Why You Might Want to Leave the A/C On During Vacation
Most people elect to turn off their air conditioner when they leave for long summer vacations. Besides being green, it can also help you save significantly on that month’s power bill. But we’ve got one friend who lives in Phoenix, Arizona and insists he’ll never leave the A/C off on his trips back to the east coast. Why not? It’s because of his computer.
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If you read our 9 Tips For Using Your Laptop ion Warm Weather, you know that the laptop temperature safe range is anything from 50° to 95° Fahrenheit (10° to 35° Celsius). That’s coincidentally also the same temperatures that your body feels comfortable working in, so it’s usually not a problem to keep your tech in that safe range.
But when you leave for vacation, you’re abandoning your gear, leaving it to stew in an un-air-conditioned room. And if you live in a really warm spot like our buddy in Phoenix, you could be subjecting your left-at-home tech to temperatures outside of that safe range.
When exposed to that much heat during your week-long vacation, your computer could suffer. A few super-warm exposures will make your laptop’s battery life weaker in the long run. And all those delicate computer components that keep everything running won’t fare any better—your hard drive could expand, causing permanent damage.
Instead, try to leave your air conditioner set at a temperature that’s within the safe range, but still high enough to help you save some cash on utilities. A thermostat set for 90° will give you a little safety net in case your home gets really hot while you’re gone.
(Images: NewLaptopReview.net, flickr member jervetson licensed for use under Creative Commons)