A/C and electricity usage

[Phoenix]

I keep my A/C at 75 when home, with ceiling fans on, 79 during the day when I'm at work.

But oddly enough, I commented to someone just yesterday about how could people have survived driving cars in summer Texas heat before car A/C's were invented?

 

[casmith07]

The best thing to do is to make sure that you start running your A/C early in the season before it gets so hot that your A/C unit has to work overtime to bring the temps down.

That, or just be lucky enough to be enrolled in your power company's flat-rate electricity bill :

 

[67CowboysFan]

The best thing to do is to make sure that you start running your A/C early in the season before it gets so hot that your A/C unit has to work overtime to bring the temps down.

That, or just be lucky enough to be enrolled in your power company's flat-rate electricity bill :

Or make a few solar panels, get some deep cycle batteries, a power inverter and run the window unit on solar power.

 

[Duane]

Gotta give credit to all those before us who lived through the heat without the benefit of A/C.

That TX heat had to have been brutal. I can't even fathom how people made it through all that heat without even electricity many years ago.

My dad refused to pay for A/C so we didn't get it in our house until I was late in high school, 25 years or so ago. It sucked but we had a ton of box fans in the windows that made it bearable.

 

[Duane]

I don't understand the problem. My last bill was 92.00 and I have close to 2500 sq.ft. At 6 0'clock yesterday it hit 108 setting a new record for the Abilene area. Now I don't doubt that my next one will be higher.
I got on this thread late because of a house full of company,or I could have told of a few things we did to improve efficiency of present cooling.
But you have gotten the problem taken care of so enjoy the holidays and thank a vet.

Please share your secrets. My home is 2,700 sqft and I pay three times that in the middle of the summer to run the A/C and pool.

 

[trickblue]

The heat is on in Texas! We are already hitting triple digits.

I work for a company out of my home and spend most of my days during the week in my office. I usually keep my whole house very comfortably cool with the central A/C unit and have the electric bills to show for it. I was thinking about getting a small window unit for my office to keep just my work area cool and comfy while I work and raising the thermostat on my central A/C during the day.

My office has 2 computers and 2 printers and a TV. It is always about 10 degrees warmer in here than the rest of the house. I am usually the only one home. Do the small window units pull much power? Would getting one for my office during the day save me money on electricity?

I work in the electric utility industry...

If you can afford it, put a mini-split in the room. They are incredibly efficient and quiet. Window units are very power hungry...

If I were building a new home from scratch, I would put a mini-split in every room...

 

[rash]

i've lived in cali all my life and am now moving to houson this summer

I don't know how I will cope with the weather! Especially if I want to go out for runs during the day

 

[BlueStar3398]

I work in the electric utility industry...

If you can afford it, put a mini-split in the room. They are incredibly efficient and quiet. Window units are very power hungry...

If I were building a new home from scratch, I would put a mini-split in every room...

What is a mini-split? I will check into it.

 

[BlueStar3398]

Or make a few solar panels, get some deep cycle batteries, a power inverter and run the window unit on solar power.

I like that idea!

 

[Kilyin]

What is a mini-split? I will check into it.

http://www.justminisplits.com/home/

 

[WoodysGirl]

I work at home also...

My biggest issue is that my house is facing north/south so I never got direct sun light. I always had to have lights on when sitting in the living room.

I added insulation a few years ago as well as two sun tunnels (sky lights) and my bill has gone down significantly relative to what I used to pay.

I keep the a/c at 75 w/the ceiling fans on medium-high. The rest of the house is quite cooler than the living room, because of the sun tunnels. But the amount of natural light I get is worth the additional slight heat.

I got on average billing so I pay about $130/mo. It may go up during the summer months a bit, but it's alot more manageable.