The ideal way to run your air conditioner efficiently in North Carolina is to adjust the thermostat setting during the day to a reasonable temperature - like 82 or 85. That way, when you return to your apartment in the evening, and reset the thermostat to something more comfortable like 76 or 78, your HVAC equipment is not working as hard as if you had simply turned it off and let it approach 88 or 90 degrees.

Remember also that an HVAC system is responsible for recycling moisture out of the home - so leaving it on a setting that allows the system to cycle on at least once during the day is not only a great energy saving measure - it's an intelligent Indoor Air Quality measure as well.

Updated July 13, 2010