Want to Know the Biggest Myths About Saving Energy in the Summer? (Hint: Turning the A/C Off While You’re Out)
- Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:17pm by
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(Photo: Shutterstock)
This story first appeared on Gizmodo by Andrew Tarantola.
This summer has already set temperature records around the nation, and we’re still in the dog days of August. With money tight, and temperatures high, there’s a temptation to test out unconventional ways to beat the the heat. But these odd home remedies can end up wasting energy and costing more money. Here’s how to know what really works when you want to keep cool for cheap.
Myth: Cranking the thermostat lower will make the house cool faster.
Usually not. Trane and Lennox make some nice variable speed air handlers, which can adjust their output to match demand. But most homes’ units have just a single fan speed—on. As such, the house’s temperature will always adjust at a fairly set rate. Cranking the thermostat to 60 to take a shortcut to 70 doesn’t make a difference—the hot air moves at a set rate of speed. By undercutting the desired temperature, you’re simply wasting an extra 10 degrees worth of energy and money.
Myth: Turn off the A/C while you’re out.
If you’re out all day with the A/C off, it takes a lot of work for a central A/C system to bring a hot house down to the desired temperature. Yet it’s even more wasteful to keep it running for eight hours. The answer is to invest in a programmable thermostat, which can let the house warm through the day, then gradually lowering it to the right level before you return. Adjust the temperature up 7-10 degrees F while you’re away, and a programmable thermostat can still save you up to 10 percent on your annual heating bills. Reduce the demand on the system by closing curtains before you leave, to block the afternoon sun while you’re gone.
Myth: Run ceiling fans to keep empty rooms cool.
Ceiling fans work by generating a wind chill effect, not by lowering a room’s temperature. Essentially, they cool people, not rooms. That‘s not to say that fans aren’t effective at lowering your cooling bills—in fact, using ceiling fans in conjunction with an A/C will allow you to comfortably raise the air conditioner’s setting by several degrees. But, just like the lights, you should turn your ceiling fans off when you exit a room.
Myth: Closing vents on a central air system will boost efficiency.
This seems logical, but it can actually end up costing you a lot. Some sophisticated, super-efficient homes can effectively divide into zones of HVAC control. But most modern central air systems are balanced to distribute air throughout an entire house. So if you randomly close a register, the system keeps cooling and pumping without delivering the cool air to a usable space. You’re basically paying to keep the inside of your A/C ducts frosty. The compressor/condenser can cycle too frequently, putting additional strain on the system, leading to accelerated wear and tear. And for all the damage, it’s not actually saving any energy. If you have a big house and you only want to keep a single room cool, consider a ductless mini-split air conditioner, or a basic window unit.
Myth: Air conditioning is the only way to keep cool.
We have it nice in America in 2012, but ubiquitous A/C is hardly the worldwide norm. People cope. And their strategies can come in handy. When managing editor Brian Barrett’s A/C went out earlier this summer—in Alabama—he and his wife and dog hunkered down in the basement, a padded layer of carpet separating them from the cool concrete floor. A caveat from Barrett: “That only works if your basement’s not too creepy.” Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown, on a trip to Zambia some years back, received a set of damp sheets as he checked into his evening’s lodgings. “It’s so hot, the water in the sheets evaporates,” Brown says. “By the time you wake up, nothing is wet.” And features editor Harry Sawyers, as a kid at SEC college football games and on sweltering Georgia campouts, learned to grab a piece of ice from the cooler, wrap it in a rag, and move the melting cube from wrist to wrist. “Then you just wring the melted ice water out of the rag, right down your neck. It’s country, but it works.”
How do you optimize your system’s performance—or beat the heat without A/C? Wipe the sweat off the keyboard and let us know.
(H/T: TXU - WKU - Consumerist - Horizon Services - SCE Home Energy Advisor - CUB Energy - DoE1, 2, 3 - Robert Pernell)
Featured image via Shutterstock.com.
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Comments (83)
ExSophus
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:45pmSaying it’s a “myth” that turning off your AC when not at home is misleading. Even the explanation provided for an actual “solution” shows that the AC was in fact “turned off” to some degree (including up to 100%).
In Central Texas, a 1300sq-ft ranch-style house, I installed a programmable timer on the central AC and on the water heater. Both were 100% OFF Mon-Fri while I was at work until about 1 hour before I returned home during work week. The water heater was also set to OFF from 11pm-4am everyday.
That simple and dirt-cheap use of 2 timers saved me 30% off my all-electric bill, with no impact on comfort. (note: the timers were easy to over-ride if I had guests who stayed during the day).
Report Post »ExSophus
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:58pmI should add that I did that because it made economic sense in my specific situation, it was cheap and easy to implement, and I had FULL control over the results.
I do NOT suggest nor do I agree with my initiative and experience being used to justify government entities forcing “smart meter” and/or “smart appliance” usage and control on every homeowner.
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:50pmMost of the energy used to by an air conditioner to cool is to cool off the walls and furniture and to remove water vapor to reduce humidity. When you turn off your air conditioner you loose money having to cool off the insides of the house and remove humidity that has built up. The best way to save is to set the temperature at the highest setting you find acceptable and leave it set.
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:02pmEXOPHUS, you gave me some excellent ideas. I never even thought of turning off the water heater when I’m not at home. I only use it to take a shower every morning, wash the dishes, and use the washing machine once a week. But it’s running 24/7 just to keep the water at 120 degrees, which is much hotter than I actually need. And now I’ve learned that all I have to do is click off the “water heater” switch in the circuit breaker panel until I need it, and I’ll save a lot of money. Thanx for the tip!
Report Post »Airbornedevildog
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:39pmjespasinthru
Report Post »Ever stay in an RV?? They have a hot water heater switch too… I lived in one when I was struggling to support myself (No welfare or foodstamps I just worked multiple jobs and side jobs)…. but anyway, saved a ton with it, just turned it on 20 minutes before taking a shower or doing dishes…. I would walk in the door from work, flip the switch and by the time I got settled the water was hot. At home its easy… you don’t even need a timer, just flip a breaker. The water in the heater will stay hot/warm for a long while because it is insulated. Other energy saving tips… alot of people in texas have OUTDOOR hot water heaters using the sun to heat the water…. that means hot water as ZERO cost. Second tip for someone building houses alot of areas I have been I have seen houses 80% underground or in the side of a mountain…. Why? Because ground temperature typically stabilizes at 55degrees depending where you are(obviously alaska permafrost goes 9 feet) That means you only have to heat your house up from 55 or barely have to cool it.
Jphelps
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:45pmExactly. Dominion Virginia Power sent out an “Offer” to its customers back in early summer. They would pay us $40 a year (hahahaha….we’re still laughing about that) if we allowed them to place a device on our outdoor unit that would turn off (completely) our AC daily during the week for a 4 hours block between noon and 6pm. You’d have no way to turn the device off (say you were home sick) or stop it from locking the unit out.
Ummmm….NO! If I have to pay an electric bill every month, I’m going to decide when and for how long our unit runs, not the power company. That and we already adjust our thermastat for when we‘re not home because we don’t want $300 power bills every month
BTW…..can you imagine how hot your house would be if your AC was off for 4 hours during the hottest part of the day, and how long the unit would have to run to get it back down to a comfortable level
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:29amMy dad is an electrician. When I was a teen, and it was cool in the morning, I’d turn off the AC and open the windows. He’d get all kinds of mad. He said it wasted energy because the AC had to work harder removing all the humidity I let in. I can see get a programable unit and setting it LOWER when no one is home, but not off. It ges up to110 under my patio here inTexas, I can’t imaine what it would be like inside the house with everything shut and no ac.
Report Post »RRFlyer
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:21amWe have a tankless water heater. it only heats water when you run the hot water. Other than that, it’s off.
Report Post »ChuckHarding
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:39pmUse the Algore effect – invite him to speak in your area about “Global Warming” and the temperature will drop by 20° in no time.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:31pmYeah, but what about all the HOT AIR and HUMIDITY expelled in his diatribe?
Report Post »Mojoron
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:08pmI installed a NEST before summer and have saved at least $50 on my July and June AC bills. That means that the NEST will be paid for in about 8 mos to a year since we cool here more than we heat. A good deal if you ask me. NEST retails for $299, but now Lowes sells them and they are about $279.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:57pmWe could all weigh 350 pounds get on foodstamps get a free cell phone and have the taxpayers pay our utility bills…….
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:04pmIt ain’t gonna happen. There are too many of The Rest Of Us.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:46pmThe best ideal is to drive around with your head sticking out the window.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:43pmWe didn’t have air conditioners, growing up. We just used fans. To this day, I need a fan to sleep with. I’ve heard tht people with tinnitus need a fan to sleep with. I just thought it was because I grew up hearing it at night. It DOES drown out the sounds and I am a very light sleeper.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:03pmI watch Obama speeches. Puts me to sleep in minutes— but I always wake up feeling like I’ve swimming in a river filled with Bull Crap.
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:49pmANONYMOUS, I understand what you’re saying. I’ve had tinnitus since I was a child. When it’s very quiet, the inside of my head sounds like church bells. At night when I tried to sleep, the tree frogs outside my window just added to the cacophony. So I started sleeping with the radio on. TV doesn’t work, because you just keep waking up and looking at it. Now I just turn the radio on low, and let George Norry and his guests whisper in my ear all night. It works. Not only do they put me to sleep, but they add extra dimensions to my dreams. Is that weird, or what?
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:19pmi am th same way i carey a small one when i travel all so
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:32pmBurning coal to create electricity worked for 85 years…..but the liberals know better than the rest of us…..so we must change or they will protest and chant……
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:29pmHow many liberals do you have to burn to make a killowatt of electricity? I see a new source of energy.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:27pmNews, projects that the cost to produce a gigawatt of electricity will be 5 times as much in 2015 – hope they are wrong !
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:40pmHere’s another mystery – I was sitting in a dentist office in 1990 reading an article in the AARP about electricity rates rising to an astronomical amount in 20 to 25 years – where did they get that data ? The amount was so shocking, is the reason I kept it on my memory – who wouldn’t ?
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:56pmI‘m sorry I’m not trying to be funny – we all need to do a lot of praying.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:33pmCoal is great! You don’t have to scrape the bird-splat off the blades every other day! I wonder what the fine is for splatting a bald eagle?
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:30pm“Myth: Run ceiling fans to keep empty rooms cool.”
Report Post »————————————————–
Only a myth in the way that it keeps a room cool. A fan pulls the cool air in from another room, or, if it’s at the top of a stairwell, (where it should be on a two-story house),depending upon which way the fan is turning, it will pull the cool air up in the summer, or push the warm air down in the winter. That’s what it does in a room, too.
Gonzo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:29pmThe A/C bills must be astronomical in the White House. Hard to keep up with all the hot air coming out of Barry’s pie hole.
Report Post »Trollkiller68
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:26pmI hope he doesn’t steal the silverware on his way out.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:35pmSteal the silverware? I thought it all ended up in the Department of State dining room!
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:26pmWe could only buy the T-stats and just pretend by turning them down to 60 degrees.
Report Post »firstHat
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:26pmIf the heat keeps you up at night, if you don’t have a pool, take a long cool bath to get your body temp lower. Then get into your bed dripping wet, put an ice pack on your head and aim the fan directly on you. This method got me through a 3 week hundred degree heat wave in an attic apartment with no AC.
Report Post »Itsnakemo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:29pmGood idea First, I wear a bathing suit to bed and sleep in a wet bathing suit (it has been dry weather so the moisture will not cause mildew as it dries rapidly) with the fan pointed at me…you may wet down during the night as needed. I will try the ice also…Thanks for the advice.
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:54pmOuch! Sounds like it really sucks to be you.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:23pmWe could stand in a campfire and learn to appreciate your surroundings.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:20pmWe could fly kites, but they aren‘t very strong and don’t hold much weight.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:16pmWe could move to Syria and get thrown off buildings.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:30pmNow THERE is a common sense approach, well done.
Report Post »randy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:11pmWhen I get too hot, I just hop on the motorcycle and for a ride. If I’m still hot, I stop at the grocery store and hang out in the frozen food isle. :)
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:18pmAre you kidding . Laying across the meat counter is the new way.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:36pmOr people watch in the mall. Doesn’t the sun, shining on you while you are riding, make you hot?
Report Post »I know that if I stick my arm out my car window to feel the wind, the sunshine still heats up my arm.
Gonzo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:48pmI just back off the bath salts for an hour or so. Good as new.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:10pmFunny.
Report Post »damnedifwedont
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:10pmYeah….but laying across the meat counter is ALL we can do.No one can afford to take it home anymore.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:37pmI’d take in a good movie–if it weren’t supporting Hollywood!
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:09pmWell, it’s complicated to joke sometimes – but, Jesus gave the name of ” Sons of Thunder ,” to Zebedee and John – maybe the interns at the White House are made to run around the halls holding unplugged air- conditioners.
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:01pmI don’t get it. I guess I need to peruse the Bible a little more to understand your subtle joke. And the Christians are probably laughing at me.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:22pmIt was something my grandmother told me when I asked her at 7 yrs. old , ” Grandma did Jesus ever joke around ? “
Report Post »garylee123
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:01pmA new and novel idea…..BUILD MORE POWER PLANTS.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:13pmstop shutting down coal plants might help as well.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:40pmDid ‘ja notice–the USA won as many medals in the Olympics as we have nuclear power plants!!! How ironic! Interestingly, that‘s the SAME number of NPP’s that were planned and designed, but NOT built, during the past 30 years! What is it about 104?
Report Post »aggiebrewer
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:00pmwe are so spoiled in the USA Quick, lets be like most of the rest of the world and live in huts. Socialism anyone…?
Report Post »lordamercy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:54pmIf you live in an are where there is low humidity, what about the old fashioned swamp coolers? It’s all we had when I was a kid, and we stayed comfortable!
Report Post »Stratosaurus
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:03pmHad a swamp cooler when I lived in Albuquerque in the late 80s. I worked days, my housemate worked nights, so it was on pretty much 24/7. My electric bill was about $6/month higher. They are NOT good if you live in Central Texas, east of the Hill Country, though — that wet Gulf air gets up here and NOTHING evaporates.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:43pmMyth: The whitehouse needs an A/C to keep it cool
Fact: With Joe Biden around, all they need to do is open his head up, because nothing is cooler than the vacuum of space. And if Joe isn’t around, they usually just mention Monica to Hillary, that makes the room really icy, really fast.
RedManBlueState
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:51pm“ they usually just mention Monica to Hillary”
I would think that would heat things up.
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:43pmWe own a 104 year old home in Kansas. There is NO central heating/air. We survive on window A/C units in the rooms we most occupy. The rest of the house usually stays in the low 90′s. For heat we have a large floor grate in the living-room that provides heat for the entire 3000 sq ft house. The rest of the house usually stays in the mid to upper 50′s. We learned long ago that in the summer we wear shorts and tank tops and in winter two pair of socks, sweat shirt and sweat pants. In-short, one has to adapt to whatcha got. (btw, we priced having central heating and air for the entire house. The lowest bid was $20,000. Yep, adapting is the way to go! :)
Report Post »firstHat
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:23pmLook into the mini splits. You don’t need to pay to have duct work added and you can zone them for the areas you really need
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:39pmMyth: When trying to cool the whitehouse, you need an A/C unit.
Report Post »Fact: Simply bring in Joe Biden and have him open his skull, nothing cools off a room faster than the complete vacuum of space. And if Joe Biden isn’t around, just mention Monika around Hillary, the room will cool down to icy temps. in no time.
sWampy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:35pmWhat we really need to do is find a way to keep the useless Yankees from generating all that green house gas heating their homes.
Report Post »John 3:16
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:32pmDo I look green? Who cares??? Just cool your house the best way you can afford to.
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:25pmGet in the POOL…
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:42pmUse a drive on rag. Wet a hand towel and wrap it around your neck. It cools the blood to your head and makes you feel cooler. When the towel stops feel cold, just take it off and twirl it in the air. It will cool and be ready for use.
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