Does turn up the A.C. mean make the room cooler or raise the thermostat and make it warmer? Kirsten from Tucson, Arizona, asks about the tricky little word up, because with heat, the machine’s effort and the temperature both rise, while with air conditioning they can point in opposite directions. Whatever you say, you may need to clarify, since English often leaves the temperature, fan speed, and setting level indicators in contradiction. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Does “Turn up the Air Conditioning” Mean Make It Cooler or Make It Warmer?”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello, this is Kirsten from Tucson, Arizona.
Hi, Kirsten.
Hey.
Hi.
What’s up?
I have a question about what a good way to say how to cool a room down when the air conditioner is already on.
So when the heater is on, you say you turn the heat up and that makes the room warmer.
But in the summertime, if you want to make the room cooler, if you turn the air conditioner up, does that make the room cooler or are you making the room warmer?
Oh, turn up the air conditioner.
And are you actually turning anything at all?
Are you just pushing buttons?
Well, yes, nowadays, right.
And even better, why do we call it air conditioning when you’re cooling it?
Aren’t you also conditioning it if you’re heating it or dehumidifying it?
I suppose.
I think you are dehumidifying it at the same time when you do use the air conditioner.
Sorry, I was just trying to make it more complicated.
I have a bunch of friends that I asked this question of, and all the engineers said, well, you turn the air conditioner up.
And everyone else wasn’t quite so sure that that was the right answer.
So the engineer’s answer is turn the air conditioner up.
And so in terms of heat, too, you would say turn the heat up and turn the heat down.
Yes, but that would apply both to the thermostat and, you know, the mechanics of the heater.
It’s working harder and the temperature is going up.
Right. Actually, there are two different things being adjusted. One is the intensity of the machines operating, and the other one is the temperature.
Exactly. And in one case, they’re both going up. In the other case, they’re going in different directions.
Right. And that’s the confusion.
Yeah. Yeah. So you know what I think I would say is throw the air conditioner out of it completely and just say the air conditioning.
If you turn the air conditioning, then air conditioning is sort of, it’s analogous to heat, which is easier.
You turn the heat up, you turn the heat down.
If you turn the air conditioning up, it’s going to be colder.
If you turn the air conditioning down, then it’s hotter.
That’s my solution.
Or just open the window.
But of course you’re in Arizona.
Not with the heat they’ve been having.
No ma’am.
But I would say just leave it at 74 and don’t touch it anyway.
You started taking off your clothes.
But it’s a great question.
And you also, Kirsten, it’s clear that you thought about this because you also had the other part of what I would answer, which is, English is not a perfect language.
We do have to clarify all the time.
And it is very ordinary that we say something and then right after it, we explain what we just said.
And so, yeah, it’s true.
Everybody who speaks English has to do this when they talk about the heat and the cooling and so forth.
So we say, turn it up.
Oh, I mean, not the temperature, the air conditioning.
So, Kirsten, what are you going to do?
Well, I will try air conditioning, and if people understand what I’m saying, because I’m not sure they’ll make that connection.
You know, they might just kind of stick with what they’re used to, but I’ll give it a try and see if it works.
Okay. Kirsten, thanks for calling.
Let us know how it goes.
All right, take care. Keep cool.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
English is weird. Let us help you sort it out.
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