Being too cool is a problem many people would like to have during a long, hot Ohio summer. However, the fact is, attempting to keep your home excessively cool during very hot weather can actually have the opposite effect. Here are some reasons why “too cool” isn’t cool in some cases:
Central AC can generate a fixed amount of coolness.
Generally speaking, a typical central air conditioner can keep the average home about 20 degrees cooler than the outdoor temperature. Thus, on a 101-degree day, the air conditioner can’t cool the house any lower than 81 degrees. Pushing the thermostat setting lower than this 20-degree differential only wastes energy and may inflict damaging wear and tear on AC components.
Coolness can be costly.
A central AC is designed to operate most efficiently when the thermostat is set to around 78 degrees. The lower the thermostat setting is below that recommended figure, the less efficiently the unit operates, resulting in increased energy consumption and higher operating costs. A thermostat setting that is only 8 degrees lower than the recommended 78 can raise your monthly cooling expenses by a full 10%.
More cool draws more heat indoors.
It’s a basic law of physics: Outdoor heat energy is attracted to the cool indoor environment. Heat actively infiltrates through structural cracks and gaps and also radiates through solid materials that lack adequate insulation. The greater the differential between the temperature of a very hot day outside and a “too cool” environment indoors, the more heat infiltration occurs. Maintaining a moderate indoor temperature around 78 degrees (or slightly higher) helps reduce this effect, save on monthly cooling costs and reduce air conditioner wear and tear.
For more advice to avoid the “too cool” syndrome with your air conditioner, talk to the experts at Ace Hardware Home Services.
