What is HVAC "cycling"?

During normal operation your HVAC unit(s) turns on and off based on your thermostat setting. During a conservation period the Summer Saver device overrides your thermostat and controls the amount of time your HVAC unit's condenser is allowed to operate. The Summer Saver device will turn your HVAC "on and off" (i.e. "cycle") each hour to reduce the overall amount of run-time. With 50% cycling, your HVAC unit's compressor will run half the time that it ran in the hour before the conservation period. When the conservation period is over your HVAC unit will return to normal operation under the control of your thermostat setting. Whenever there is a power emergency or critical peak demand, your Summer Saver device will be activated for a conservation period of two to four hours. While your central air conditioner is in a conservation mode the run-time of the condenser (the cooling portion) will be reduced to save energy. However, your fan, which requires little energy to operate, ...  more