[Toymeister]

Originally Posted by JoMar

How much can you save? Can't imagine it's significant since cost of the electricity here is cheap.

Well as the only commenter that has a whole house energy monitor for years with trillions of sampling points of electricity and not random speclation let me say this.

On average 1.6 to 1.8% of your total electricity bill is save for each degree higher the ac is set.

Is that a lot? In the world of electricity consumption it is. There is no magic solution to save ten or twenty percent, it all comes from small changes.

Try this device to find out for yourself, with most users saving 6-9% or so. That is everyday, year upon year.
Sense: Track energy use in real time to make your home more energy efficient.

[erojohn]

Marathon Mans answer makes perfect sense. If you think about it. Initially you will save that electricity while the house climbs from at home temperature to away temperature. Once it reaches away temperature it will cycle on and off about the same amount of times to keep at that temperature. When you return it to at home temperature you will use most of the electricity you saved going up. That cycling on and off at the increased temperature setting might save, depending on how long you are away. If it gives you peace of mind and makes you feel good, DO it.

[Villages Kahuna]

My sons have had terrific results with Nest thermostats. They “learn” your active-inactive times and set the temperature accordingly. They have many other capabilities as well. They’re more expensive obviously, but both sons say they are one of the best investments they’ve ever made.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by erojohn

Marathon Mans answer makes perfect sense. If you think about it. Initially you will save that electricity while the house climbs from at home temperature to away temperature. Once it reaches away temperature it will cycle on and off about the same amount of times to keep at that temperature. When you return it to at home temperature you will use most of the electricity you saved going up. That cycling on and off at the increased temperature setting might save, depending on how long you are away. If it gives you peace of mind and makes you feel good, DO it.

I would just point out that, when you raise the temperature setting, the unit will cycle on and off, but it will not run as long and it will use less electricity to maintain the higher temperature. So, the longer you are away from the house, the more electricity you will save.

[greenflash245]

listen to your friend. why do you raise the temp when you leave?

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by PompeyKing

Hello, I have been turning my AC up 2º when we leave the house for a little bit. Our thermostat will automatically lower the temperature back to the original setting after 2 hours. If we are going away for more than 4 hours, I will bump up the temperature and put the ac on hold.
A friend has said I am using more electricity by bumping up the temperature because it will take more energy to bring the temperature back down. I just don't know if that is true or not. I have picked up this habit from our days up north when we would turn down the heat when we left.
Any thoughts or facts would be greatly appreciated.

I keep my house at 74° day and night in the summer and 70° in the winter. I don’t open the windows. That keeps the humidity low in the house. If I’ve been outside and I’m emitting humidity, I just turn on a ceiling fan. They help a lot. I used to turn down the thermostat to 60° in my Pennsylvania house in winter when I was gone for the weekend. But when I returned, it took about four hours to bring the house back to 70°, due to all the cold wood and drywall that had to be heated. Probably I didn’t save much. I didn’t notice the bill dropping. You can save a lot more by keeping your house several degrees warmer all the time in the summer or several degrees cooler in the winter. I know my limits. My dad prefers 76°, but that’s just too hot for me. Under 70° in the winter and I’m too cold. We vary!

[bragones]

I have Nest but I don't use the nest sense features. I raise the ac temp on the thermostat when I'm away and lower it from my phone when I'm on my way home. Nest allows you to monitor how many hours your AC runs each day. I've found that when I leave the temp constant, I use AC about 8 hours a day. When I'm away for several hours and I raise the AC temp and set it remotely prior to my return, the AC only runs 5 to 6 hours a day and the house is cool upon my return.

[lpkshop]

Please keep in mind We had mold treatment and were told NEVER have your house higher than 75 degrees

[Bridget Staunton]

Originally Posted by PompeyKing

Hello, I have been turning my AC up 2º when we leave the house for a little bit. Our thermostat will automatically lower the temperature back to the original setting after 2 hours. If we are going away for more than 4 hours, I will bump up the temperature and put the ac on hold.
A friend has said I am using more electricity by bumping up the temperature because it will take more energy to bring the temperature back down. I just don't know if that is true or not. I have picked up this habit from our days up north when we would turn down the heat when we left.
Any thoughts or facts would be greatly appreciated.

My hubby (A/C guy 40 years) said not true with the latest thermostat & technology. It makes no sense to have it set low when your gone. We always set ours up 2 to 3 deg when we are gone because of possibility of mold, it might get too humid

[New Englander]

I'm sure many here won't believe this but My thermostat stays @82 degrees. Perfect temp for me.

[kendi]

Originally Posted by PompeyKing

Hello, I have been turning my AC up 2º when we leave the house for a little bit. Our thermostat will automatically lower the temperature back to the original setting after 2 hours. If we are going away for more than 4 hours, I will bump up the temperature and put the ac on hold.
A friend has said I am using more electricity by bumping up the temperature because it will take more energy to bring the temperature back down. I just don't know if that is true or not. I have picked up this habit from our days up north when we would turn down the heat when we left.
Any thoughts or facts would be greatly appreciated.

I’m certainly no expert on the subject but based on the documents we received when we purchased our house it’s best to keep the temp steady. Like you I’m used to adjusting the temp so this is a new practice for me.

[kendi]

Originally Posted by lpkshop

Please keep in mind We had mold treatment and were told NEVER have your house higher than 75 degrees

We keep ours at 78, humidity stays at 56 which I understand is a good number

[Burgy]

I lowered the humidity setting from 60 to 56% and raised the temp setting 1 degree. I don't know if it will matter on the bill but the comfort seems about the same. Just mentioning because no one mentioned humidity in the string.

Want to know for sure? Keep doing what your doing for a month or a billing cycle, then leave it at a set temp for the next month/cycle.

On a different note, we monitor different areas of our house with thermometers and it is never a constant temp everywhere in the house. Our termostat (next to the Master BR) is set to 77 all the time. The temp in our main living area where we spend most of our time is then 75, and at the far end of the house it is 73. The Master BR is 75 or 76. So nowhere is it actually 77. No, I have no real point, just an observation.

[donfey]

TIME, I think, is the key. If you're out for a couple of hours, raising (or lowering in the winter,) doesn't save any electricity. If you're gone for a day or more it makes more sense. I do like the "argument" that running the AC longer, to catch-up after returning from the higher setting, would reduce humidity better.

I DO LOVE THAT "EXPERTS" DISAGREE!