Air Conditioner and manually turning on/off (Mesa: how much, house)

[john3232]

I'm in Mesa visiting my mother and the AC in this home is set for 77 which is nice.

However, the AC is manually turned off at bedtime around 10:30 and the manually put back on in the morning anywhere between 7-9 depending on the day. Unless Mesa is experiencing very hot temperatures my mother prefers to turn the ac off at night. This helps keep the electric bill down.

Question: Is it o.k. for the ac unit to be manually turned off/on once a day?

And does shutting it off for 8-9 hours each day save a considerable amount on the electric bill?

[wit-nit]

I don't see much of a saving, depends on unit and house insulation. The AC generally runs a lot more during the day than at night. If you're on one of the utility equal savings plans it probably wouldn't make any difference. For example our comfort zone the AC is on 24/7 at 74 degrees. We pay $142.00 per month 12 months out of the year on APS econo plan.

[MrsMac]

It depends on the plan you are on, too. We are on the APS timed use plan so each kWh from 12 noon to 7 p.m. weekdays costs 4 times as much as an off peak kWh so that's when I turn our a/c off.

[observer53]

It certainly doesn't hurt the unit to be manually turned on and off once a day. Whether it saves money depends on how much the house heats up overnight while it's off; the AC will run more in the morning trying to get back to the temp she wants during the day if it heats up a lot at night. It can make more sense, in that case, to just turn up the thermostat a few degrees at night so it won't come on as much, rather than shutting it off completely.

[phx1205]

Doesn't it get pretty warm in the house at night with the A/C off? Most nights it's still 100 (or close to it) at 10pm. I actually do the opposite - make it cooler at night! I couldn't imagine not having the A/C on at night.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by phx1205

Doesn't it get pretty warm in the house at night with the A/C off? Most nights it's still 100 (or close to it) at 10pm. I actually do the opposite - make it cooler at night! I couldn't imagine not having the A/C on at night.

I woke up yesterday morning at 5:30 because of the heat.

My mother moved to Mesa this March and isn't familiar with how the electric company works although the $240 electric bill she got last month got her attention.

I explained she can leave the AC on at night as turning it off won't necessarily save that much.

Better to call APS and find a suitable plan.

Thanks for all the replies.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by john3232

I woke up yesterday morning at 5:30 because of the heat.

My mother moved to Mesa this March and isn't familiar with how the electric company works although the $240 electric bill she got last month got her attention.

I explained she can leave the AC on at night as turning it off won't necessarily save that much.

Better to call APS and find a suitable plan.

Thanks for all the replies.

The managed payment plan makes the most sense. No sticker shock in the summer, the utility adjusts the payment periodically to be sure that it balances out. I have it with SRP, but I'm sure APS has one too. Even without a plan (and she can use managed payment AND a time of use plan at the same time) I'll bet a lot of her cost is the cooling down of the house again in the morning.


Ceiling fans help a lot, particularly at night in bedrooms, too.

[Colt AZ]

In my totally biased opinion... there is no need to ever shut off AC thanks to programmable thermostats and their extremely reliable sidekicks: ceiling fans!

With the exception of minor adjustments now & then, my catch-phrase for AC (during the summer) is: Set It & Forget It!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Colt Cassidy

In my totally biased opinion... there is no need to ever shut off AC thanks to programmable thermostats and their extremely reliable sidekicks: ceiling fans!

With the exception of minor adjustments now & then, my catch-phrase for AC (during the summer) is: Set It & Forget It!

Good point. With time of use plans, a programmable thermostat is pretty much a must. And yes, ceiling fans.

[doggroomer67]

We just completed our first month of "supercooling". It's the opposite of what your mom is doing. We set our thermostat at 67 at 7pm (our off peak) and it runs on and off until 12 noon (our on peak). At noon the ac sets at 85. It never gets to 85 though. We just got our bill and compared it to last year and we used less units..and our bill was just over $200. Last year it was over $400. My husband said we are not stopping the supercooling. We have a 2 story house and I do keep fans on and close blinds upstairs as it does get warmer up there, but not unbearable. We are sleeping better than we ever have. We were nervous about trying it. Sounds crazy to run the air all night so cold, but it does work. We have our winter comforter and the kids wear long sleeves to bed.