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Last year we moved to a much hotter area & need the run the a/c. I hate high utility bills, so I am wondering, which way is the most economical way to run it? Either leave it on most of the day or to turn it on for an hour at a time, several times throughout the day. We are both retired so are home alot.
Mine is set 78 in the summer and 76 in the winter, electrical heating for a ~1200 square foot apartment. Heating bills are a pain, cooling bills aren't too bad.
78 is perfect when it's hot outside. At night, when it's cooler, the AC doesn't run to keep it 78 or lower, and in that case, you can use a fan or lower the AC a little if necessary.
Purchase an energy saving A/C
Raise the temp when you are not home, but don't turn the A/C off
Use A/C in connection with a fan
Clean and change air filters when dirty or every 2 months or so
Have the right size A/C for the room/house
Use windows shades/tint/blinds to block sunshine
Make sure there is no air leak (seal your windows and doors)
Have properly insulated home
Plant some shade trees
Have a light colored shingles, and other roof ventilation in place
Have your outside A/C clean and free of debris
With a programmable timer or thermostat you can save about $180 every year in energy costs by regulating the temperature when you're out of the house, and by turning on only when you return home.
...
Do scheduled maintenance
Try to keep the room cool (light off, kitchen oven off as much as possible)
Assuming you're going to do any of the sarcastic things mentioned above, your 2 Real options are:
Set it and forget it
Set it more than 4 degrees different for at Least 8 hours continuous.
If you're retired and home a lot, then set it and forget it. Attack the problem from a different angle, ave an energy audit done to see where you could benefit the most. Typically, most homes are poorly maintained as they age and you'll see the most improvement from simply caulking/weatherstriping windows and doors. Beyond that is improving the insulation and adding solar film to your windows (if single pane, can't be done to double/triple pane glass without causing more problems). Long term payouts for planing shade trees.
Or, you could go solar. You're basically trading money on solar with a 10~15 year payoff, and you need to address the house inefficiencies First (air leaks and insulation) ~ but it's an option. Probably not Really worth it if you sit down and take an honest look at the numbers, but it's a feel-good solution.
Rip the ac unit out!! Just drink water instead! U know there was a time before we had air conditioning units right?? ppl used other methods and were happy.
Rip the ac unit out!! Just drink water instead! U know there was a time before we had air conditioning units right?? ppl used other methods and were happy.
There was also a time when people did not have indoor plumbing, but that also does not appeal to me.
it's best not to turn it completely off and on if you can help it, because to remove humidity (and a majority of the work that needs to be done) you need a constant supply of air moving across the cold evaporator coil. Same with the temptation of opening a window and letting humid air into the house even when the outdoor temp seems cool, it will be a lot of work for your AC to remove that moisture when it's turned back on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by evening sun
There was also a time when people did not have indoor plumbing, but that also does not appeal to me.
exactly
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