Asked on: July 5, 2013 by Question via Facebook Is it more economical to turn the A/C up during the day and down at night, or leave it at the same temperature all day? The urban myth that you should leave your thermostat at the same temperature all the time has been around for decades. The truth is, it takes a lot of energy for your air conditioner to run all day, maintaining an inside temperature that’s significantly lower than the outside temperature. On the other hand, if you set your thermostat higher in the morning, the unit will run less during the day, saving you money on your FPL bill. Even if the air conditioner has to catch up when you bring the temperature back down later, it is still more economical to keep your thermostat set higher during the day. By the same logic, if you are in the habit of lowering the thermostat before bedtime because you prefer a cooler room while you sleep, your cooling costs increase by up to 5% for every degree you lower the temperature!

To use less air conditioning at night, turn on ceiling fans – they make you feel cooler even though they aren’t technically cooling the house. Of course, when heating in winter, lowering the thermostat setting saves you money because your heater runs less. As we approach the height of summer, household central air conditioners are beginning to really get a workout. Keeping the A/C on helps keep you comfortable, but it can also become expensive. That's why it is so important to make sure your system is running well. If you find that your A/C system running constantly is driving up your bill, then it's time to look into the cause. There are numerous reasons why your A/C system may seem to be running non-stop throughout the summer. The truth is, this may not always be a bad thing. Some of the reasons below may indicate a problem with your system and others may alert you to other issues in your home that you can take steps to correct. It's important to start our discussion with this fact: a properly sized, energy-efficient central air conditioning system will run fairly continuously in the summer to maintain a constant, desired temperature in your home.

These systems operate at their highest efficiency level when allowed to do their job at "full tilt." Unit Too Small: If your central air conditioner is too small, then it is going to have to work harder to cool your home. Over time, this will increase the wear and tear on your unit and reduce its life. You will also never achieve the desired coolness in your home, even though the system runs often. best heat pump ac unitIn addition, breakdowns will be likely.furnace and air conditioning unit cost Unit Too Large: If your system is too large, it won't effectively remove moisture from the air in your home, resulting in an output of moist, clammy air. hvac blower motorIt will actually have shorter run times than it should and use excessive amounts of electricity, resulting in higher utility bills.

Wrong Duct Size: The size of your ductwork should be relative to the size of your air conditioning unit.  If your ducts are the wrong size, they may not be able to handle the airflow or distribute cool air efficiently to all parts of the home. If your system seems to never shut off, there may be an issue with your thermostat. It may be that your home has reached the correct temperature, but the thermostat is not registering the conditions in the home. In this case, your A/C unit will continue running. One way to check the thermostat is to place another thermometer near the location of the thermostat. After an hour or two, check the reading. If it is at or near your desired home temperature, there may be a problem with your thermostat. Poor sealing or insufficient insulation is another common culprit which can cause your unit to run constantly and inefficiently. If your home is not closed up tight while your A/C system is in use, you may be losing that precious cool air that you need during the summer through small holes or non-insulated walls or roof.

If you are losing the cool air in this way, your home may never reach your desired temperature, causing the A/C unit to run more than needed. Our related blog post here gives you some background on why sealing and insulating your home is so important, especially for A/C efficiency. Air conditioning units need regular maintenance to continue running smoothly, much like other appliances in your home. Ideally, maintenance should happen twice a year, in the spring before the warm weather hits and in the early fall after things have cooled off and it is no longer in use. If your system is not clean, including your ducts, coils and air filter, you will likely encounted airflow problems and inefficient cycling. A professional technician will check to make sure everything is clean and lubricated. He/she will replace worn parts and confirm that the thermostat is working properly. Regular maintenance of your A/C unit will not only help ensure that your unit is in good working order, it will also extend the life of your cooling system.

Air conditioners have a life span. Even if your unit has been properly maintained, it will eventually wear out. At this point, you may want to consider replacing your old, inefficient unit with a new one. This will save you money in the long run, because newer units run much more efficiently than old ones. You can read here about some of the latest technology available for home central air conditioning. Any of the above reasons can cause your air conditioner to run more often than it needs to, which will cost you a whole lot of money. Your best bet is to contact a professional and let them know you have an A/C system running constantly if you are concerned. Chances are it is something simple. Even if it is a more significant problem, dealing with the repairs now will greatly reduce you bills in the future. NEW To My Blog? I'm a Realtor, as you probably know, and so of course I think real estate is a great investment.  Until you end up the landlord to whiny renters.  

Over the years the Hubs and I have acquired some rental properties plus the Hubs manages some local rental properties for friends and family who live out of state. Most of our renters are nice, quiet people who pay their rent on time and take care of the property.  Most of them have lived in our properties for years.  We love those renters.  It's the occasional annoying, bitching ones that drive me bananas and that is who I am writing about today.  (Before you start arguing with me and each other read this:  If you are a good renter then don't take offense, this post is not about you.  Actually, even if you're a bad renter, don't take offense, because this post is really only about two people specifically and not even a TYPE of renter.) The Hubs is the one who deals with the renters when they have problems and it's probably a good thing, because I would most likely have a bunch of empty rentals. Here's the deal, it's 7:30 PM right now and the temperature is 105 degrees.  

It has been over 100 degrees for something like 15 days now.  We haven't had rain in about a month.  We are drying up and melting all at the same time.  Everyone's air conditioner everywhere is begging for death and my Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with people lamenting that their air conditioner has passed over to the other side. This week a renter called us up and told us that the air conditioner was not working properly and they were experiencing "dangerous" temperatures in the house.  We got our usual a/c guy over the take a look and he called to let us know that the unit was shot and we'd need to get a new one.  It would take a day.  We asked what the house temperature was since we'd been told it was "dangerous."  He told us it was 80 degrees and holding.  Not so bad when the outside temp is 104.  (We keep our everyday temperature at 78 in our house.  I guess I'm only 2 degrees from dangerous territory.) The Hubs told the renter we'd have a new unit installed the next day.  

The unit was installed two days ago and every day since the renter has called to complain that the house is "hot."  The first day he called we thought there was something wrong with the new unit so we sent the a/c guy back over to check.  He was met at the door by a cold blast of air coming from inside the house.  He told us the renter was trying to cool the house down to 72 degrees. I wanted to say:  Are you fucking kidding me?  There is no way when it is that blazing hot outside that you can cool your house down to 72 degrees!  No wonder my first unit died, you fucking moron, you murdered it!! Tonight when the guy called he indicated that he would like us pay for a bigger unit for the house so that they can live like sides of beef in a meat locker.  The Hubs was so kind and gracious.  He actually listened to him and sympathized with him and tried to find a solution for this guy. When he got off the phone, I said, "Wow.  You are such a nice landlord.  I would have told him to suck a dick.  

A typical air conditioner can only cool a house down by 20 degrees or so.  He should be thrilled his house is 80 degrees!" Today another renter called to tell us her place was too hot too.  She is getting a new unit tomorrow.  She's another one who is trying to keep her house at 72 degrees.  What is the deal with these people?  I would need a sweater in 72 degrees!! Her unit is a bit different and it needed to be special ordered so it took longer than a day.  She blew her cork.  She also showed her true colors when the repairman showed up and he was not as light-skinned as she would have preferred.  That's when I took a closer look at my contract with her and saw that nowhere does it say that the property is "air conditioned."  Maybe she'd prefer for me to send my repairman home and just lower the rent and call it "un-air conditioned?" Yes, I get that I'm a landlord and I'm supposed to fix things when they go wrong and of course we work hard to get things fixed as quickly as possible, but when we're in the middle of a heat wave it's very difficult to get good people to come and fix the a/c.  

There is a queue and sometimes we have relationships with repairmen that allow us to jump the line, but many times we have to wait our turn.  No amount of screaming and cussing me out is going to help.  In fact, it just makes me want to move slower. I also wonder what these people would be doing if they actually owned these houses.  When you own a house and your air conditioner can't keep up with the blistering weather outside there is no one to call and whine to.  There is no one to listen to your complaints and offer to try and help you.  You're on your own. The worst renter who has bitched incessantly about everything from the day she moved in is actually moving out.  She's bought a home and she's ready to take on home ownership.  I cannot wait until this winter when her furnace goes out on the coldest night of the year.  I cannot wait until her washing machine accidentally over flows and floods her house.  I just wish I could be there to see the chaos and watch her meltdown when the repairman tells her it will be a week before he can get to her.