LANSING, Mich. — This weeks heat is hot enough for anyone to want to blast their air conditioner, but leaving the air conditioner on the same cool temperature all day doesn't save money.
Experts say to program the air conditioner 10 to 15 degrees warmer than normal for eight hours.
US Department of Energy recommends setting an air conditioner to 78 degrees, which can save about 10 percent a year on cooling bills.
Programmable thermostats can also make it super easy to run the air conditioner warmer while at work but switch it down a few degrees right before coming home.
Leaving the air conditioner fan on can also have a cooling effect.
William Law, owner of Bill's After Hours Heating and Cooling said, "If you run it [air conditioner] on fan-auto, it will burn. But if you run it on fan-on it helps during the real hot days because the fan on the furnace doesn't shut off when the air conditioner shuts off, it keeps the air moving. And air that is moving is going to feel cooler than air that is standing still."
However, without a working air conditioner none of this will be possible.
That is why experts say to always clean the outside of the air conditioner because a lot of dirt and pollen build up, which can clog it.
"The air conditioner outside has a black coil that goes all the way around it. It has a fan on top and when leaves and grass collect in that black coil, then you cant suck in enough air to keep the air conditioner cool, and the air conditioner overheats," said Law
Also clean or replace the filters otherwise it's just circulating dirty air and reducing the efficiency of the air conditioner.
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