Most of us who have AC in our homes are fed up with the electricity bills, but have you ever wondered whether it saves more money by keeping the AC running continuously or by turning it off occasionally?

If we look at it from a purely money-saving perspective, it is usually more beneficial to turn off the AC from time to time, but it also depends on “how” and “when” it is turned off.

In fact, by continuously running the AC, the compressor runs repeatedly to maintain the temperature and this process consumes more electricity.

Although the initial few minutes after each turn on consumes more electricity, keeping it on continuously is more expensive overall, especially for longer hours.

Also, if the room has cooled down sufficiently, turning off the AC stops the electricity meter from spinning rapidly. Frequent on/off should also be avoided as the AC draws more current at each start.

Use the thermostat or timer mode in the AC or set the temperature to 25–26 so that the compressor automatically takes a break. Similarly, if you are in the room for a few hours, keep the temperature moderate (24–26 °C) and run the AC on Eco or Energy Saver mode.

Also, if you are leaving the room for one to two hours, turn off the AC. If you are out of the house for the whole day, turn on the AC 15–20 minutes before returning. This function is available in ACs that have smart plugs or timers.

The working formula is that it is cheaper to keep the AC on for short intervals (30–60 minutes) and it is also more beneficial to turn it off for longer intervals (2 hours).