What does your electric bill look like? (Austin, Howe: apartments, houses)

[Mrs.JT]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Since you have a new build, there should be a sheet of paper somewhere around your attic or garage that lists the R value of all your insulation(s), and the type used. You may also want to have your AC units checked by a professional, as there could be issues with the system as well.

Who was your builder?

My husband probably has all that info. I'm sitting here at work talking about things I have no clue about, when the husband probably does. But I'll look into that.

Meritage

[Mrs.JT]

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

I agree! I fixed my units in the attic myself after an A/C repair person said the installer who did our home put the unit in fine, but since it was a bid job for Newmark, they didn't add any of the "nice to haves" which apparently included actually taping up the air box. It was leaking so much cold air, he said our attic was probably 5 degrees cooler (he sure didn't mind) than it should be. Our bills went down immediately.

Also ceiling fans, set to the correct downward flow rotation, really really help. We got what we paid for 5 extra ceiling fans back in probably one or two summers.

Yes, upon discussing this with my husband earlier, he said that's why he insists upon keeping the ceiling fans going. (I'm so counterproductive...I'll go after him and turn them off if no one is in the room. LOL How ignorant) He said that will actually keep the air circulating, and the A/C units won't have to work as hard. I'm going to keep my paws off the ceiling fan switches. And we did the same. We currently have 5 ceiling fans in the house. We'll probably add one more to my daughters room once she gets to the age where she actually spends time in her room.

After everyone's suggestion, we'll probably have the units checked out.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Mrs.JT

Yes, upon discussing this with my husband earlier, he said that's why he insists upon keeping the ceiling fans going. (I'm so counterproductive...I'll go after him and turn them off if no one is in the room. LOL How ignorant) He said that will actually keep the air circulating, and the A/C units won't have to work as hard. I'm going to keep my paws off the ceiling fan switches.

Don't be in too big a hurry to beat yourself up. Yes, it's sometimes good to keep the air circulating; however, if no one is in the room for a long period, there's no point in dragging the warm air down from the ceiling. That's one big reason Southern homes had/have high ceilings...the cooler/heavier air will displace the warm air and 'pool' toward the floor(people), allowing the warm air to 'rise' to the ceiling height.(Don't say "heat rises" to a physics person...makes them nuts).

Now, back to that empty room...it takes electricity to power the fan, so that air movement isn't free AND there's no one in the room to 'enjoy' the breeze, so leaving the fans on might not be such a good idea. Of course, turning on the fan upon arrival means the warm air at the ceiling will be stirred back into the room, so the A/C will end up cooling that warm air(that it would have to cool anyway IF you left the fans on). Also, your A/C registers 'should' be at the ceiling or darned near it, so the cool air will mix up the ambient air in the room any time the A/C is on. IMO, the biggest benefit of a fan is the breeze that touches bare skin...anything else is just mixed up air.

Especially if you have a two-story great room(I'm embarrassed to say we do...wasted space), there's no reason to mix the considerably warmer air that sits 16-20 feet above your couch with the relatively cooler air that's down at 'ground' level. If the circulating air isn't hitting bare skin, it has practically nothing to do with the comfort of the person in the room...it's just mixing the air and making the ceiling critters feel better since they enjoy the A/C as much as 'we' do.

Naturally, things are different in cold weather. It's certainly beneficial to circulate the warm air that has 'pooled' at the ceiling down to 'people level' to moderate the temperature. Remember, the cooler temps will be at ground level unless disturbed, so mixing the air in the winter makes good sense, mixing the air in the summer...not so much(unless you have someone on a trapeze or an open loft area with people in it).

[Mrs.JT]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Don't be in too big a hurry to beat yourself up. Yes, it's sometimes good to keep the air circulating; however, if no one is in the room for a long period, there's no point in dragging the warm air down from the ceiling. That's one big reason Southern homes had/have high ceilings...the cooler/heavier air will displace the warm air and 'pool' toward the floor(people), allowing the warm air to 'rise' to the ceiling height.(Don't say "heat rises" to a physics person...makes them nuts).

Now, back to that empty room...it takes electricity to power the fan, so that air movement isn't free AND there's no one in the room to 'enjoy' the breeze, so leaving the fans on might not be such a good idea. Of course, turning on the fan upon arrival means the warm air at the ceiling will be stirred back into the room, so the A/C will end up cooling that warm air(that it would have to cool anyway IF you left the fans on). Also, your A/C registers 'should' be at the ceiling or darned near it, so the cool air will mix up the ambient air in the room any time the A/C is on. IMO, the biggest benefit of a fan is the breeze that touches bare skin...anything else is just mixed up air.

Especially if you have a two-story great room(I'm embarrassed to say we do...wasted space), there's no reason to mix the considerably warmer air that sits 16-20 feet above your couch with the relatively cooler air that's down at 'ground' level. If the circulating air isn't hitting bare skin, it has practically nothing to do with the comfort of the person in the room...it's just mixing the air and making the ceiling critters feel better since they enjoy the A/C as much as 'we' do.

Naturally, things are different in cold weather. It's certainly beneficial to circulate the warm air that has 'pooled' at the ceiling down to 'people level' to moderate the temperature. Remember, the cooler temps will be at ground level unless disturbed, so mixing the air in the winter makes good sense, mixing the air in the summer...not so much(unless you have someone on a trapeze or an open loft area with people in it).

I seem to have more patience when a "stranger" (you're a semi-stranger in this case, I guess..) explains these things to me. I am not a technical person at all. I'm surrounded by engineers between family and friends, but I lose my patience when they're explaining the laws of thermodynamics and vector physics to me.

I'm sure my husband tried to explain when and why we would leave the fans on, but I probably just shrugged. I'm more into beautifying the house. I want your DW's job.

By the by....he went to Home Depot today during his leisurely-work-from-home day, and he said he spoke with someone about 3M's window tinting service. (this is before I told him about your two no shows). He said the guy told him to DIY it. He said 3M's service is WAY overpriced. I can't imagine DIY'ing our 20 ft windows (we, too, have a 2 story great room ), but who knows. Nothing, but 3M, is ruled out at this point.

I am definitely getting schooled on this forum. I need to hang out with you guys more often.

[austin_buyer]

I noticed the same thing, that my attic is cooler than normal. Can you please elaborate what exactly you mean by taping the air box? If you can provide more details or a picture that I can refer to I would want to check it out and correct if the problem exists for my house/ac..
-

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

I agree! I fixed my units in the attic myself after an A/C repair person said the installer who did our home put the unit in fine, but since it was a bid job for Newmark, they didn't add any of the "nice to haves" which apparently included actually taping up the air box. It was leaking so much cold air, he said our attic was probably 5 degrees cooler (he sure didn't mind) than it should be. Our bills went down immediately.

Also ceiling fans, set to the correct downward flow rotation, really really help. We got what we paid for 5 extra ceiling fans back in probably one or two summers.

[mesmer]

Originally Posted by austin_buyer

I noticed the same thing, that my attic is cooler than normal. Can you please elaborate what exactly you mean by taping the air box? If you can provide more details or a picture that I can refer to I would want to check it out and correct if the problem exists for my house/ac..
-

I'm not that poster, nor am I an expert, but I believe they're referring to the plenum. Our garage was cooler than it should have been because the plenum was leaking terribly. You can use tape or mastic to seal it so that the cool air doesn't leak out. There are lots of variations on how systems are set up so I don't know how much a generic diagram will help you but maybe this one I found on google will:

http://www.churchservices.com/files/57/

[riaelise]

Our cooling bills in the summer are up to $350 for a 5,000 sq ft home. We don't have any city utilities, and neither are we in a regulated area, so there you go. We have newer efficient units, however we didn't get the radiant barrier for the house, which I'm sure has something to do with it. We also face east.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by austin_buyer

I noticed the same thing, that my attic is cooler than normal. Can you please elaborate what exactly you mean by taping the air box? If you can provide more details or a picture that I can refer to I would want to check it out and correct if the problem exists for my house/ac..
-

Originally Posted by mesmer

I'm not that poster, nor am I an expert, but I believe they're referring to the plenum. Our garage was cooler than it should have been because the plenum was leaking terribly. You can use tape or mastic to seal it so that the cool air doesn't leak out. There are lots of variations on how systems are set up so I don't know how much a generic diagram will help you but maybe this one I found on google will:

http://www.churchservices.com/files/57/

And...of course, duct tape is NOT for taping ducts(especially in super-hot areas). Any home store or hardware store will have foil tape designed specifically for sealing ducting/plena(plenums?) and transitional junctions. Stay away from the fabric-style duct tape that will dry and become brittle in short order.

Another point of air loss is around the large media filter if your unit is so equipped. The 'box' that houses any filter should be very snug around the filter and the box-style filter compartments should have latches or other means of holding them closed securely.

The air pressure running through the ducting is considerable. Any junction of ducting or transition from one style to another will create potential points of weakness. Take a look at any sharp turns or junction points in the duct-work to make sure the connection is still secure.

[mesmer]

Our electric bills in the summer range from $150 to $300 (in 2011) depending on how hot it is. Our electric bill in the winter is $30-40 so that's entirely A/C costs. In a typical summer we'll have 2 months where we're $200 or over, and another couple of months around $150. Our house is in the low to mid 2k sq ft range but has terrible duct work, the original A/C system, and as previously mentioned, until a few months ago, a leaking plenum. I shudder to think how expensive the bills would have been if we hadn't fixed that. We keep the A/C at 76 or 77. We're on city electric but not in the city.

[mesmer]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

And...of course, duct tape is NOT for taping ducts(especially in super-hot areas). Any home store or hardware store will have foil tape designed specifically for sealing ducting/plena(plenums?) and transitional junctions. Stay away from the fabric-style duct tape that will dry and become brittle in short order.

Oh yeah, this!

It was recommended to us that we use the special foil tape and then use mastic over it for extra sealing power. We did this as a stopgap as we save up to get our duct work done for real soon-ish but if your ducts are in good shape in general this should actually last quite a long time.