Air conditioner use accounts for as much as 40 percent of a typical household’s summer energy consumption. You can manage your cooling costs by precooling your home during hours when the price of electricity is low, then using less air conditioning during higher priced hours.  Many Power Smart Pricing participants have shared stories of their success with precooling, saying it’s an easy way to manage air conditioning costs while keeping their homes comfortable.

To precool your home, simply run the air conditioner in the evening, overnight and during the morning hours when electricity is cheaper. Then increase your thermostat temperature setting or turn off your air conditioner during the afternoon. The goal is for your air conditioner to idle during the highest priced times, especially between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The graph below illustrates this precooling strategy and the table lists recommended thermostat temperature settings for each precooling phase.

Precooling is easy, although you may have to experiment to find what works best for your house and your comfort level. Of course, the effectiveness of precooling will depend on the outside temperature, humidity levels, and the insulation in your home. You can make precooling more effective by shading south facing windows during the day to minimize heat from the sun. And if you have a programmable thermostat you can set it to help you precool automatically.