$310 electric bill

[amylevan]

no...no AC from 3-6 pm weekdays.
It gets up to 82, so not so bad

Wow, my husband would divorce me if I told him we had to let the house get to 80. Ours is set to 68 in the summer, 66 in the winter.

We also have geothermal, and have been told it’s most cost effective for our system to maintain a temperature rather than letting it go up or down day and night.

Our most recent bill just came, usage is down 2% compared to the same time period last year, cost down 33% compared to the same time. We have electric choice in PA so locking in rates with different generators can affect the costs.

 

[kdonnel]

What about winter time?

We keep it on 60.

The residual heat after it turns off will push it up to 63 and it just feels so hot.

 

[RamblingMad]

If I put my AC down to 68 degrees, my electric bill would be nuts.

 

[shh]

It works that same way in GA. We only get about 7-10 years from the AC that serves the second floor.

But it is a priority.

I get the desire - 66 would be heaven to me - I would hear angels singing. But if I set my thermostat at 66, my AC would break, just from laughing too hard. Between 2pm and 7pm or so, it physically can't cool lower than 78 unless it literally runs for many hours without stopping once. And the unit isn't that old. Neither was the one before it.

I'm trying to baby this one at least through Oct without burning it out prematurely. Attempting to get a new AC unit permitted and installed in the middle of summer and hurricane season, with all the supply issues going on right now. Now THAT gives me chills. lol.

 

[kdonnel]

I get the desire - 66 would be heaven to me - I would hear angels singing. But if I set my thermostat at 66, my AC would break, just from laughing too hard. Between 2pm and 7pm or so, it physically can't cool lower than 78 unless it literally runs for many hours without stopping once. And the unit isn't that old. Neither was the one before it.

I'm trying to baby this one at least through Oct without burning it out prematurely. Attempting to get a new AC unit permitted and installed in the middle of summer and hurricane season, with all the supply issues going on right now. Now THAT gives me chills. lol.

According to the thermostat the upstairs AC runs 12-14 hours a day. When the temps were 100 degrees a few weeks ago it ran 20-22 hours a day.

As for supply issues, it only took an extra day to get an AC installed at the beginning of the summer.

 

[HeatherC]

I just checked National Grid and apparently our peak hours are 8am to 9pm. Doesn’t matter if we run the ac in the morning or evening apparently.

 

[shh]

According to the thermostat the upstairs AC runs 12-14 hours a day. When the temps were 100 degrees a few weeks ago it ran 20-22 hours a day.

As for supply issues, it only took an extra day to get an AC installed at the beginning of the summer.

Not in my area. Labor and supply shortages are creating havoc with HVAC (ha...see what I did there?) If my AC breaks, I'm up the creek with no paddle.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Is anyone else like us where we have our HVAC system set to circulate?

We have ours on auto and circulate so the system does runs all throughout the day but when the temps are at what the programmable thermostat is set at when it kicks on it's just pushing the air throughout the house.

With our energy star rated house and our nearly as energy efficient system as we can get that was what we were advised to do.

 

[georgina]

Our AC is set to 79 and it is plenty cool. We have 2 zones in our townhouse, we don't cool the bedrooms during the day and we don't cool the living areas at night. My last electric bill was $75. Our hot water and dryer are gas. I looked at last summer, our highest electric was $110 in August.

 

[nicolita3]

If I put my AC down to 68 degrees, my electric bill would be nuts.

I agree, in AZ this could end up being like $1k+

 

[jujubiee4]

No way in heck I could put our thermostat as low as some people here because of a high bill.
3200sf 2 story home.

We can get away with turning it on by 3-4 pm. That is because I'm an early riser and have the windows
open and fans going by 4am. Then close them at 8am. Also invested in thermal curtains which help.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We have ours on auto and circulate so the system does runs all throughout the day but when the temps are at what the programmable thermostat is set at when it kicks on it's just pushing the air throughout the house

Yes, we also have the system fan to ON all year long, either circulating cooled or heated air, as the case may be. As for the AC, if the system reaches the thermostat selected temperature, let's say 76, and the indoor selected humidity, 46, is above that, the system will drop into a dehumidify mode where the AC runs at its super lowest speed with the idea not to cool a lot, but rather pull the moisture from the air. It will do that, assuming it does not really need to cool, until it reaches 2 degrees, 74 in this case, below the selected temperature, 76 here. Idea is to keep the air moving, pulling the humidity out of the air.

 

[aprilgail]

no...no AC from 3-6 pm weekdays.
It gets up to 82, so not so bad

82!?!?! Nope- no way am I going to be uncomfortable in my own home- at night I have mine set to 62 to sleep. In the winter I sleep with the windows open in my room to keep it cool in there.

 

[RamblingMad]

82!?!?! Nope- no way am I going to be uncomfortable in my own home- at night I have mine set to 62 to sleep. In the winter I sleep with the windows open in my room to keep it cool in there.

With climate change, you might have one huge bill in the future to keep it at 62.

 

[RamblingMad]

I agree, in AZ this could end up being like $1k+

When I first moved here in 2002, I set it to 72 and increased it by 2 degrees every month until I got to 80. I have my current home at 77, but I can easily go back to 80. With the monsoons I like to cut the humidity a bit. And I have really big ceiling fans now.

 

[kdonnel]

With climate change, you might have one huge bill in the future to keep it at 62.

As I said, I would rather starve my kids than be warm in my home.

One of my neighbors keeps his house at 78. I sweat just sitting in his home. I can't imagine how uncomfortable sleeping is in his house.

Comfort is worth the price.

 

[nicolita3]

When I first moved here in 2002, I set it to 72 and increased it by 2 degrees every month until I got to 80. I have my current home at 77, but I can easily go back to 80. With the monsoons I like to cut the humidity a bit. And I have really big ceiling fans now.

I keep mine set at 78 during the summer. It keeps my electric cost down. Like a previous poster said when you come from outside and it's 114+ degrees it feels good. I don't use the heater at all in the winter though.

 

[DLgal]

As I said, I would rather starve my kids than be warm in my home.

One of my neighbors keeps his house at 78. I sweat just sitting in his home. I can't imagine how uncomfortable sleeping is in his house.

Comfort is worth the price.

My parents, like many elderly people, are always cold. They live near Orlando. They keep their thermostat set to 75, day and night, summer and winter. And they don't understand why I don't stay with them when I visit. I tried it once and could NOT fall asleep. I had to open a window IN DECEMBER, at night to get the room to a temperature that was tolerable.

 

[hopemax]

If I put my AC down to 68 degrees, my electric bill would be nuts.

When we lived in AZ, if we were to set it this low, it would probably freeze and break.

Reading posts, I'm not sure if people get that recommended thermostat settings depend on where you live, and your normal climate. Here in CO, we try to maintain a temp of 70-72. No A/C, just evaporative cooling. While my Dad's house in FL, he complains if I set it lower than his preferred setting of 78. 70 in his house is COLD! 70 is comfortable in mine. When we lived in AZ, 80 was fine, and you'd find me on the couch covered with a light blanket because I was still a little cold.

EDIT: I asked DH what our last bill was. $71, for the one he paid this weekend. Will be curious to see what the next one is. We have a classic 70's era 3/2 ranch w/basement 1800 square feet.

 

[Dan Murphy]

When we lived in AZ, if we were to set it this low, it would probably freeze and break.

Reading posts, I'm not sure if people get that recommended thermostat settings depend on where you live, and your normal climate. Here in CO, we try to maintain a temp of 70-72. No A/C, just evaporative cooling. While my Dad's house in FL, he complains if I set it lower than his preferred setting of 78. 70 in his house is COLD! 70 is comfortable in mine. When we lived in AZ, 80 was fine, and you'd find me on the couch covered with a light blanket because I was still a little cold.

EDIT: I asked DH what our last bill was. $71, for the one he paid this weekend. Will be curious to see what the next one is. We have a classic 70's era 3/2 ranch w/basement 1800 square feet.

So true. The accepted HVAC AC standard is 20 degrees, max 25 degrees, cooler than the outside temperature, assuming that the indoor humidity is well controlled.