In the hot part of summer during the daytime, you absolutely must unless you live underground or in a wind tunnel. Then there's also another lesser-known effect of climate change: the average nighttime lows get higher faster than the daytime highs. I have no doubt this phenomena will also catch the Texas grid with its pants down in the future as well, as "unexpected" demand during off hours grows.
That's crazy to think of. Here in South Africa it gets hot during the summer but you would be fine without an air conditioner. It would just be uncomfortable. I use mine maybe 10 days a year.
the thermostat will dictate if that's necessary. Modern homes tend to have really good insulation. Older homes though can be horrible at efficiency but most people will get after market spray foams in their walls because it's pretty cheap compared to year after year AC bills of $400
It’s very common throughout hot & humid climates in the US to leave the central air conditioner maintaining set temperatures all day.
How often it’s actually blowing cool dry air out of all the vents depends on the unit/weather/setting/insulation etc.
With the thermostat set at 78. The air cycles on at about 2 in the afternoon. At about 6 it stops. The out side temperature has been dropping from the 90s to the 70’s overnight