Just figured out my thermostat schedule was backwards

I got my power bill for July and it was $40 higher than last year, even though I thought I was being good. My neighbor mentioned he sets his AC to 78 when he's home and 82 when he's out, not the other way around. I had mine set to cool to 72 when I got home from work, which made the unit run super hard during the hottest part of the day. Flipping the schedule around last week already feels different. Has anyone else seen a big drop from a simple change like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

phoenix_bailey2mo ago

Oh man, that makes total sense... letting it coast at a higher temp when you're gone is the real trick. My bill dropped almost thirty bucks when I stopped trying to cool down a hot house. Glad you caught it.

lewis.mila13d ago

So you're saying you flipped it so it's cooler when you're out and warmer when you're home? That doesn't sound right either. The whole point is that your AC doesn't have to fight the hottest sun to cool the house down. You want it warmer when you're out, cooler when you're home. 78 when you're there, 82 when you're gone like your neighbor said. If you do it backwards you'd be cooling an empty house all day and then letting it get hot right when you walk in the door. That would cost even more. I think you might have mixed it up in your post.

the_piper2mo ago

Honestly, I was the same way for years. I always thought coming home to a cool house was worth the cost. But your point about the unit running super hard in the heat really hit me. It just fights a losing battle and costs a fortune. I switched mine to do the opposite and the compressor isn't constantly kicking on anymore. Tbh it was a total game changer for my summer bills.

ivan_murphy802mo ago

Forty bucks over a whole month just from the thermostat schedule seems like a stretch. My unit runs hard no matter what time I set it for if it's ninety degrees outside. Maybe your old system was just less efficient than last year's. Did you check if the filter was dirty or something else was making it work harder?