Air Conditioning?? (Seattle: house, allergies, living)

[jenlion]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

My heating bill - 10 months of the year averages $350 per month. I am not joking, I know May it was $275.

I'm pretty sure my heating and cooling bills for Calif, were never over that.

WOW! I did checking into that before we moved and I did not see that kind of bill anywhere. I am wondering (since friends considering moving this way ask me about this stuff) - Do you have a large house? And I don't remember, do you just add sweaters or do you turn the heat quite high when it is chilly out? (I know your preferred temp is 85, just don't know if you turn it that high indoors on purpose).

If you weren't wanting to move asap, I'd suggest replacing the furnace and/or water heater. Perhaps using cheap (right now) electricity to heat your house (via heat pump) would really pay off in your case?

Our old neighborhood in Dallas had houses 12-14 years old. It seemed everyone's (electric) hot water heater was going at about the same time, so we knew our days were numbered, and we did NOT want the flood that can go with that. So we pre-emptively replaced it, choosing the model and plumber with care rather than in an emergency (and gloated a little when the next neighbor's went out and they were without hot water for a few days and got charged more) (but not much, really, just a little -- who knows how long ours would have lasted, anyway). At any rate, the electric bill nudged down with the new water heater. And other neighbors that replaced their ACs (heat pumps) noticed HUGE reductions in electric bills. It's not something that will pay off the cost of the entire unit for several years, but it does over the lifetime of the unit. And you're using less energy, something you can gloat to Seattle-types about. But, moot point if you're moving, unless you don't know when you're moving and you can afford the loss and you want another selling point when you do move.

When we were looking at houses, we viewed the home of an elderly couple who bought in Bellevue when it was new. The couple hadn't listened to their messages that day, so they didn't know we were coming, but had us in anyway during their dinner. We got the tour from the man -- probably in his late 70s or early 80s -- who showed us every 'feature' of the house, like the closet under the stairs that was against code but he only had to slip the guy $10 and they put it in anyway and it was a great closet. BOY was this guy proud of his heat pump. He'd put it in a few years ago and was extremely pleased with it. To hear him, that fact alone made his house the best around. And it took his electric bills from *very high* to *very low*. He even had the electric bills on the table, smart. (It was actually quite a nice house with a hilltop view of lake Sammamish and the Cascades, and priced decently; it was a tough decision between his house and the house we bought). Anyway. Sorta off topic. But he was a hoot. I hope some nice people bought his house and made him happy. And I hope they're enjoying the heat pump.

[CityGirl72]

We had to replace the furnace after purchased the house 4 years ago so it's new, and the thermostat is a programmable energy efficient one, AND we replaced every window in the house and sealed door leaks.

The house in TOTAL is 2700 square feet (my mother in law lives in the lower MIL unit) - so since she lives there and is home all day - the heater is on all day.

So during the day we have it set to 72 for her, and 77 in the mornings and evening when I get home. It is set at 68 for us to sleep.

You can see how it adds up.

+++++++++++
PS, I was so sick of putting on sweaters - I have to layer upon layer outside every day and in the office - I want to be comfortable in my own house. The heating bill was a point of contention with myhusband so I took it over and pay it myself, by myself. He hasn't seen the bill in 2 years.

[mrman78]

I think overall it does depend on your temperature preferences and tolerances. I would say I am more 'cold blooded' lol, as 50 does not seem cold to me either. I would much rather it be that temperature than even 80. However, this also stretches to weather. I'd rather it be partly to mostly cloudy and 50, than 80 and not a cloud in the sky... just what i like...

[kimmiek]

I'm with Mrman78...I love cloudy days, rain and thunderstorms. I don't guess we'll get the major thunderstorms in WA that we do down in Dallas, but for some reason when it's gloomy outside I get that cozy feeling inside.

[allforcats]

I'm with you, kimmiek! "Gloomy", of course, is an emotion, and so a choice... When the clouds come, I feel embraced and loved by the universe, also choices.

[jenlion]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

PS, I was so sick of putting on sweaters - I have to layer upon layer outside every day and in the office - I want to be comfortable in my own house. The heating bill was a point of contention with myhusband so I took it over and pay it myself, by myself. He hasn't seen the bill in 2 years.

Haha, I did the same thing. I don't turn EVERY light off EVERY time I leave a room, because sometimes I am coming back in a few minutes and I don't want to have to fumble with a wall switch while carrying, say, a glass of water THAT IT ONLY TOOK ME ONE MINUTE TO GET. We were starting to get into big fights about it. Electric bill has been in my name ever since.

I know there's a wide variation of "normal" temps among people, but I wonder if you have asked a good dr about feeling cold all the time? Could there be something like a thyroid issue making you feel cold? My grandma had issues with that, got on medication, and man was her world a better place after. It seems you're way out on the end of the curve if you're layering sweaters on sweaters when it's in the 60s or 70s. I know it can fall within normal, but it just makes me wonder.

[tada]

"room temperature" is standardized at 20C (68F), so if you need to dress in layers at those temperatures, chances are it's something more. Not to mention, the NWS puts heating/cooling degree benchmarks at 65 for anywhere.

P.S. definition of gloomy - 1.dark or dim; deeply shaded: gloomy skies.

That's not defined in terms of emotion. And you can't argue having a UV index of 0 or 1 on most days is dark.

[kimmiek]

Originally Posted by allforcats

I'm with you, kimmiek! "Gloomy", of course, is an emotion, and so a choice... When the clouds come, I feel embraced and loved by the universe, also choices.

I don't think I quite get what you're saying...but that's my fault, LOL! But anyway....I LOVE gloomy weather! In my strange brain it seems to calm everything down.

~Tada~ I do think gloomy can be an emotion. You can feel gloomy inside... Just another way of saying down in the dumps/sad/depressed...

[ajp2004]

I've moved from DC to Seattle a few months agao, and this is my first summer here. The lack of humidity and 90 degree normal days is wonderful when I'm away from my apartment. Seems like most people are "outdoors-y" so if that describes you, you should love Seattle summers.

But I'm an indoors kinda person. And when I have to be in the apartment, it's hell. I only have windows facing in one direction, so no air circulation. The temperature is always 10 degrees hotter inside than out. So 70 degrees outside makes it 80 degrees inside. Sorry, but for me that's too hot to be comfortable. And when it gets to be 80 or 85, it's downright unbearable.

I'm looking forward to moving into a home in the next several months with either AC already installed or at a minimum the duct work in place so I can add it without any problems.

You may want to plan to spend $300 on a portable air conditioner (that's what I did) since most apartments don't permit a traditional window unit. At least with the portable unit you can keep one room (e.g., bedroom) comfortable.

[Moon Waffle]

This thread cracks me up...the lack of A/C is one of the most bizzarre, ridiculous things I ever experienced while living 6 years in Seattle.

There is a funny little cycle in the Puget Sound:

1) It rains for 9 months.
2) People get sick of this weather and "can't wait" for summer.
2) Summer finally arives in July, the sun comes out, and it warms up into the 80's.
3) People can't sleep at night because of the heat, they complain about it and look forward to cloud cover and a day of summer rain to "cool things down".

Repeat cycle.

It's RIDICULOUS that people in this area try to convince themselves that A/C "really isn't needed". Such bull. Live with A/C for a while and you'll quickly realize that if you had it in Seattle, you'd use it a lot more than one or two weeks a year.

Your house is supposed to be a place of comfort - a place where you can go to relax and feel good! Not a place you avoid until "the sun goes down", and then sit around and sweat buckets, pray for rain, and have to leave the windows open with 5 fans running all night so you can listen in on your neighbor's conversations (among other things) who also have their windows open all night long.

ABSOLUTELY. RIDICULOUS.