So since I'm new to this central air deal that we have in our house I was wondering if it is cheaper to turn it on in the morning when it's hot or wait until it gets too uncomfortable and turn it on then. What is the best way to use the A/C and spend the least amount of money?

Just keep it on at a higher setting (like 80 degrees) use ceiling fans or ocilating fans to circulate the air.

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Depends on where you live.

If you live some place like Arizona- you will want to keep it on ALL the time since it's so hot. You can turn it up a couple degrees if you are going to be gone all day. So say set it at 82 and then when you get home turn it to 80. Any more than a couple degrees variance though, the thing will run forrever to bring the temps down. So for example, don't let it get 85 in your house and then turn the A/c on to 72.

If you live some place that has alot of humidity you will also always want to keep it on. If you have lots of humidity and switch back and forth between open windows and having it on, it makes the A/C system work really hard because not only does the machine run to cool the air it also works hard tp remove the humidity from the air.

If you live somplace dry and just sort of hot.. ummm. like western San diego- cities inland for example ( la mesa, Santee) You will do fine opening your windows at night, letting the cool air in, turning OFF the air, and then in the moring, close all the windows and set your A/C system to turn on at the temperature you deem hot ( 80 or whatever)

The key with A/C systems ALWAYs keep every door and window shut while it's running. A/C systems are nothing like swamp coolers which actually need a window cracked open to the ouside. Shut everything up tight with A/C.
HTH

there are 2 school of thought to Air Conditioning, One is turn the thing REALLY high when you are gone all day and then come home and crank it down to cool off the house. Some people say this saves money because it's not running all day. Other folks say to just set it and forget it. I don't know if there has ever been proof of saving money more one way than the other. I think other factors play into it more- do you have double pane windoes, shade screens, high seer rating. ect

The BEST article about saving money while using the A/C is here- I've never seen a better article.
Ask Mr. Electricity: Saving money on air conditioning

I also live in the midwest. There are days that we have really needed the a/c and other days we just run the house fans and ceiling fans. The nights haven't been so bad that we haven't had to use the a/c very often. Using a programmable thermostat can help if you are gone by day. You can set the program at a higher temp by day when you aren't home and a lower temp to turn the a/c on just prior to you coming home (whatever is comfortable). But PLEASE keep in consideration if you have pets on those hot days though. My hairy dogs get pretty uncomfortable. Keep windows locked and doors closed tight and drapes/blinds closed to keep the sun out as much as possible. This helps from your unit turning on as frequently and will lower your bill and save your unit.
To make your unit last longer... make sure, yearly or so, that your unit is charged with the correct amount of freon. The amount will vary depending on the size of your unit. Some people skate by a year or two by opening the condensor and hosing down the coils themselves. Sometimes units can "ice up." This is a sign that your unit is undercharged. (you will have a puddle or more of water by the furnace and possibly a loud noise---yours is new so you won't have the problem) If this happens turn off your unit and let it melt. Do NOT turn it back on. Call a service tech out there to check your unit. This can be caused from not enough freon and/or a leak in the line which can be very costly to repair.
Keep all tall landscaping and debris away from the unit so it gets adequate air flow. eg. leaves from the previous fall, grass clippings, plants, etc.
Our last house had an attic fan that removed the heat from the attic which kept the house cooler since heat rises. We haven't gotten around to installing one in this house though. Hopefully soon.
Hope this helps. Yes, hubby does heating and air conditioning and I work in the office.

We live in the south - West Texas - so needless to say we get HOT. When my DH and I were newly married, my MIL, the proud mother of 11 children (which will make you frugal in a hurry) told us that we should get the windows tinted on our home to cut down on the cost of cooling and heating. Well, we couldn't do it right away because we were "poor newly weds", but we did it and our bill was cut by about $70 per month in the summer.

Also, she told us that we should set the temp at about 74 - 75. She said that if you set the a/c too high (and have it on the auto setting) it will turn on and off more often and that cost more than if it is running for a little longer period less often. (I hope that make sense in writing like it does in my head.)

Another thing - we don't lower the temp at night either. I have heard that some do because they need to be really cool to sleep well. We just use fans to keep up comfortable.

We're also in the midwest...we haven't had to use our a/c much this year at all, which is nice. I like the windows open and fresh air! I don't mind temp so much as much as I mind humidity.

We use a programmable thermostat, which is great - I highly recommend them! I set the a/c for about 80 degrees during the day. It keeps the humidity away...but yes, the upstairs does start to warm up, but it's not too bad. We're often not home or if we are, the kids are outside, the basement playroom etc At night I think it goes down to 75 from 9PM to 4AM...sometimes you just have to fiddle around with the settings to see what works for you.

Save Money on Air Conditioning Costs

wcco.com - Good Question: How Can We Save Money On A/C?

HomeTips DIY: Save Money on Cooling Your House

My dh is an ac teck and he says its best to keep it on, If you turn it off and it gets really warm in the house your ac has to work really hard to cool the house down. IF you leave it on it takes far less energy to maintain the temp in the house. The best thing to do is keep it a few degrees warmer when you are not home but not off totaly.

The more important thing is to set it to the temp you want right when you turn it on. If you turn it to say, 76 in the morning, then 74 a few hours later, then 72 midafternoon, you are using a TON more energy. If you think you want it at 72, just put it there to begin with. Not only will this save energy (the motor works more smoothly and efficiently to maintain temp rather than change temp), but your ac unit will last much longer. I learned this from an AC repairman, AFTER he charged me $185 to replace a fuse! Of course, on days that are not sweltering hot, I open every window and door to let fresh air move through the house. Other than that, we touch the thermostat twice a day: once in the morning to a little higher temp, and once before bed to a slightly (2 degrees) lower temp.

I was told not to shut it off unless you won't be using it anymore (it costs more money and uses more energy) I was told to just adjust the temperature.

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she is so right. leave it on. it will run twice as long just to cool everything back down. we tried it out in june we left it on the entire month then july i thought i would open it up(i missed the fresh air not a good idea i was turning that thing off and on) and let me tell you my bill was 60 bucks higher in july. also keep the shades and curtains drawn on the sunny sides that will help keep it cooler inside and turn the thermostat up a tad. if you don't have a programable thermostat i would invest in one they do save alot of money we saved over 200 bucks the first year we used it.

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