# making the room cooler do you.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980 "2014-07-13T05:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/1 "2014-07-13T05:28:46Z")
1. Turn up the air conditioner? 2. Turn down the air conditioner? ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/2 "2014-07-13T05:40:49Z")
I can’t vote because I don’t know the answer to this myself, and I’ve often wondered about it. I end up saying "Turn up the air cond… er, turn **down** the air… oh, just make it colder! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/3 "2014-07-13T06:15:38Z")
You turn up the air conditioner because you’re setting it to work at a higher rate - which results in the temperature in the room going down. The work being done by the AC and the temperature are going in opposite directions even if the former causes the latter. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/4 "2014-07-13T06:42:21Z")
Other: “Turn on the AC. No, more, more!” ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/5 "2014-07-13T06:47:24Z")
you turn UP the air conditioner which you do by turning DOWN the thermostat ( the little thermostat arm goes to the left) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/6 "2014-07-13T06:59:16Z")
If we’re talking about the A/C in my car on a hot day, I turn it UP when I’m driving on the parkway, but I turn it DOWN when I park it in the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/7 "2014-07-13T07:56:30Z")
This is a trick question, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/8 "2014-07-13T08:07:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You turn up the air conditioner because you’re setting it to work at a higher rate - which results in the temperature in the room going down. The work being done by the AC and the temperature are going in opposite directions even if the former causes the latter. This is correct. Temperature is inversely proportional to the energy consumed by the appliance. “Turn up” means to apply more energy. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/9 "2014-07-13T09:49:24Z")
I don’t have an air conditioner in my house, but in the car I would say I was turning it up. It wouldn’t have occurred to me that it could be said the other way. I guess if you have central air you could just say you were turning down the temperature, but people who aren’t rich don’t have that here, and I don’t know rich people. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/10 "2014-07-13T10:25:30Z")
I sometimes to say “turn up the AC,” but I always recognize the potential for misunderstanding, and so I usually use a different phrase altogether, such as “Honey, I’m going to make the room cooler.” Even “crank up the AC” is relatively unambiguous compared to “turn up.” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/11 "2014-07-13T11:01:15Z")
How about “Set the thermostat to 67°” - up and down can be such nebulous terms… And, FYI, we keep ours set at 75° and we use lots of fans. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/12 "2014-07-13T11:02:55Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > I can’t vote because I don’t know the answer to this myself, and I’ve often wondered about it. I end up saying "Turn up the air cond… er, turn **down** the air… oh, just make it colder! Every conversation about this in my house sounds like that. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/13 "2014-07-13T21:13:15Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > How about “Set the thermostat to 67°” - up and down can be such nebulous terms… > And, FYI, we keep ours set at 75° and we use lots of fans. What temp would turn off the fans? I want 67 68 & I use fans because I have to have air movement. Wife wants 72 75 and no air movement. A single point: Before buying a central all outside heat pump, 3 different places said that to get a middle to well insulated house with GOOD windows, which we had done before, double hung, dual pane gas filled, vinyl framed windows, that, "Set the temp and leave it all the time unless gone for a week or more. ( Once walls, furniture, etc., got to that temp, it was more economical to keep it there than run it up & down 5 degrees each day. Cooler than temp set, heat pump off, windows open until temp again matches, same in winter, warm day, open windows, etc.. I asked about a new house in an open field, (we have an 1960 well built rock house with lots of tree shade & a white metal roof, total electric due to location,) and he said if properly insulated, same rules. Smaller spaces & all interior walls or mostly, apartment, then it can change. Window units for just one room, trial & error for each application. Applies to weather locations similar to the north half of Arkansas. Average temps and different building types with very different temp averages = different total efficiency plans. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/14 "2014-07-13T21:24:47Z")
Neither. I _increase_ the air condition_ing_. Didn’t vote because you omitted a third option. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/15 "2014-07-13T21:27:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You turn up the air conditioner because you’re setting it to work at a higher rate - which results in the temperature in the room going down. The work being done by the AC and the temperature are going in opposite directions even if the former causes the latter. I asked my husband this question and he said almost verbatim what Little Nemo said. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/16 "2014-07-13T21:40:38Z")
I think I use both, to be honest. Like “I’m going to go crank the AC” meaning I’m going to make the house colder. Or, “I’m going to set the AC lower”, implying lower temperature and thus making the house colder. I don’t ever use the exact phrasings listed in the poll though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/17 "2014-07-13T21:41:16Z")
Oddly enough, in the home I say “turn down the AC” because that’s the way the knob goes (or the button you’re pressing in these modern times) but in the car I say “turn up the AC” because that’s the way the dial is moving. Never really thought about it, though. I live in one of the parts of America where you spend less time thinking about the semantics of the term and more time going “OH LAWDY SOMEBODY COOL DOWN THIS HOUSE.” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/18 "2014-07-13T21:46:02Z")
Turn up the fan, turn down the heat. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/19 "2014-07-13T21:56:22Z")
I say turn up (or the less ambiguous “crank up”) even though I know it’s not necessarily correct. My go-to IRL terminology for this is “set the AC to Arctic.” ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980/20 "2014-07-13T22:03:28Z")
Turn the temperature down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-the-room-cooler-do-you/692980.md?page=2)