Should You Turn Off The A/C When You're Not Home? What An Expert Says About Saving This Summer
As summer temperatures climb and electricity bills follow suit, many people are asking the same question: Should I shut off the air conditioning when I'm not home to save money? Or should I blast it at cool temperatures to keep it more efficient? The answer is somewhere in the middle.
If you're going to be gone for several hours, or even all day, turning the thermostat up to a slightly higher temperature can reduce energy use during a time when your home has no occupants.
But completely shutting off your system while you're gone, or letting it heat up too far, could make things worse. It can force your A/C to work harder and longer once you get home, especially on hot days.
(MORE: Your Sprinklers Are Probably Costing You)
Riley Peters, whose experience in the HVAC industry goes back nearly a decade, suggests setting your thermostat as warm as you are comfortable with while away.
'For some people that's 74, for some people that's 78,' he explains. 'You can still kind of get the feel of conditioned air and it does feel colder than being outside.'
If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, it can do this for you automatically, and even begin cooling the house before you return. Beyond that, Peters recommends keeping your system's fan on without using precious air conditioning.
'It's a good practice to have the fan running if you can control whether or not the fan's running, versus the actual unit itself,' he reveals. 'There's a lot of benefits for that, and I definitely would prescribe that to any homeowner.'
A 2024 survey by HVAC product manufacturer DuraPlas reveals 77% of Americans expect their summer energy bills to rise. The survey also found that 48% of respondents would cut back on dining out and entertainment to manage higher energy expenses. Moreover, 82% admit to having already made lifestyle adjustments due to rising energy costs.
(MORE: Help Your Garden Grow During The Warmest Months)
It doesn't have to be this way. 'One thing that's probably overlooked is the changing of an air filter," Peters explains. "Your air filter probably causes you more headaches than you may realize, and that's something that's easily changeable. They're fairly inexpensive, you know."
He adds, 'I try to do it monthly."
If you're serious about cutting cooling costs, don't rely on the thermostat alone. Closing blinds during the day, sealing air leaks, and using ceiling fans can make a big difference. 'A lot of people wouldn't realize how much that helps with the temperature control of a home,' says Peters. 'Overall for a healthier home, more circulation is generally better.'
New homeowners can also start at the source. 'Be sure that the unit that you're using is appropriate for the square footage of your home,' Peters advises.
Yes, raising the temperature on your thermostat when you're out can lead to real savings. But shutting the system off entirely could end up costing more in both comfort and wear and tear. Instead of flipping the switch to "off," set your thermostat higher and let your system take a break, not a full vacation.
By incorporating smart thermostat adjustments and other energy-saving practices, you can stay cool and keep your energy bills in check this summer.
Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.
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6 hours ago
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Should You Turn Off The A/C When You're Not Home? What An Expert Says About Saving This Summer
As summer temperatures climb and electricity bills follow suit, many people are asking the same question: Should I shut off the air conditioning when I'm not home to save money? Or should I blast it at cool temperatures to keep it more efficient? The answer is somewhere in the middle. If you're going to be gone for several hours, or even all day, turning the thermostat up to a slightly higher temperature can reduce energy use during a time when your home has no occupants. But completely shutting off your system while you're gone, or letting it heat up too far, could make things worse. It can force your A/C to work harder and longer once you get home, especially on hot days. (MORE: Your Sprinklers Are Probably Costing You) Riley Peters, whose experience in the HVAC industry goes back nearly a decade, suggests setting your thermostat as warm as you are comfortable with while away. 'For some people that's 74, for some people that's 78,' he explains. 'You can still kind of get the feel of conditioned air and it does feel colder than being outside.' If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, it can do this for you automatically, and even begin cooling the house before you return. Beyond that, Peters recommends keeping your system's fan on without using precious air conditioning. 'It's a good practice to have the fan running if you can control whether or not the fan's running, versus the actual unit itself,' he reveals. 'There's a lot of benefits for that, and I definitely would prescribe that to any homeowner.' A 2024 survey by HVAC product manufacturer DuraPlas reveals 77% of Americans expect their summer energy bills to rise. The survey also found that 48% of respondents would cut back on dining out and entertainment to manage higher energy expenses. Moreover, 82% admit to having already made lifestyle adjustments due to rising energy costs. (MORE: Help Your Garden Grow During The Warmest Months) It doesn't have to be this way. 'One thing that's probably overlooked is the changing of an air filter," Peters explains. "Your air filter probably causes you more headaches than you may realize, and that's something that's easily changeable. They're fairly inexpensive, you know." He adds, 'I try to do it monthly." If you're serious about cutting cooling costs, don't rely on the thermostat alone. Closing blinds during the day, sealing air leaks, and using ceiling fans can make a big difference. 'A lot of people wouldn't realize how much that helps with the temperature control of a home,' says Peters. 'Overall for a healthier home, more circulation is generally better.' New homeowners can also start at the source. 'Be sure that the unit that you're using is appropriate for the square footage of your home,' Peters advises. Yes, raising the temperature on your thermostat when you're out can lead to real savings. But shutting the system off entirely could end up costing more in both comfort and wear and tear. Instead of flipping the switch to "off," set your thermostat higher and let your system take a break, not a full vacation. By incorporating smart thermostat adjustments and other energy-saving practices, you can stay cool and keep your energy bills in check this summer. lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.
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The smoking gun at the site? 5 The mystery has haunted Americans and Brits for the past four centuries, with several investigations launched into the matter. Youtube/IslandTimeTV Hammerscale, which are tiny, flaky bits of iron that come from forging iron. Horton said it's definitive proof of iron-working on Hatteras Island, which could have only been done by English colonists. 'The key significance of hammerscale … is that it's evidence of iron-working, of forging, at that moment,' he said. 'Hammerscale is what comes off a blacksmith's forge.' Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Horton added, 'This is metal that has to be raised to a relatively high temperature … which, of course, [requires] technology that Native Americans at this period did not have.' Hammerscale shows that the English 'must have been working' in this Native American community, according to the expert. But what if the hammerscale came longer after the Roanoke Colony was abandoned? Horton said that's unlikely. 'We found it stratified … underneath layers that we know date to the late 16th or early 17th century,' he said. 'So we know that this dates to the period when the lost colonists would have come to Hatteras Island.' 5 The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was the first permanent English settlement in the United States. Getty Images 5 'We're looking at the middens — that's the rubbish heaps — of the Native Americans living on Hatteras Island, because we deduced that they would have very rapidly been assimilated into the Native American population,' Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at the Royal Agricultural University in England, said. Youtube/IslandTimeTV 'It's a combination of both its archaeological position but also the fact that it's evidence of people actually using an English technology.' At the site, archaeologists also found guns, nautical fittings, small cannonballs, an engraved slate and a stylus, in addition to wine glasses and beads, which all paint a vivid picture of life on Hatteras Island in the 17th century. When asked if the colonists could have been killed in a later war, Horton said they survived among the Croatoans and successfully assimilated. 'We have one little snippet of historical evidence from the 1700s, which describes people with blue or gray eyes who could remember people who used to be able to read from books,' he said. 'Also, they said there was this ghost ship that was sent out by a man called Raleigh.' 5 When asked if the colonists could have been killed in a later war, Horton said they survived among the Croatoans and successfully assimilated. Youtube/IslandTimeTV Horton added, 'We think that they assimilated into the Native American community and their descendants, their sons, their granddaughters, their grandsons carried on living on Hatteras Island until the early 18th century.' When asked if he's officially solved the mystery, Horton said that though the archaeological evidence is definitive, the legend will probably still endure. 'Have we solved the mystery? Well, you know, it's pretty good evidence, but there's always more work to be done,' he said. Horton added, 'And people love mysteries. They hate resolving things one way or the other. So I'm sure that the mystery will continue, you know, whatever the scientific evidence says.'
