You’ve seen thermostats for as long as you can remember. But you don’t even know what these 2 settings do or what makes them different.All you know is that you’ve been told to keep your thermostat set on “Auto”.Because the “On” will cost you more money to use. Before we get into why, we need to show you how they’re different.These 2 settings refer to how your air conditioner’s fan will run. The fan is located in the inside unit and helps distribute the conditioned air throughout your home.“Auto” means that the fan automatically works ONLY when the air is being heated or cooled. So once your home reaches the temperature set on the thermostat, the fan stops.“On” means the fan is on  24/7, even when the air isn’t being heated or cooled.Increases electric bill—Running the fan 24/7 could add about another $50 to your electric bill each month.Quickly clogs your air filter—The fan will continually pull in air through your return vents, right where your air filter is.

So it’s going to nab way more dust over a shorter period of time. That means you will have to change your air filter more often.Can make you chilly in winter—The air coming through your vents when the furnace is off will feel chilly.Blower needs more frequent maintenance—Using the fan more often means it’ll break down more often.OK, so maybe we’re being harsh on the “On” setting. While you shouldn’t use it as your “go to”  fan setting, it can give you some benefits:Makes you more comfortable—The fan will circulate air more evenly throughout your home, making you more comfortable.Can help asthma and allergy sufferers—Do you have a high efficiency HEPA filter? Running the fan more often means that filter is catching more airborne pollutants that agitate allergy and asthma symptoms.Helps you dust your home—Your vacuum kicks up a ton of dust when you use it. So, before you start vacuuming, turn your thermostat to “On.”  This will pull in airborne dust into your return air filter before the dust has the chance to settle again.

Set your thermostats fan setting to “Auto” most of the time and only switch it to “On” when necessary.Did you find this article helpful? Check out our related article: How Should I Set My Thermostat? 6 Money-Saving Tips.Service Champions, your local heating and air conditioning company, serves San Jose, Sacramento, East Bay and the surrounding areas. This past Memorial Day - a scorcher in Chicago - Jim Chilsen and his family returned home to find the second floor of their bungalow, where the bedrooms are located, was suffocatingly hot. So hot, Chilsen recalls, that his son and daughter wouldn’t have been able to sleep. But then Dad came to the rescue: Within an hour, and without central air-conditioning or even a room air conditioner, Chilsen cooled the upstairs so well that his daughter asked for a blanket. Chilsen, director of communications for Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit utility watchdog in Illinois, sees a of hot cooling tips cross his desk. The most effective ones, he says, cost little or no to employ.

"There's a myth that to save money, your last name has to be Trump," Chilsen says. "But one of the great secrets of energy efficiency is that there's you can do to save without spending money." Chilsen's low-cost, effective way to cool his oven-like second floor? Two $15 box fans. Here's how he did it: This secret, he says, was well-known in the days before central air but fell out of favor. Indeed, fans are a budget's friend in the hot months.The fan on a central air-conditioning unit. what to look for in a portable ac unitConditioning the air in a home -- cooling in summer or heating in winter -- can account for as much as 70% of a home's energy costs, says Lou Manfredini, home expert for the Ace Hardware chain. heat pump hvac definitionThe condenser, though, eats the energy, not the fan. york ac unit commercial

The fan efficiently and quickly distributes cooled air. Manfredini suggests setting a comfortable temperature of, say 74 degrees Fahrenheit, then setting the fan on "on" instead of "auto." A continuously running fan distribute cooled air throughout the house, thus signaling to the thermostat that the house is cool. The condenser will cycle on less often, thus money. Used properly, ceiling fans have a cooling effect, too. The trick is to set the fan on reverse, so it looks like it's moving counterclockwise as you are standing under it. Ceiling fans move cool air around, which helps make air conditioning more efficient and creates a cool, breezy feeling, Manfredini says. The exhaust fan in the kitchen can also help cool a house. Use it when you cook on the cooktop, and at night, run it for a while to pull hot air from the home. Here are other inexpensive, effective cooling tips: - Easy Does It: Set the thermostat a few degrees higher, say at 75F instead of 72F. For each degree upward, you save 2% to 3% on energy costs, Manfredini says.

And, he adds, don't set the thermostat at 65F in hopes of cooling the house more quickly; the unit cools air at the same rate no matter what the setting. A lower setting just makes it run longer and thus use more energy. - Stay Shady: It's tempting, especially after a long winter, to up the blinds and let the sun shine in. Sunlight turns a room into a greenhouse, as windows and insulation trap heat inside. A dark room will stay cooler longer. - Turn Off Lights: About 90% of the energy used by incandescent lights creates heat, not light, Manfredini says. Turn off lights when they're not in use. Better yet, replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. - Cook Out: Nobody wants an oven-baked casserole in summer.  Grill out, or feast on no- or low-cook salads and sandwiches. - Use Appliances Strategically: Run clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers -- all of which produce heat -- during the cooler evening or morning hours.