Yes You Can Turn Off the AC While Away and Save

As a Winnsboro area homeowner, you may have heard the term “short cycling” applied to furnaces and boilers, but central A/C systems can short-cycle, too. Short cycles wear down equipment. Preventing short cycling is only one reason to turn off the A/C when your home is empty by day, or during really hot days, setting the temperature at a relatively high temperature.

Wear and Tear

Air conditioners perform best running continuously, which they cannot do, of course, if they are turning on and off frequently.

If you leave the A/C on all day to hold a low temperature, the system will cycle on and off frequently, which can lead to increased central air conditioner maintenance and possible repairs. It will never dehumidify as well in this short-cycle pattern as it can when it runs at full speed. It won’t filter your air as well, either.

Energy Myth

Running the A/C all day wastes energy and costs money. You are paying to cool an empty house, benefiting no one. Instead, set the thermostat eight to 10 degrees above your comfort level when you’re not home, or turn it off entirely on days when it’s not expected to get super hot outside. Then program your system to lower your home’s temperature from, say, 88 to 76 degrees shortly before your return home. You will never know your home got hot, because you will return to a comfortable house.

Better Choices

Here are three better choices than running the A/C all day:

• Get a programmable thermostat that can be programmed to turn off the A/C and allow your home’s temperature to climb to around 88 degrees from just after your morning departure to just before your afternoon return. The next setting brings the temperature down to 76 degrees. You will not feel how hot your home got during the day, because when you return after 5, your Winnsboro home will feel cool.
• Plant shade bushes and shade trees, especially on the southern and western sides of you home, to fight solar heating.
• Install ceiling fans, which serve double duty. Fans help to circulate cool air when your A/C is on, making you feel cooler at higher temperatures. They also keep air flowing when you turn off the A/C. Turn them off before you leave the house, however, since their cooling effect is useless if nobody’s around to feel it.

For more guidance on when to turn off the A/C in your Mount Vernon or Winnsboro area home, please contact us at Wood Air Conditioning & Plumbing, Inc.

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