efficient air conditioner use

This or That: Leave Your AC On or Turn It Off?

A common myth about the way air conditioners work may be wasting your money and contributing to global warming.

By Emily Main

 

Use your AC wisely to save money and keep cool.

 

 

06-16-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—We’ve all wondered this at some point, usually during after coming home to a stifling house on a long, hot, summer day: Do you save energy by shutting off your air conditioner when you’re gone for the day? Or is it better to just let it run at the same temperature setting all day long, so you don’t expend extra kilowatts starting it up and getting the premises to a comfortable temperature? Wasting energy not only costs you more money, it leads to more burning of coal and other fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change. We contacted Jennifer Thorne Amann, MES, buildings program director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), to help us figure it out.

THIS: Leave the AC running, set at the same temperature all day.

The theory: If you leave the AC running with the temperature set at a comfortable setting, the stable temp means the air conditioner won’t have to work as hard.

THAT: Turn the AC off when you leave, turn it on when you get home.

The theory: If you let the house get hot when you’re away, the air conditioner will use more energy when it’s time to cool things down.

THIS OR THAT?

That. Turn it off when you leave. It may seem like a waste of energy to turn your air conditioner on and off, but doing so actually saves you a fair amount of money and helps your air conditioner work more efficiently, says Amann. While it may seem like your unit has to work hard to cool a space down from 80 to 75 degrees, “air-conditioning systems run most efficiently when they’re running at full speed,” rather than running for shorter periods at a less powerful speed to maintain a constant temperature all day, Amman says. They’re also better able to dehumidify your house, she adds, when they run full blast. If you have central air, or a window unit with a thermostat, you can save energy and keep things from getting unbearably torrid by setting the thermostat higher. ACEEE estimates that air conditioners use 3 to 5 percent less energy for every degree you raise the thermostat. To get the best energy savings, leave your thermostat set at 78 degrees or higher while you’re out.

Here are a few other ways to stay cool and get better AC energy savings this summer:

• Buy a programmable thermostat. Whether you turn your central air off or turn its thermostat up when you’re out of the house, a programmable thermostat can crank up the cool factor before you get home. That way your house will be comfortable when you walk in the door. Amann notes that you’ll need to buy a thermostat that suits both your cooling and your heating systems. Some models don’t work with heat pumps, which can pose a problem in the winter, so check with whoever installed or services your system. If you use a window unit, an appliance timer can serve a similar purpose; newer models may include a timer as well as a thermostat.

• Buy a ceiling fan. Fans don’t necessarily cool a room, but they move air across your skin, making you feel comfortable at a higher temperature. That allows you to set the thermostat higher and stay cool while using less energy (especially if you buy a fan that’s Energy Star rated). However, because it doesn’t reduce the temperature of a room, it’s a waste of energy to leave a ceiling fan on in the hopes that it will keep your house cooler while you’re gone.

• Plant some bushes. Large, shady bushes planted on the south and west sides of your house will reduce heat gain during the day.

• Create crosswinds. The easiest way to cool a house? Open a window—but not too much. The less you open it, the more of a draft you’ll create. You can create cross breezes in a one-story house (or a single room) by cracking one window’s bottom sash and another’s top sash. If you live in a two-story house, open a window on the first floor a crack and another window upstairs on the opposite side of the house. Experiment to see which windows work best and how much you should open them.

The term 'climate change' is sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but because the Earth's climate is never static, the term is more properly used to imply a significant change from one climatic condition to another. In some cases, 'climate change' has been used synonymously with the term, 'global warming'; scientists however, tend to use the term in the wider sense to also include natural changes in climate.

Chunky Chicken Peanut WrapsSaran™ Premium Wrap, pack it with a chewy brownie and a healthy bean dip, and take it off to school or work.

A good wrap is great to go! Here's a delicious recipe for leftover chicken that will taste as good—or better—than any wrap you can buy at the deli.

Prepare the peanut sauce the night before and you've cut your assembly time in half. Use only half the prescribed peanut sauce and you'll reduce the calorie load significantly. (Warning, though: this sauce is so finger-licking good, it may be difficult to resist!) Wrap it all up in

STEP 1. Place the peanut butter, lite soy sauce, and water in a bowl. Whisk together until evenly combined. Set aside.

STEP 2. Slice the cooked chicken breast into chunky slices and place half the amount of chicken on each tortilla.

STEP 3. Divide the carrots and lettuce equally and place on top of the chicken in each tortilla.

STEP 4. Drizzle the peanut sauce over the fillers. Then roll up the sandwich and wrap with

.

Serving Size: 1 wrap
Calories	450
Calories From Fat	140
Total Fat	15g
Saturated Fat	3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	95mg
Sodium	540mg
Total Carbohydrates	34g
Dietary Fiber	3g
Sugars	4g
Protein	45g

Compu-Food Analysis, Inc

Nutritional information provided by

What's Going on with Craigslist?

NAR recently learned that its name is being used as part of a property rental scam. In this scam, rental property is offered to consumers, who are led to believe that NAR is functioning as an intermediary to receive rental deposits from prospective tenants and, upon receipt of the deposit, to deliver the keys to the property to the tenant. The tenant is instructed to send money via Western Union to NAR's purported agent, in the United Kingdom. NAR is not involved in this business and believes it is a scam.
 
But that is not all that has been reported to be going on. A Madison TV station reported that a local REALTOR® discovered that the details of one of her rental property listings apparently had been lifted from her Web site and posted on Craigslist with a lower price and different contact information. Prospects reading the Craigslist entry were asked to wire money overseas. Glen Loyd, of the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said, "Nothing really surprises us because remember that Craigslist and all the classified ads and newspapers right now are on the Internet. And people around the world, these criminals, can look into Madison every day." The REALTOR® remarked that she will regularly check Craigslist and see if my properties are out there. Madison police said investigators are working on numerous local fraud cases involving Craigslist.

A similar scam has been reported to the WRA from the LaCrosse area. A property that was apparently for sale was the target. The property information and pictures were lifted from Craigslist and recast into a rental listing with an overseas telephone number and an e-mail account created using a variation of the owner's name. The ad said to send $500 and get the keys.

If you have encountered these scams or something similar, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. Visit its Web site for more information about how to file a complaint. Anyone who has been victim of a scam also can contact Wisconsin consumer protection at 1-800-422-7128.

REALTORS® should be cautious when if they use Craigslist. Maybe more importantly, REALTORS® who do not normally use Craigslist should routinely review Craigslist to make sure that none of your listed properties (sales and rentals) are being advertised by a scammer!