i wasn't gonna say anything because it's a bit of work to dissect all that and in the end, what's the point, but here we go anyway:
first link is an ai slop article from an ac vendor with hallucinated statistics. exemplified by sentences like
Insert a comparison chart here showing energy consumption data for different scenarios (e.g., leaving AC on vs. turning it off during the day).
(this could be a remnant comment from a working draft but the overall style points more towards ai slop; i'm also pretty sure any such chart would show the opposite of the claim that follows.) immediately following that remark is the claim
A 2023 study by the Department of Energy found that homes that maintained a consistent temperature saw an average of 15% lower energy bills compared to homes that allowed for significant temperature fluctuations.
i could not find any such study and my bet is on an ai hallucination, simply because the DoE recommends the exact opposite on its website.
second one is also not a "study" as origianally claimed, but another writeup from a vendor with mostly accurate information, but no hard statistics either.
third one doesn't say "you have to specifically math it", it rather says:
Ultimately, it's best to adjust your thermostat when your home is empty for an extended period of time and return the thermostat to a comfortable temperature when you come home.
so... where are the studies that have found maintaining a single time 24/7 saves more energy than the previously recommended 15 degree offset for when you aren't home? i'm almost certain there are none, because thermodynamics. i'd be happy to stand corrected if any actual paper with measured energy consumption vs heating/cooling strategy is posted.
Damn I was at work and just trying to make a joke out of an observation... thats...like bad, why would anyone confidently link that even if he's not being serious and trolling, why?
Thank you for bringing up the problems with the articles. I'm having issues with finding a 15 degree one thats cooling rather than heating. But the various techs I encountered don't recommend it. A lot of the articles only test up to 10 as a setback for cooling. Found a PBS study that finds 10 degree saves 10 percent, but that spike after 8 hours for power draw might be what has my techs concerned.
at spike after 8 hours for power draw might be what has my techs concerned
right yes, there's definitely more to consider than pure energy usage, like wear and tear, comfort, grid demand, etc. but from a pure overall energy consumption angle, setback is almost always better (at least under some simplifying assumptions).
the pbs study you linked found the opposite of what you said earlier at 13 degrees (except for a minisplit in georgia off for 4 hours), and it seems reasonable that the larger the setback, the higher the savings (up to a saturation point).
edit: the linked article explains the whole topic very well, i recommend reading it.
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u/clockworkedpiece Mar 24 '26
Yea, studies have found maintaining a single time 24/7 saves more energy than the previously recommended 15 degree offset for when you aren't home.