WEBVTT - Should You Turn the Air Conditioner Off While You're Out?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Boobam. Here. In these times of ridiculous

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<v Speaker 1>inflation and over the top gas prices, many consumers are

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<v Speaker 1>looking to save a buck or two wherever they can.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, energy costs money, and the more you use,

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<v Speaker 1>the higher the bill is going to be. And air

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<v Speaker 1>conditioners account for six percent of US electricity costs per year,

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<v Speaker 1>which is about twenty nine billion dollars according to the U.

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<v Speaker 1>S Department of Energy. We know that running the air

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<v Speaker 1>conditioning unit all the time is expensive, But will you

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<v Speaker 1>save money and energy by keeping it at the same

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<v Speaker 1>temperature continuously or by raising it higher when you're out

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<v Speaker 1>of the house. A lot depends on how long you'll

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<v Speaker 1>be gone, like don't turn off the unit entirely if

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<v Speaker 1>you're just going to work. For the article, this episode

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<v Speaker 1>is based on how Stuff Works, spoken by email with

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<v Speaker 1>Logan Cresca, communications consultant at Duke Energy in North Carolina.

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<v Speaker 1>She said, if you're just leaving home for the day,

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<v Speaker 1>it's more energy efficient to keep your air conditioning turned on,

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<v Speaker 1>but turn it a few degrees higher than you might

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<v Speaker 1>set it for comfort if you were at home. The

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<v Speaker 1>same directions apply if the house is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>unoccupied for only a day or two. Turning off the

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<v Speaker 1>A C unit during the day isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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<v Speaker 1>It would just have to stay on longer to cool

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<v Speaker 1>off a hot dwelling. In fact, the unit may use

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<v Speaker 1>more energy if it's left on all day at the

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<v Speaker 1>normal coolness than if you turned it off for the

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<v Speaker 1>day and back on again in the evening. That said,

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<v Speaker 1>if you live in a hot climate, it could take

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<v Speaker 1>several hours to cool off your house, which would be

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<v Speaker 1>pretty uncomfortable. Also, central air conditioning isn't just about cooling

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<v Speaker 1>your space. It also drastically reduces humidity levels. When the

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<v Speaker 1>system is shut off for more than a few hours,

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<v Speaker 1>the humidity level will start to rise, which can result

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<v Speaker 1>in mold growth. Much to electronic items and the warping

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<v Speaker 1>of wooden paper. Any pets left in the house could

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<v Speaker 1>be at risk of discomfort or overheating. This is especially

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<v Speaker 1>likely in hot human climates, but like Florida. This is

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<v Speaker 1>why it's recommended to keep the A C on, but

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<v Speaker 1>raised to a higher temperature. The Department of Energy points

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<v Speaker 1>out that a higher interior temperature actually slows the flow

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<v Speaker 1>of heat into your house, thus saving energy and money

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<v Speaker 1>either way. When you get back home, don't turn the

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<v Speaker 1>A C super low to speed up the cooling process.

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<v Speaker 1>Your home won't cool any faster. The unit only works

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<v Speaker 1>at one speed. You'll just be adding to your energy bill.

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<v Speaker 1>If the entire household pets included, are vacating the premises

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<v Speaker 1>for more than two days, it is an option to

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<v Speaker 1>go ahead and turn everything off. You'll certainly save the

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<v Speaker 1>most energy and money on your bill that way. That said,

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<v Speaker 1>the internal temperature might not be pretty when you get back.

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<v Speaker 1>You can avoid coming home to a sweltering abode by

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<v Speaker 1>installing a smart thermostat. Kriska explained investing in a programmable

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<v Speaker 1>or smart thermostat is a great way to monitor and

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<v Speaker 1>control your home's energy efficiency even when you're not there.

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<v Speaker 1>You can turn the thermostat up before leaving and then

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<v Speaker 1>begin to cool it down when you're on your way home.

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<v Speaker 1>She also suggests closing the curtains if you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>be gone for more than a few hours. This will

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<v Speaker 1>effectively block out the sun so that your air conditioning

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<v Speaker 1>unit doesn't have to work so hard to stay ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of the heat. In areas that see extreme temperatures. This

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<v Speaker 1>can make an enormous difference. Energy Star, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>program run by the Department of Energy and the Environmental

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<v Speaker 1>Protection Agency, recommends keeping your thermostat at seventy eight degrees

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<v Speaker 1>fahrenheit that's twenty eight celsius or higher in the day,

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<v Speaker 1>and eighty five fahrenheit or twenty nine celsius when you're

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<v Speaker 1>away from home. If these temperatures seem too high to you,

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<v Speaker 1>consider the cooling your home to seventy eight degrees rather

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<v Speaker 1>than seven two could cut your electricity bill by Cress

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<v Speaker 1>Cup has a slightly different take on the thermostat issue,

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<v Speaker 1>as she said, raise it as high as you can

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<v Speaker 1>while still remaining comfortable, and this will vary by individual.

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<v Speaker 1>As a rule, raising the temperature by just two degrees

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<v Speaker 1>will help reduce cooling costs by five percent. A few

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<v Speaker 1>other measures can make a big difference in overall climate

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<v Speaker 1>related comfort, particularly if you've decided to raise the thermostatic

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<v Speaker 1>higher than you're used to. No one is to make

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<v Speaker 1>use of ceiling fans, Chriss said, Remember though, that fans

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<v Speaker 1>cool people, they don't change the temperature, so turn them

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<v Speaker 1>off when you leave the room. Air Conditioners have come

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<v Speaker 1>a long way even in the last decade. Modern units

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<v Speaker 1>can save on cooling energy costs compared with air conditioners

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<v Speaker 1>installed only ten years ago, and they're an even bigger

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<v Speaker 1>improvement on those of dinosaurs installed in the nineteen seventies

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<v Speaker 1>as they use between third in fifty less energy. So

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<v Speaker 1>if you've got an older system in a home that

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<v Speaker 1>you own, updating it might be worth the investment. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>make sure your home is properly insulated so that cold

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<v Speaker 1>air isn't escaping out and warm air isn't creeping in.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article should you turn

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<v Speaker 1>your A C up when You're not home? On how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot Com written by Leo Hoyt. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot Com, and it is produced by Tyler Quang.

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