Dear Abby: Do you have any research regarding which is more economical in running the air conditioner? My husband and I are having a dispute over whether it’s cheaper to run the air conditioner 24 hours a day, turning the thermostat up when we’re not home so it won’t come on as much, or turning it on for nine hours a day, then turning it off for 15 hours out of each day.
I say, “The air conditioner has to work much harder to cool the house every day after the hot air has been allowed to filter back in and heats up the furniture, carpets, drapes, etc.”
I called our power company, but they were not much help.
Does the power company in your area have any information?
Miss Concerned in California
Dear Miss Concerned: The only way to resolve your dispute is to have your home checked out by someone who knows the heating and air-conditioning business.
Much will depend on (a) the amount of heat that is transferred to or from the outside, (b) the outside temperature, (c) whether the attic and outside walls are insulated, and (d) whether the attic has a powered fan to remove hot air, etc.
According to my air-conditioning expert, the very best way to operate air-conditioning equipment is to set it at the desired temperature and leave it there.
This is the most convenient method – but also the most expensive.
The next best method is to turn on the cooling (or heating) about an hour before arriving home. (This can be done with a clock-timer.) In some cases, the differences in cost will be minimal.
Dear Abby: When my husband of 54 years passed away recently, Madlyn, my high school friend in Arizona (who is also a recent widow), sent me this comforting poem, which I would like to share with you and, perhaps, your readers. We do not know who wrote it.
Mrs. Charles E. Walp, Quakertown, Pa.
Dear Mrs. Walp: Please accept my sympathy on the loss of your beloved husband – and thank you for sharing this touching poem:
One or the other must leave,
One or the other must stay.
One or the other must grieve,
That is forever the way.
That is the vow that was sworn,
Faithful till death do us part.
Braving what had to be borne,
Hiding the ache in the heart.
One, howsoever adored,
First must be summoned away.
That is the will of the Lord
One or the other must stay.
———-
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