Does it cost more to leave central air on all the time (maybe raise it 3-4 degrees when everyone is gone) or to simply shut it off when everyone is gone?
I've heard setting the temp and maintaining it is cheaper. Not sure how true it is. I would think it would depend on what temp you leave it on and outside conditions.
Id say a little bit of both. A lot of people, me included put to and are comfortable at about 69 or so. But when I go to work I put it up to 71. When I get back home, I re set it to 69.
I invested in a new roof and as such I get away with running things warm. I set my air at 75 when I am home and run it at around 80-85 while I am gone. Otherwise it takes more energy to cool it back down to 75. I would say it probably depends on your unit.
its cheaper to turn it off.... that should be obvious. the problem with that is when you get home it is hot and humid, if you live in south florida. it also takes quite a while for an air conditioning system to cool and dehumidfy a place. so if you get home at 5:30 the house might not be where you like it untill 7-10 pm. depending on many different factor. this is why it is best to just turn it up while you are gone. say you keep it at 75 when you are home, turn it up to 80 while you are out. then of course you will have to turn it back down when you get home. you could get a programable thermostat and set it to do this automatically. how many days you can individually set depends on the T-stat. some will have one setting for monday-friday and another setting for saturday & sunday. some you can program each day independently. tone e, are you serious with those setting? you should never set an a/c below 70. its a major waste of money and can cause problems with the system. im literally laughing at "when I go to work I put it up to 71. When I get back home, I re set it to 69." my house is kept at 76. when we are home. LMAO at turning it up to 71 while your out.
Really? Are you in a small place with little to no sun and humidity? Edit: I set mine to 74 to 76 when home depending on how I feel and 80 when at work.
I think the majority people from Florida aren't going to set it as low as other people (say from the Midwest).
we typically don't turn our AC on at work in our office until it hits 80... at home, i have new windows, which helps keep things cool... and it's a single story home, so when the AC does come on, it's not on for very long... usually set it around the mid 70's... but that's here in So Cal where it's drier and not near as humid as say FLORIDA.