Should You Leave Your AC On or Turn It Off?

As soon as the summer months begin, we are all tempted to crank up our air conditioners to try and survive the sweltering heat. Still, many of us wonder whether it’s wise to turn the AC on every time we feel a little bit hot if we want to save energy and keep our utility bills in check. 

While some homeowners seem to believe that turning off their AC while they’re away is the best way to save money, others have heard that their AC is most efficient when it’s going at full blast. So, who’s right?  

Before we answer that question, we want to add that your AC will be optimally efficient only if it’s properly maintained and regularly serviced, regardless of when you turn it on or off. That’s why you need a top-quality air conditioning repair service in Scottsdale to ensure your AC always works its best. 

Read on! 

When should I turn my AC on?

Staying comfortable during summer without spending a fortune on electricity bills is surely one of the most frequent AC-related struggles, if not the most common one. For a long time, homeowners have relied on the Internet to find solutions that will enable them to use the AC as efficiently as possible. 

If you’ve ever searched for this kind of advice yourself, you must have come across at least two contradicting ideas that go something like this: 

• Leaving the AC on at a slightly higher temperature while you’re not home will save you more than turning it off.  
• Shutting the AC off while you’re away and turning it on at full speed when you want to cool down will ensure maximum efficiency. 

What should you believe? Well, first you need to understand the reasoning behind these pieces of advice. The former solution is based on the idea that your AC won’t waste energy each time you turn it back on. 

However, proponents of the latter solution contradict this by claiming that your AC will actually use more energy trying to maintain a consistent temperature level during the day. This is because air conditioning systems perform best and are the most efficient when set to run at full speed. That means that letting your AC work at full blast each time you need cooling down will waste less energy overall than letting it run all day.        

Is it OK to leave AC on all day?

While both of these ideas appear to be sensible, the truth actually lies somewhere in the middle. If you simply can’t deal with a stuffy home when you return from work, you just have to know the right way to leave the AC on while you’re out. In fact, there are two useful methods for cutting down your energy bills and staying comfortable during the summer: 

1. Raise your thermostat settings: ACEEE suggests that your AC will decrease its energy usage by 3-5% with each degree you raise. Set your temperature setting to around 78 °F while you’re away for the highest energy savings.  
2. Invest in a programmable thermostat: if you want full control over your energy consumption, programmable thermostats allow you to program your AC to adjust to your set temperatures while you’re out, making sure your home is always comfortably cool. 

Premier air conditioning repair service Scottsdale can’t do without

Sure, you could cool off at Big Surf during the hottest months of the year, but that doesn’t help if you can’t turn on your AC and enjoy the cool and purified air your AC unit can provide you with.  

No matter how wise you are about using your air conditioner, you won’t be able to reduce your energy bills if there’s something wrong with your device. By reaching out to the seasoned HVAC technicians at Hughes Air, you’ll make sure your AC is always in peak condition. Contact us today!