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Ok, so it's 87 degrees out right now. I work from home and try use the AC as little as possible because the whole point of my negotiating the ability to work from home was to save money. Inside temp is 81. I have not had the AC on today at all.
I'm in shorts, a tee shirt and have a fan going in my office. And yes I am bordering on uncomfortable.
Am I being overly "cheap" by not closing the windows and using the AC?
My wife thinks I'm bat-***** crazy. LOL
What does the frugal living community think???
Hi BigD_JT_14221--
I live in the bottom-middle apartment of a six-unit apartment block. I have apartments on both sides and one above me. All of them have their air conditioner's cranking and it helps to keep me smug and cool. It works to my advantage in winter, too - my gas bill never cracked $40. And likewise with summer, my highest electric bill to date is $49.
I hold out with shorts and a T-shirt with the fan cranking until the inside temperature gets above 80, then I throw in the towel and A/C it up. Even with that, because of the pretty good insulation, my A/C unit is running maybe five minutes per hour.
I'm not sure if this is something unique to Ohio, but you get a choice of utility companies here. I locked in one where I'm paying 6.9 cents per killowatt/hour (compared to the 9.8 the standard choice offer was; and higher still on the coasts).
Now, I do have one time where I have no choice but to crank the A/C - at night when the overnight low is like 78 degrees. I would love to have the window open and fan on. But my neighbors all beg to differ, and the racket caused by all those air conditioners would make it impossible to sleep. So I have to shut the window, and I'm left with two options - suffocate or spend $ on the A/C.
Watch the humidity levels...that high humidity can cause damage..I run my a/c 12 hours a day, max, 78-80, it helps
cut the cost.
That.
When I lived with my aunt, the AC was "set" to 92 my lasy day there. No joke. That house was pretty poorly insulated in my room, so it was easily 95+ most summer days in there. No telling how much mold and whatnot is growing in there now. I couldn't dry up well after a shower nor could I sleep well while trying to find the "not as hot" parts of the bed and pillows.
I use a regular fan when the temperatures are below 90 degrees with low humidity. (If the temperatures are in the 80s with high humidity I will turn on the air-conditioner based on how I feel.) When it is 90 degrees and above I use the air-conditioner during the day although I usually turn it off at night when I go to sleep.
My wife and I just bought our first house (2,000 sq ft, single-story ranch style). On a 75 degree day, the house would warm up to 79 and stay warm well into midnight. On an 80 degree day, it'd get as warm as 85 inside. Unless we are having guests over, I do not run the AC. One day, I poked around the attic access and realized it was 120 degrees on a 77 degree day. I used my leaf blower to clear all 8 soffits, but the attic airflow didn't seem any better. The two transversed gable vents didn't seem to do much.
After some research on Amazon and Costco.com, I decided to buy a solar-powered gable fan. It was the best $299 (pre tax credit) I spent on the house so far. The fan automatically runs when the attic reaches about 85 degrees and the CFM is adequate to ventilate a 1,900 sq ft attic. Immediately after connecting the solar panel to the motor, I felt a steady cool breeze blowing to the fan...no more stale air. My attic temperature dropped to 105 degrees and while my house is only 3 degrees less than before the fan, it feels 5 degrees cooler. I don't think I'll be needing the AC anymore.
We seldom. if ever, use the air conditioning. The only exception is when 1) we clean the carpeting and 2) when the temperature inside the house stays above 95F.
Our neighbors have iy on at night, even when the temperature is in the 50s.
I forgot to add that I drive a convertible, and ALWAYS have the top down, and no AC running. Even here in Florida it never feels too hot to drive topless!
This would be me if I had a convertible. I think my next car will be one. I would probably drive with the top down all the time except for when it's raining. Otherwise, what's the purpose of having a convertible if you never put the top down?
This would be me if I had a convertible. I think my next car will be one. I would probably drive with the top down all the time except for when it's raining. Otherwise, what's the purpose of having a convertible if you never put the top down?
My sentiments exactly.
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I would probably drive with the top down all the time except for when it's raining. Otherwise, what's the purpose of having a convertible if you never put the top down?
