This is one of the most important, but not the least important, issues of the 21st century: leaving the air conditioning on when we’re not home or turning it off. According to experts, homes consume a lot of energy and electricity because when we return home in the summer, for example, we try to quickly cool the house, so the expense increases. “What you have to do is simply raise it a few degrees, maybe 2 degrees above your normal temperature, and then, when you get home, simply lower it a couple of degrees and that’s it,” said one of the experts at Dymond Heating & Cooling.
“If you try to cool your home again (when you get home), you’ll make your air conditioner run longer”
The data is clear. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), nearly half of the energy consumed in a home is spent on heating and cooling. The DOE has shared a series of recommendations on its official website to help save on your electricity bill. As Dymond Heating & Cooling points out, “If you try to cool your home again (when you get home), you’ll make your air conditioner run longer, consume more energy, and your comfort will be very low.”
In any case, the most important thing is to know how to use your air conditioning correctly, since efficient consumption will make a big difference in your bill. “It’s best to leave the air conditioning unit on all day while you’re at home, allowing it to adjust the temperature automatically, as it will have to work much less to do so,” says TS Clima.
There are several recommendations you can take into account. For example, having your unit serviced periodically. Preventing air conditioning breakdowns will also result in savings on maintenance costs or possible replacement of parts or the entire unit. It’s also very important to change the air filter regularly. It’s recommended to do so roughly every three months. A dirty filter could slow airflow and cause the system to work harder to perform its cooling tasks.
Sealing your cooling ducts: they often waste energy and require insulation to achieve savings of up to 20%
It’s also recommended to install a smart thermostat, a tool that allows you to control the temperature even when you’re away from home. These days, you can do almost anything from your smartphone. Finally, a somewhat older and more familiar trick: sealing your cooling ducts. Because these ducts carry air, they often waste energy and require insulation to achieve savings of up to 20%. Therefore, good insulation is almost essential to keep out the cold or heat and, above all, to keep your electricity bill down.
In short, although it may seem like leaving the air on can make us spend much more, we may actually spend less or the same, but without putting as much strain on the air conditioning units. “By doing this repeatedly, you’re using much more energy than you would if you left it on all the time. This is because every time you turn on the unit, it must quickly restart. So, with each time you turn it on, you consume more energy. If you repeat this process many times throughout the day, you’ll likely end up paying significantly more money on your electricity bill,” say the experts.
The answer is always found in balance, so it’s advisable to try out what best suits each family and routine at home. Everyone has different lifestyles, and everything influences how well a home’s climate is maintained. This includes the number of people living in the home, whether there are pets, or how much furniture there is, including whether there are blinds or curtains or the amount of sunlight that hits the home each day. Therefore, following expert advice can be a good idea to adapt it to your home in the best way possible.
