Energy Myths

Energy Myths By Desiree Fitterer, AirAdvice Training and Development Specialist
We spend a lot of time here at AirAdvice talking about how to save energy. That means a lot of research, too. One of the things we’ve discovered is that over time, some older wisdom about energy conservation just isn’t relevant anymore. Here are a few “energy myths” we think you need to know:
Myth #1: Cranking the temperature way down will cool your house faster, saving energy (or vice versa with heat). Thermostats just don’t work that way. Your air conditioner or furnace delivers air at the same rate, regardless of how many degrees it has to change the temperature. In fact, you’re more likely to waste energy by overshooting the comfortable temperature or forgetting to set the thermostat back to a comfortable level once it’s where you want it. Just set the thermostat to the temperature you actually want.

Myth #2: You can save energy by closing the registers in unused rooms. In reality, closing all the registers in the unused half of the house can potentially cost you more due to increased pressure in the duct system. Leaky ductwork will suddenly have air forced through it at a higher rate, increasing leakage and costing you money. In addition, this extra pressure can put stress on your furnace or air conditioner, leading to eventual system failure!

Myth #3: Electronics and appliances don’t use energy when they’re turned off. This doesn’t apply to most home electronics these days. Many devices, like cell phone chargers, TVs, ceiling fans, microwaves and others use what is called “standby power”. Standby power is what allows your TV to respond when you press the ON button of the remote control, or the clock on your microwave to keep time. How can we combat this? Unplug any power transformers, like cell phone chargers, when you’re not using them. Also, set up electronics on a surge protecting power strip so that you can turn off a whole row of devices by turning off the power strip. Surge protectors still protect against power spikes when they are switched off. Of course, keep practicality in mind. I never want to have to program the clock on my DVD player again and I’m sure you don’t, either.
Myth #4: It uses more energy to turn a computer off and on every day than to just leave it on all the time, and it wears the computer out faster, too. While this myth used to be true, it does not hold true for modern computers. They’re a lot tougher than older machines and the “wear and tear” concept from a decade ago is no longer true. There is a very, very tiny surge of electricity when you turn on your computer (or any other electronic device), but it lasts for a fraction of a second, doesn’t cost you a penny, and doesn’t harm the device in any way. That being said, you will always save more energy by turning off a device when you are not using it. And on a related note…
Myth #5: It takes more energy to cool a house where the A/C has been turned off all day than it does to cool one where the thermostat has been turned way up. This last one usually generates some heated arguments (no pun intended). The myth goes like this: Some people believe that letting your house get sweltering hot by turning off the A/C during the day is a waste of energy because of how hard the A/C has to work to make you comfortable once you get home and turn it on. They believe that the best course of action is to leave the A/C on, but turned way up to say, 80 or 85 degrees. This one even seems to make sense on the surface, but based on Myths 2 and 4 I think you can see why this is not actually true. Running your air conditioner all day uses energy, period. Even if it is not often calling for cooling, the unit is operating and drawing power. Remember, you will always save more energy by turning off a device when you are not using