If you’re new to owning a temperature-controlled space, you may wonder how efficient you can be with your air conditioner or ask, “What is the best temperature for the AC to save money?” Using your air conditioner sparingly can have several benefits, from the money you can save to the life cycle you can preserve.
If you want to learn more about the best temperature for your air conditioner to save money, allow Georgia Air, a professional HVAC company in Richmond Hill, GA, to tell you everything you need to know.
What Is the Best Temperature for an AC To Save Money?
If you’re looking for a good temperature setting for your home to save money, remember that everyone’s preferences are different. What may work for another home may be cumbersome to yours; setting a cost-effective temperature is finding the highest setting you and your family are comfortable with.
The average temperature that can help you save money is anywhere from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, giving your house just enough cooling to keep the hottest temperatures outside at bay. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can program your temperature to change throughout the day, such as making it colder at night and warmer in the morning.
Why Find the Best AC Temperature for Energy Efficiency?
While cool air can be nice in the dead of summer, there are many reasons to reduce your air conditioner usage to save on your energy bill. Setting your air conditioner at a slightly higher temperature offers several benefits for your home.
It Reduces Overall System Strain
When your air conditioner doesn’t have to cool your home down as much, it won’t have to work as hard, which means you put less overall strain on your cooling system. This can help the internal components, such as the blower motor and refrigerant, last much longer than if you were running it at full blast all the time. Plus, parts like your air filter will need changing less often, doing less work for you in the process while you save your machine and some money.
If you raise the temperature in your home and invest in routine AC maintenance, you can significantly enhance your unit’s lifespan and overall efficiency.
It Helps You Save Energy
When you turn down your air conditioner, you save energy output in your home, which can be helpful if you’re temporarily running off of a generator or just want to reduce your energy bill. By setting your air conditioner to higher temperatures, you reduce your carbon footprint, help save energy, and adopt a sustainable practice for your household.
It Helps You Save Money
One of the most obvious reasons you should reduce your air conditioner usage is how much money it can help you save. By using your air conditioner at higher temperature settings, you can have a cool home and a more appropriately sized energy bill to go with it. In addition to lower energy bills, you can also enjoy fewer repair bills since you’re putting less strain on your air conditioner.
Other Ways To Keep Your Home Cool During the Summer
What is the best temperature for your AC to save money? If you find that setting the thermostat to anything above 70 degrees isn’t cool enough for your home, you can try a few other methods to keep your home cool and comfortable without overusing your air conditioner.
Use Fans
While fans may not seem effective, with a little air conditioning and a fan’s assistance, you can make a room much cooler than it was before. If it’s a nice day outside without overwhelming heat, consider using a fan to blow cool air in instead of using your unit at full blast.
Run Your Air Conditioner Less at Night
Another way you can strategically use your unit less in the home is by saving the cold air for when it’s especially hot. Nighttime, although nice when especially cold for sleeping, is colder by default. Therefore, if you want to use your air conditioner less, consider running it less at night or only when the evening temperatures reach above 70 degrees.
Set and Forget
While setting your usage patterns for a more sustainable household, one aspect of air conditioner usage that can help your bill go down is the practice of “setting and forgetting.” This tactic is when you set the temperature for your home and then leave it alone. Fluctuating the temperature for your unit constantly causes it to use more power, making the unit less efficient.
Set Moderate Temperatures
When setting your air conditioner’s temperature, ensuring it’s not too low can help you save on your energy bill each month. When setting your thermostat for the day, try to look at your current weather and choose something that can combat it. For most homes and temperatures, 72 degrees Fahrenheit can be an option to keep things cool while not overworking your machine.
Setting your thermostat as high as you can comfortably accept is the best way to lower your unit’s activity. Over 70 degrees can be best, keeping the house moderately cool during heat waves while not overworking the machine severely. When setting your air conditioner to work sparingly, make sure you still check your air filter just as often so that you don’t run into bottlenecking issues that cause overheating.
Adjust While You’re Away
If you plan to be out of the house for a long time, like on vacation, a good strategy for helping yourself save some money is to adjust the air conditioner power while you’re out. An air conditioner is no use to you if you’re not home, so why not leave it turned down while you’re away?
If you want to take your air conditioner energy saving to the next level, consider turning it down while you’re out of the house just for the afternoon. Lowering your overall usage counts in the long run, so every little bit of electricity you save can go toward making your expenses much lower. Additionally, turning it to high temperatures while you’re gone can help your unit last longer, especially during long trips, like vacations, when your unit doesn’t need to operate on a schedule.
Consider a Programmable Thermostat
One advantage you can give yourself in a fight against your electricity bill is a programmable thermostat. With a programmable thermostat, you can schedule when you turn your air conditioner to higher and lower temperatures, helping your cooling and heating to become much more scheduled and precise when temperatures fluctuate. That way, when you ask, “What is the best temperature for an AC to save money?” you can have your thermostat automatically adjust the temperature setting for you.
A programmable thermostat can also be helpful if you plan to leave for an extended period. You can use the programmable thermostat to set usage patterns for your entire vacation or program it to turn up your air conditioner right before you come home so you don’t walk into a sultry house. You can gain even greater control over your home’s temperatures by pairing your programmable thermostat with other home assistant devices, like Alexa, Google Home, and more.
Evaluate Your Home for Air Leaks
Sometimes, what can make a home hotter than it should be is air leaks. Similar to leaving your back door open on a hot day, air leaks throughout your house can let the cold air out, which means your home won’t be as cool as you want, and your air conditioner will work harder than it should. Air leaks can be through windows, improperly sealed doors, or faults in your home’s construction.
If you discover an air leak, you have several different options to fix it. In addition to traditional sealant, you can also consider using weather-stripping material.
With weather-stripping materials, you can seal up any pesky windows that like to leak air, whether it be due to ineffective sealant or just age. To be extra careful about temperature-controlled air leaving your home, consider checking your ductwork for any telltale signs of leakage, such as tears or sagging in the metal. If you notice any leaks or damage to your ductwork, call an HVAC professional as soon as possible to schedule a repair.
Learn More About Your Air Conditioning Unit With Georgia Air
Our technicians at Georgia Air can teach you all about your air conditioner, including how to maintain it, what to do when it makes an odd noise, and tips to save on cooling costs. At Georgia Air, we understand that the AC unit is one of the most important aspects of the home, which is why we invite you to trust your unit in our capable hands.
What is the best temperature for the AC to save money on energy costs? Let us answer your most pressing cooling-related questions and show you how to boost your system’s energy efficiency.
If you’re ready for air conditioner repair and replacement services in the Richmond Hill area, contact Georgia Air at 912-513-3741 to learn more about how we can help make your home more comfortable.