Air Conditioners - Energy Efficiency

Without having really been to all places on Earth, I think I can still say with some confidence that this practice is present everywhere.

I used to have a file server in my office. Because of this, I never switched off my air conditioner (people use the files at all hours). When the server was transferred to another room, I began switching off my AC when I didn't use it.

My own office air conditioner has a built-in timer. I've programmed it to switch on at 7:45am and off at 4:45pm. I usually come in before 7am though my official time-in is at 8am. It's not yet hot at that time so I can leave my AC off until 7:45. As for 4:45pm, there's still some residual coolness for 15 minutes so I can switch off the AC 15 minutes before I knock off.

The only problem with it is that the timer functions everyday. If I forget to switch it off manually on Saturday afternoon, it will come on during Sunday. Still better than keeping it on 24/7 but still a waste, I'll admit .

I see several general ads for saving water from government funds.

Why don't they have something like this for energy efficiency - to make people more aware?

In some residential areas of the UK, the road-side street lights are to be turned off between 01:00 and 06:00.

That`s good news for the star gazers!

Depending on the outside air temperature it may be better to leave the AC running. If the room heats up to unbearable temperatures it may take a long time to cool the room. Remember, if the contents of the room are hot, you not only have to cool the air but anything in it as well. It's better to adjust the rooms temperature to a slightly higher degree before leaving for home.

If it's not that hot out, turn it off.

I disagree. Even under the scenario you mention, energy can be saved by turning it off. What you need to do is find out how long it takes to cool it back to a working level and then set the timer for this amount of time. Of course, there are some types of setback thermostats which do this very measurement and adjust their programmed on time to match the real amount of time needed throughout the year.

--JMM

You may have heard an old saying "waste not - want not". Yes it is not good to wantonly waste energy. Most commercial buildings have "occupied" and "un-occupied" time scheduling. They turn OFF non-essential AC, fresh-air intakes etc.

But don't be a listenin' to Al Gore and his Global Warming radicals either. That word "carbon footprint" makes me want to yak. The people who utter these words are typically "two-faced" fools with one set of standards for themselves and another set for the rest of us.

As far as "re-setting" an AC, that's crap. I've seen some AC systems APPEAR to work better after being shut off because they were actually not functioning properly and were beginning to ice-up. This turn off time allowed the ice to melt. A properly running A/C can run 24/7, never needs a "break"....just a clean filter.