Should I turn of my A/C at home while I'm on vacation or bump up the thermostat?

Question

I'm wondering which is more economical. Obviously, I don't need to cool my home while I'm away. However, if I turn the A/C off, it will have to run for hours upon my return to cool the house back down. What do you think?

Answer 1

Wow, this is hard to answer not knowing what climate you are in.  In a normal temperate climate with no pets in the house you can just turn it off.  If you live in an extremely hot dessert climate, you would probably be better off just setting it high.  

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Answer 2

If you have central air conditioning, you can cut your annual energy bills by about 10 percent by using a programmable thermostat. Turn it up 10 degrees when you’re out.

Answer 3

I set mine for around 80.

That way candles don't melt and you can cool it quickly upon return.

Answer 4

depends on how long you'll be gone.  a week or more i would turn off.  for a three day weekend i would bump up that it shouldn't turn on.  but either way it will have to run to cool house down.

Answer 5

I live in humid WV; and when away recently for a week, we set it up to around 77.  I have a programable thermo, but really didn't need to run the program while away.  If it gets up to 77 in the house, I'd just as soon have it run occasionally to keep the humidity at bay.  Also, it's not just your house that gets hot and sticky, it's everything in it, also that will need to be "cooled" down.  Again, I'd bump it up.

Answer 6

To save money all season you shoud consider installing a 7 day programable thermostat.