Calling all smart people

[markseven]

I turned off the AC when I left the house at 1:15pm. It was 80° inside at that point.

I returned home at 4:45pm, and it was 85° inside.

Question: would it have been more efficient to have the AC maintain 80° over the 3.5 hours I was away, or for the unit to remain dormant and then work to cool the house down from 85° to 80°?

[slammin.e28]

I have gone back and forth on this issue many times....

I ended up concluding that I'd rather walk into an already cool house from the dank outdoors, than walk into a dank house from the dank outdoors then have to wait for the house to cool down.

OFC my house has no central air....so there's that.

[chadthestampede]

Better to turn it off.

[straight6pwr]

its a myth that a constant temperature is more efficient.

turning the system off and letting the temp go up (in the summer) and down (in the winter) while you are out is more efficient.

i've been living in apartments in Wisconsin winters, and you can easily cut a heating bill in half by setting a schedule and patching up leaky windows. same applies for summer and AC.

[Todd Black 88]

What does the house look like?
Lots of glass?
Full coverage blinds you close?
What is the outside temp?
What temp do you want the house at?
Is your ac maxed out?

[Cabriolet]

Running your AC at peak hours is costly. my 1br duplex has dual zone. so we don't even ac the bathroom and bedroom during the day. But we always shut off the AC if we are going to be gone more than an hour. My house on a hot day will raise 2.5°/hr w/o the AC on. But it's also not ball sweat humid here. But as a general rule I turn it off if you are gone for more than an hour.

[Exodus_2pt0]

My Thermostat let's me program different temps for different times.

My wife stays home, so I don't use it. But, it can be set to start cooling say an hour before you get home, or automatically raise a degree or two at night, ect. Ect.

Pretty damn cool gadget that I don't have a need for. But if I were single I'd use the hell out of it.

[Restoman]

Fuck sweating. Keep it at a constant temperature. Winter maybe when I was single I'd let it coast but natural gas is cheap. I don't mind cold in the South so much. With pregnant wife and two kids at home all day it stays at 74-75 all day and night. Less stress on the system is a concern. Break your HVAC system and electricity cost is thrown out the window. Munch on that!

[Restoman]

Ummm, besides north of 4K rpm...where do you live? 80 F when you left the house? that's rough.
I like to leave the house with vagina not sweating nor coming home to sweaty vag.

[lambo]

It would probably be most cost effective and comfortable to upgrade to a programmable thermostat if you're gonna be gone at predictable times throughout the day.

Edit: Not probably. Definitely.

[Hooffenstein HD]

Save money by turning it off forever and dealing with your climate.

[Todd Black 88]

Fuck sweating. Keep it at a constant temperature. Winter maybe when I was single I'd let it coast but natural gas is cheap. I don't mind cold in the South so much. With pregnant wife and two kids at home all day it stays at 74-75 all day and night. Less stress on the system is a concern. Break your HVAC system and electricity cost is thrown out the window. Munch on that!

Geeze, I couldn't sleep at that temp.

My tstat is programmable, and the heat is set at 69 when occupied, and drops to 64 when unoccupied or overnight. AC set at 74 occupied and overnight, 78 unoccupied.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Shit ours stays at 77-78. You get used to it.

[mrsleeve]

Biggest question is why is it 80 inside your house with the a/c ON..... this is the point of climate control, to keep it comfortable not barley tolerable..... I bitch when its 80 OUTSIDE

[doorman]

72 degrees all day and night A/C wise. I sweat all day at work and don't want to at home (unless me and the wife are having nuptials).
67 when its heating season when we are home. 63 at night/during the day when we aren't.