This is a short podcast episode (Derek Cole Podcast #416, "Longer or Shorter Run Times") featuring a host-led Q&A about residential HVAC efficiency. Core advice: when an AC is properly sized it is generally more efficient to run longer cycles rather than short, frequent bursts (oversized units short-cycle; undersized run constantly). For interior doors, leave doors open when possible to ensure conditioned air returns to the unit; if doors must be closed, ensure an undercut or crack so the system maintains airflow. The episode also includes routine host CTAs to share, tag on Instagram, and rate/review.
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Foreign. I'm Derek Cole, host of the Derek Cole Podcast, and we believe in taking the time to explain how things work for your air at home or your business. Let's get into today's episode. Please listen closely and maybe even take some notes so you can remember these insights of home comfort and energy savings. And share this episode with three of your friends because we all need to.
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Be sure to tag me or DM me on Instagram Derek Mcole so I can say hi. Thanks again for listening. And let's begin.
Is it more energy efficient for the air conditioner to come on for short bursts of cooling or to come on and stay on for long periods?
Yeah, great question. So you got to think about it kind of like miles per gallon. So think of your air conditioner as your car. Is it more efficient when you drive for you to be in traffic, stop and go, or is it more efficient for you to be on the interstate and you're gone? Which one's better? The interstate, right? So if the system is sized properly and is designed properly, it will run for longer periods than if it was too big of a unit, it would turn off quickly. If it was too small of a unit, it would run all the time. I had a customer coming here a couple years ago and she said, My AC won't stop running. It's like 95 degrees outside. I said, well, what's your set point inside? She said, like 75. Like, what's the temperature? 75. I say, well, that's good, right? She said, no, it won't stop running. I said, well, it didn't want to get behind any temperature. So kind of when you think about it. So when you drove up here from your house, how many times did you turn the air off in your car? She said, I didn't. I said, why not? She said, because it would have got hot. I said, exactly same way in your home. So on those really hot days, it's.
Going to run and run and run.
Because it doesn't want to get behind. So if you got it set on 75 and it gets to 75.2, it's going to turn on. Now they don't show you the point and the dots between the numbers because I kind of freak you out because It'd be like 75.6. You're like looking all the time like 75.6. Oh, my goodness, it's getting hot. So they, they only go with the round number 75, 76. So the system should Be sized properly. And if it's working properly, it is going to run. You want longer run times because it would be more efficient to run longer. So hope that makes sense. I think that answered the question. The answer pretty good?
Yes, very good.
Awesome.
Should I leave interior doors open or closed during heating and cooling?
You go into some houses and the door shut and you open the door and it's like 65 degrees in that room. You're like, oh, feels good. So it depends on the house. Now, the ideal situation would be to have all the doors open all the time. Some houses, when you shut the door, it is right to the carpet, so it is trapping the air in there and it's not coming back to the unit, which is a problem. Some houses or mobile homes really have an undercut door where they got, you know, two or three inches there where you can shut the door and the air is just going to keep flowing out of that room. So that's good too. Now, again, the ideal situation, keep them all open because whatever goes out needs to come back. So you don't want to restrict that airflow coming back in any kind of way possible. So if the air is blown out, you want it to get back to the return. Again, air is like water. Whatever is easier is the way it's going to go. So if it's hard for it to come back to the unit because your door shut, it's going to pull air from the crawl space from the attic, it's going to get the air back to the unit. So you want to make it conditioned, filtered, clean air coming back to it versus the air from outside which you can't control. So keep the doors open when possible and watch for the door undercut. Because some folks, I've been to the house and the door and the carpet is so thick, when you shut the door, you kind of pull it and it's really tight. That air is not coming back very easily. And then some houses, you shut the door and they got like four inches in there and you're like, oh, my goodness, that's plenty of room. So. So leave the. Leave it open when possible. If you need to shut it, just be conscious of what needs to happen. In my personal house, I have to leave my door cracked a little bit because my carpet kind of comes right up to it. So if I want to shut my door, I kind of shut it with a gap in it. That way the air gets bad to it because the unit really freaks out when it has no airflow.
Okay, I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Derek Cole Podcast. Tell some people about this episode. It's on each of us really to spread spread the better ways to be healthier and more comfortable in our homes and workspaces. I'm asking you to be the dealer of positive and life changing messages in your circle of influence. Take a screenshot right now and share the screenshot and the link to this episode with three of your friends today. Share on social Media Use the hashtag Healthy Home. That's hashtag Healthy Home. We are always giving away shout outs prizes to our community. If you would like to help me personally then please rate and review on Apple Podcasts. Give us some stars. Leave a review because that stuff actually.
Does help and I read all the comments.
So my last thought for today please remember you deserve better air at home and greater comfort at home. Don't settle for being uncomfortable for your heating air every single month. We are so thankful for having you here in our community and be sure to go deeper with us at simmons1hour.com.
