HVAC - Why Turning Off Your System Is A Bad Idea
If you're going on vacation, it only makes sense to turn off the air conditioning.
You're certainly not going to cool a house that will be empty for the next week.
Many homeowners extrapolate this to mean that they should shut off the HVAC system every time they leave the house, especially when going to work.
This is not a good idea, however.
While it sounds perfectly logical to turn off an appliance you aren't going to be using for the next eight hours, you could be costing yourself more money than you know.
Here are some of the reasons why you should stop shutting off your A/C every time you leave.
Rapid Cooling Although it gets disproven day after day, many homeowners can't come to terms with the fact that their HVAC system isn't designed to rapidly cool their houses.
Rather, these air conditioning units are designed to keep the temperature moderate and stable.
Granted, over a long enough period of time, they will cool down an entire house.
But when you use it for this purpose every day, you're putting far more strain on the system than you should.
Not only that, but you're using a lot of wasted energy.
Fighting against powerful outdoor heat, even the best systems can scarcely do better than cool the house more than a degree or two an hour.
If you come home from work and the house is hot, you're probably going to bed hot.
Big Temperature Shifts As a homeowner, it should be your goal to keep your house as close to the same temperature as you can at all times.
This is what the HVAC system excels at.
If you need to put more insulation in your attic to help it out, then do so.
If you need to have a talk with your kids about leaving the doors open when they go outside to play, do that too.
But turning off your air conditioner to save money is a costly mistake.
You will use much more energy trying to get the house back down to a cool temperature than you would be keeping it at a reasonable place for the intervening period.
Structural Damage There is another reason why shutting off the HVAC can be a mistake, and it is one that few homeowners think about.
Structural damage can occur when your home is constantly subjected to these big temperature swings.
The sheetrock that makes up your walls, the hardwood that makes up your floors, and even your cabinets can be put at risk for damage by shutting off your air conditioner only to snap it back on at night.
Keep it running at a moderate temperature and you'll save in the long run (if not immediately).
You're certainly not going to cool a house that will be empty for the next week.
Many homeowners extrapolate this to mean that they should shut off the HVAC system every time they leave the house, especially when going to work.
This is not a good idea, however.
While it sounds perfectly logical to turn off an appliance you aren't going to be using for the next eight hours, you could be costing yourself more money than you know.
Here are some of the reasons why you should stop shutting off your A/C every time you leave.
Rapid Cooling Although it gets disproven day after day, many homeowners can't come to terms with the fact that their HVAC system isn't designed to rapidly cool their houses.
Rather, these air conditioning units are designed to keep the temperature moderate and stable.
Granted, over a long enough period of time, they will cool down an entire house.
But when you use it for this purpose every day, you're putting far more strain on the system than you should.
Not only that, but you're using a lot of wasted energy.
Fighting against powerful outdoor heat, even the best systems can scarcely do better than cool the house more than a degree or two an hour.
If you come home from work and the house is hot, you're probably going to bed hot.
Big Temperature Shifts As a homeowner, it should be your goal to keep your house as close to the same temperature as you can at all times.
This is what the HVAC system excels at.
If you need to put more insulation in your attic to help it out, then do so.
If you need to have a talk with your kids about leaving the doors open when they go outside to play, do that too.
But turning off your air conditioner to save money is a costly mistake.
You will use much more energy trying to get the house back down to a cool temperature than you would be keeping it at a reasonable place for the intervening period.
Structural Damage There is another reason why shutting off the HVAC can be a mistake, and it is one that few homeowners think about.
Structural damage can occur when your home is constantly subjected to these big temperature swings.
The sheetrock that makes up your walls, the hardwood that makes up your floors, and even your cabinets can be put at risk for damage by shutting off your air conditioner only to snap it back on at night.
Keep it running at a moderate temperature and you'll save in the long run (if not immediately).
