Is it better to run your ac unit continuosly or turn it on and off as you come and go?

Question

I work at a small office with 6 to 8 people at any given time during the day. My boss has the thermostat for the central ac unit in his office. Everytime he runs out for coffee or to a meeting he raises the temperture of the unit so that it does not go one or shut it off completely. He thinks this is saving him money and does not care if the rest of his employees are comfortable. I think it takes the unit longer to cool the place thus costing him more money plus he is slowing our productivity.

I looked for an article on the internet to leave on his desk but because of all the save the envirnoment issues most of the articles say leave the unit on at 85 to 88 degrees which would cause the unit to never turn on in the first place. I believe in saving the envirnoment but in a realistic way.

Does anyone have any advice?

Answer 1

Your boss is right.  The less you're using the A/C, the better.  When it's continuously on, it has to compensate for losses to the outside environment.  If it's suddenly turned on, it has to cause a bigger temperature change, but because it's doing so over a short period of time, it doesn't have to overcome as much energy loss to the outside environment.

The best solution for an office would just be to compromise - always keep it at a higher temperature (say 75-80°F) when people are working, then leave it off overnight.

Answer 2

it really depends on your a/c and building . some of the older models i've had in apartments definitely do not work better by leaving them on all the time because the building is so poorly insulated. but newer units generally do. once an ambient temperature is maintained newer buildings are better insulated so it takes much less energy to maintain that temp.

as far as an ideal temperature i usually see something in the low 80's. but it depends largely on the outside temp in your area and how much heat is generated by your office. for instance how many people are there and how much electrical equipment is running. computers produce a lot of heat and even though the ambient temp may be 85 the computer can bump that up 5 degrees in your immediate area.

i suggest you talk to your boss as a group. say that he is making the workplace extremely uncomfortable to work in. he has a (legal) responsibility to create a comfortable working environment. but don't just go to him with a complaint. come up with several suggestions to solve the problem. maybe install fans to better circulate the cool air. that's a very cheap solution to improve a/c efficiency and performance. just keep in mind, no one cares about your problems, but most are willing to listen to your solutions.

Answer 3

This has been an ongoing argument for years, and those that do not understand how the AC works are under the impression that by turning the AC off they are saving energy.

when in fact turning the AC off and allowing the building to heat up to an uncomfortable level.

When the AC is then turned back on, the compressor has to run for an extended period of time to bring the temp, back to a normal level, causing extra stress on the compressor, and reducing not only it efficiency, but it's life expectancy.

The best option is to use a quality thermostat that has a built in timer, when it can be set to run at a comfortable level during business hours, and then cut down to a maintenance level when it is not needed.

the same thing goes for the heating unit.

however I doubt that you are going to be able to change your bosses mind,

I would suggest convincing him to put ceiling fans in the office,

to move the cool air out of the corners and into the rest of the room, it has been proven that fans placed in strategic areas will in effect not only make the AC  unit more effective, but will also save energy, and the ceiling fans are the most effective and most economical to operate.

If you have a ceiling fan shop in your area, they should have brochures that explain this.

Answer 4

Depends upon insulation and level of heat.

If the insulation of the space being cooled is pretty good, then getting a cool temp, then shutting down is best.

If heat is very high, 100+, then continuing run at as high a level as people can handle is better.

Peace

Answer 5

you always use less energy doing things more slowly, rather than big swings. Turning the thermostat up a degree or two and leaving it there will save more energy than what your boss is doing.

You should set his thermostat where you all feel comfortable, and then disconnect the control switch or k**b so he thinks he's changing the temperature. if it's a digital thermostat, maybe pull the thermostat wire and run it to another thermostat so his is a dummy thermostat, and you can control the temperature.