you to set the thermostat higher while staying cooler. However, since they don’t actually reduce the air temperature, we don’t advise running them while you’re gone.
Need help with an air conditioning matter? Contact Green Home Solutions, LLC to set up your FREE ESTIMATE.