July is the hottest month of the year in most parts of the U.S., including California, and air conditioning can be a life saver, but should you leave your air conditioner on when you aren’t home?
Leaving your AC on at all times could make your electricity bill go up, but turning it off could cost more in the long run.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 13.18 million California homes have some sort of air conditioning unit in their homes.
Jerry Alderman, the chair of Ivy Tech’s HVAC program, shared tips with the IndyStar on when to turn your AC unit off.
Should I turn my AC off when I’m not home?
It might seem counterintuitive, but you should not turn your AC off completely if you want to save money on your bill. Turning it off completely means that your unit will have to work harder to cool off your home when you return.
“You’re away from your apartment, eight to 12 hours per day, when you leave that apartment, you can turn that back a little bit, because if you don’t have pets, I don’t need to maintain that apartment at that perfectly condition 72 degrees,” Alderman, who also owns his own HVAC business, said the the IndyStar. “In the cooling season, turn it up to 75, or 77, that can save you up to 20% on your electric bill alone.”
Other tips to help keep your home cool
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Keeping cool in the California heat: Should I turn off my AC when I’m not home?
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
