2 stories electric bill (Tucson, Gilbert: apartment, work, house)

[sablebaby]

Yep. Since I don't go outside too much I'm not experiencing the heat a whole lot. Just once in a while and then I find AC. Makes life a whole lot more bearable until the cooler weather hits again.

[Magnum Mike]

Generally with every degree you set your thermostat lower, you'll save about $20 every month in the electric bill. BUT.. don't get too carried away and set your thermostat around 85-90, because in some brands of A/C's, that will only make them work harder and the amount of money you'll save won't be worth it.

[Nice Nice Baby!]

Just opened my SRP bill ending June 27th and it was $165. I have two story, 3300 sq ft, and work many days from home. I also have thermostat set at 77 degrees during the day and 76 at night. It pays to have extra insulation, sunscreens, and low tint windows. My last home of 1100 sq ft had $300 monthly summertime bills because it was built in 1990. There are a lot of little things that help with the variance, including the people who live in it.

[twiggy]

Depends on how old the house is and how many people live there. Ready to be shocked. My home is 15yrs old and I have five kids. My bill in the summer is $415.00. The newer home are built a lot more energy efficient.

[Master Shake]

Many of the newer two-story houses have two air conditioners -- one per floor. This, of course, can add a lot to your electricity bill.

[Nice Nice Baby!]

It adds a lot to the savings, especially if you aren't using a floor you can keep the ac off during those times.

[mhouse2001]

It's important to consider not just the size of the house or apartment, but also where shade trees will shelter the building. Also, you don't want large windows facing east or west without any kind of overhang. South windows are not a problem, even though most people think they are the biggest. You get direct sunshine on your east and west windows in summer and only a glancing blow on your south-facing ones. Exterior shading is better than interior blinds. You want to get the sun's heat BEFORE it hits the glass, not after.

[nitram]

Nice nice baby hit the nail on the head. A lot depends on your lifestyle, insulation, window treatments, direction of house facing North/South or East/West, two units for cooling, temperature you set your thermometer, trees etc. Swimming pool with children running in and out during the day, wow can add a lot to your bill.
Expect to pay from $160 to $250 monthly during the hot spells at thermos set betweent 72-76 degrees when considering the above information. Also get on your utilities average pay plan, helps alot averaging out your bill through the year.
Those with higher utility bills should consider some llifestyle changes and check your house for efficiency. APS & SRP have some free check programs to look into.

[mortimer]

Magnum Mike reported:

> Generally with every degree you set your thermostat lower,
> you'll save about $20 every month in the electric bill.

That's a pretty good rule of thumb. Also, if you have a refrigerator
in the garage, turn if off in the summer or that's going to add another
$50 or so to your monthly bill.

> BUT.. don't get too carried away and set your thermostat
> around 85-90, because in some brands of A/C's, that will
> only make them work harder and the amount of money
> you'll save won't be worth it.

Do you have a cite for this? It doesn't make any sense. AC's
are not like automobiles with varying efficiencies at different
speeds.

AC's are either on or off. If you set your thermostat at 85-90
then it will simply be 'on' less and will use less electricity and $$$.

[mortimer]

Master Shake observed:

> Many of the newer two-story houses have two air conditioners
> -- one per floor. This, of course, can add a lot to your ... bill.

In our community, both the single story and double story homes
all have two units.

One or two units does not make a difference in your bill given
the same efficiency of AC unit. It takes a certain amount of
energy to lower the temperature of a cubic foot of air by one
degree and that's that.

I was out walking by one of those monster 6,000 ft houses and
counted five units. I bet it can cost almost $1,000 to cool one
of those babies in July - always our highest bill.

HX_Guy says:

> I'm not saying that people who keep the AC at 80 or 82 are cheap, ...

Go ahead; say it. I'm cheap and fully admit it. I made sure to
insulate my home. I put sun screens all the way around. I replaced
all light bulbs that stay on a lot with CF bulbs and unscrewed bulbs
in multiple bulb fixtures, etc. My water heater is on a timer and I
use a programmable thermostat with Time-of-use billing from SRP.

I drive my car for efficiency and combine trips.
I'm a walking talking cheap b*st*rd! (but I know how to save money)