A/C is normally 72 degrees. Set thermostat to 80+, or OFF while on vacation?

We'll be gone 10 days total. I can't figure out if it's less electricity to leave it on at a higher setting so it has to work less when we get back to get down to our normal temp, or whether it's long enough to save ALL electricity for 10 days, and run it nonstop until it gets back to normal.

A/C is normally 72 degrees. Set thermostat to 80+, or OFF while on vacation?
I would say turn it off completely. Remember natural heating and cooling cycles from day and night help regulate the temperature of your house as well. Heat doesn't accumulate in the house like it would in an oven... When you come back, just change the thermostat the instant you get in. If it does happen to be a hot day, drop your stuff off and go have lunch at an airconditioned restaurant for a few hours.





Have a safe and wonderful trip!
Reply:You might save in electricity, but you wont save in possible mold damage, as an example, if you turn the a/c off for 10 days. A doctors visit alone is going to generally cost you more than you would save for a mold related illness. I usually set the thermostat 5-10 degrees below the average temperature if I am going to be away for more than a few hours. Thermostat goes up to 80 when I leave for work, then back down to 75 when I come home.
Reply:dont turn it off, i would set it at like 78, so you still cool down but dont waste it! It will make a diffrence of about 25 buck over 10 days
Reply:setting it to higher while you are gone will save money. it does not take as much to cool your house back down as it would take to keep it cool.








setting it 2 or 3 degrees up each day while you are at work will save money too. they have timer thermostats that are not that much that will let it get warmer or cooler during the day to save money depending on winter or summer, but let you have it the temp you want before you get home.
Reply:We leave ours between 80-85. Dont want it to get too hot in the house. Makes the fridge work harder. It will stay cooler inside since nobody will be there opening doors. m
Reply:off


then when you come back turn it on





where i live we are gonna have a blackout anyday if we keep on doing what
Reply:first of all... shut everything in the house off that you possibly can.... ie computers... this will cut down on heat... if you do leave lights on... replace them with flourescent bulbs... i put two full-spectrum in my room and besides having amazing light ...i can dang near hold onto them after them being on for 30 min...





most importantly... if you dont already have one... get one... DIGITAL THERMOMETER.... try to get one with the most daily settings...


mine has 4 settings per day... i wish i had 8... but set it according to the time... like...cool it off good at night... but in the morning dont run it at all let it just heat up to the temp you want for the day... then later in the evening... stair step it down.. starting at like 6 ...





CLOSE YOUR BLINDS
Reply:well it depends on what part of the country you live in I guess. considering that most of the country is in a heat wave right now it's probably pretty hot, but I would recommend turning the a/c off. Because if you go 80+ it could still could run and charge you money. But it wouldn't charge you much because your walls and such insulate your house so the temp doesn't get that high that much anyways.
Reply:for ten days, you'd be better off shutting it off entirely. when you get back, just put it on 75 or so, until the house is liveable. then adjust to desired temperature.
Reply:put the unit on a timer and on the morning of the tenth day set it to 72 so it will be cool when you get home that afternoon
Reply:If you are in a very very humid area, I would leave it on 80 or so, just so it keeps the air dry and doesn't allow some kind of mold or other problem. But if you're not living in a swamp, I'd just turn it off. The money saved should be way more than needed to bring the building back into comfort when you return.