Should I Turn the Central AC On or Off While on Vacation?

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Should I Turn the Central AC On or Off While on Vacation?

Posted On: August 12, 2021

Should I Turn the Central AC On or Off While on Vacation?

With the summer announcing its arrival, homeowners are starting to leave their homes to be on exciting vacations doing all sorts of fun activities.


But before you get to carried away, make sure that you have a plan as to how you will manage certain systems in your home while you’re out of the house. In this post, we’d like to address your question of whether or not you should turn your central AC while you are away.


There are a few factors that you have to consider, including how long your vacation will be. But before anything else, we’d like you to make this consideration:


If your primary concern is saving energy, turning the system off will deliver you that result. So, why is it that turning the thermostat up while you’re away the more recommended option?


Length of Vacation


If you’re going to be away for just a short time, like a day or two, it’s better to have your air conditioner running but set it at a higher temperature than what you usually do.


Cooling your empty house to the temperature level you’re comfortable with when you’re at home is wasteful and really unnecessary. Your central AC unit might be overworked if you expect it to keep a hot house at a more comfortable temperature, but you will also get to save energy as well as keep the humidity level under control when you leave it on.


A programmable thermostat comes in really handy in this kind of situation. This small device lets you set your desired temperature at varying times. That means it kicks on and off on its own automatically. Just set the thermostat between 7 to 10 degrees higher than you normally would.


Remember to close the curtains before you go to block the afternoon sun and help keep your home a little bit cooler.


If you’re going to have a longer vacation and no one will be home for a week or more, you can definitely save the most energy and cost by keeping your cooling system off. You can simply set your programmable thermostat to start cooling your house a day before you get back.


Other Factors You Need to Consider


Aside from the length of your vacation, other factors that can help determine whether it’s wise to turn your AC on or not include:


  • Weather
  • Efficiency
  • Protection of Other Parts of Your Home


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See What Our Customers Are Saying:

by Ian, Toronto on Twintech Heating and Cooling

The term excellent or incredible does not seem high enough praise for the Twintech Heating and cooling company that recently replaced our 15 year old furnace. To start with, the response from Dave at Twintech to our original pricing request was the quickest and most professional of the 5 prices we received which included two of the primary natural gas providers. The Twintech pricing was the most competitive by a considerable margin.
We had Dave visit our home to confirm all pricing which he did and scheduled us for next day installation which was not offered my the majority of the other providers.
The installation; the team arrived on time and provided coverings to all of the hardwood flooring and stairs and proceeded with the removal and reinstallation of the new furnace, the workers predicated six hours and were completed in five hours. I have to mention how courteous and polite the workers were each time we interacted with them from start to finish.
The final result was amazing, all materials were cleaned up and removed from the house and the workmanship very impressive.
One feature that really stood out for me which shows a high level of professionalism was that we had various condensation hoses from the furnace , humidifier and an air filtration unit meeting at the one drain, the installation crew ran PVC tubing including elbows along two sides of the furnace to guide the hoses into one PVC tube at the drain, it looks great!
When the install was completed and tested the Twintech technician guided us through the features and recommendation's for care of the new furnace.
We highly recommend Twintech to anyone for the outstanding service provided to us.

by Stephen, Pickering on Twintech Heating and Cooling

I didn't hesitate to call Twintech in for a 2nd time as they did an outstanding job installing my new furnace last year. This time my 18 year old air conditioner was on its last legs. Greg and the team are top notch, highly skilled technicians. The job was executed in a timely and professional manner. Greg was extremely thorough and went the extra mile to make sure everything was operating efficiently. Lastly, Dave is a true gentleman and really made the customer experience pleasurable and worry free. Always remember that good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't good.

by Derek, Whitby on Twintech Heating and Cooling

It's so hard to find solid companies these days, but I was very pleased to find one in Twintech. Greg and his crew were very clean, respectful and professional. We were most impressed at how all the things they said they would do, were done. Sounds strange, but usually when a contractor comes to your home they say they will take care of this and that, make sure this is done, etc but when the work starts you have to constantly remind them of your previous discussions. Greg ensured every item he said he would do was done, no reminders required. The work was done right, at a fair price and on time. We will be sure to call them when our A/C unit dies (fingers crossed that's not going to happen too soon :) )

by Patrick, Toronto on Twintech Heating and Cooling

Replaced our aging hot water tank with a tankless system. Excellent work, fast efficient and clean.

Walked us through the new system and recommended maintenance schedule.

This is our second time working with TwinTech and we are very happy with the quality of their work and professionalism.

by Troy, Toronto on Twintech Heating and Cooling

Efficient work and great follow up by the team at Twin Tech. Great product and communication.

by Peter, Pickering on Twintech Heating and Cooling

On coldest night of the year our furnace quit. At 8:40 in the morning Greg arrived and gave us a diagnosis and a recommendation. By 2:30 we had a new furnace and were warm again. Great company. Great customer service. Good reasonable price.

Peter, Pickering

by New Furnace Installed on Twintech Heating and Cooling

Twin tech team was very efficient and prompt. They provided a quote within hours of request and got the job done on time. No disruption to home function. We would highly recommend this team. Job well done.

by John from Toronto on Twintech Heating and Cooling

Our furnace bit the dust, and Twintech came out to troubleshoot and diagnose the problem within a couple of hours. Mitch was super helpful, patient, and answered all of our questions. When we decided to get the furnace replaced, the crew was over first thing the next morning and did a fantastic job. Not only did they complete the job in a few hours, but they cleaned up and respected our house as they went, and answered all of our follow-up questions. I've used Twintech for our HVAC needs in the past and will continue to do so. I'd recommend them to anyone, and it feels good to support a local, family-owned business.

by Ryan k on Twintech Heating and Cooling

Dave and the Twintech team were fabulous from day 1 and helped us through the process to identifying a new furnace and AC unit. This was our first time through this process and Dave did a thorough job explaining all the components and was very patience answering all our questions. Dave provided great insights and fair pricing.

The Twintech team did an awesome installation. Very clean and efficient. I would highly recommended their service.

by Louise in Scarborough on Twintech Heating and Cooling

We had a new Amana furnace installed by Twintech and we were very pleased with the installation. It is nice to have a warm house again.

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