I recently got into an argument with a friend about an air conditioning topic.
- My friend stated that it makes more sense financially and environmentally to turn your central air conditioning off when you go to work, then to turn it back on when you go home.
His logic also applied to running errands such as grocery shopping, or if you are at home and feeling like you do not need the air conditioning to be on at that moment. My side of the argument is that you should leave the air conditioning running when you are at work, but make sure to adjust the thermostat to set the temperature a bit higher when you are away and then you can turn it down a bit when you get home to maximize your indoor comfort. My friend did not agree with my side of this air conditioning argument because he said that I am wasting energy and money when I am not at home. I see where he is coming from, but I explained that it will actually take more energy to cool the home after the air conditioning has been off. We live in a hot and humid area, so to turn the a/c off, and then back on requires a lot of energy. He stated that I am ruining the environment by constantly running my air conditioning. I politely reminded him that I am not constantly running the air conditioning all year and that I only have it on at all times in the summer. I also have a smart thermostat which helps save energy and money. He did not open up to my side of the argument, but I am comfortable using my smart thermostat and that works best for me.