Tips against Phoenix heat and a/c bills (installation, humidity)

[WSPHXPELON]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Exactly. I'm on the same plan and my units are set to 68 from 9am-noon. It's chilly by the time it shuts off for peak hours and then slowly rises throughout the day. No sense in pissing away money for no reason when the expense is so easy to mitigate.

Same thing I do.

[petlover8]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

You must not be aware of the time of use plans. While I wouldn't put myself through that discomfort, your argument that it's a false economy is incorrect. Some plans provide for almost free off-peak rates, so it's irrelevant that the AC unit has to run nonstop to bring the temp back down as long as it's doing so during off-peak hours.

I'm ON a time use plan. I have a special meter put on by SRP. I run things like my pool pump, washing machine, etc. on NON peak hours. NOT the A/C unit. That is simply nonsensical. Heat is heat. It builds up. Your A/C has to run to remove it. Not only that, but when you allow humidity to build up for 3 hours during the hottest part of the day, your A/C unit has to work longer to remove it before you even start to feel comfortable. It's not accomplishing anything except making you sweat.

Don't take my word for it. Talk to anyone know knows air conditioning, they'll tell you the same thing. Modern efficient A/C units are designed to run on a semi continuous basis. Not be "throttled" by the owner, in some half assed attempt to save money. You set the temp and leave them. Having automatic thermostats that raise or lower the temp a couple of degrees are something else. It works when you're gone for 10 or 12 hours.... not 3. And they don't shut the unit down. There is a good reason for that. You won't save money doing it. APS may know electricity, they produce it. But they know squat about A/C efficiency.

So called "off peak" hours are not as economical as you might think. The power companies don't want you to use power in high demand times... period. Personally, I think it's mostly nonsense. I have not noticed much, if any savings. I do it because it doesn't matter when I run my pool pump, or wash clothes. But I'm not going to sweat during the hottest part of the day in order to try and save a few pennies on my electric bill. As I said before, I'll save money somewhere else. That type of logic is a bit like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer, because it feels good when you stop. Go back to a normal way of living, and you'll be surprised at how little extra it costs you. Shop for cheaper gas instead. At least you won't sweat doing it.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by petlover8

I'm ON a time use plan. I have a special meter put on by SRP. I run things like my pool pump, washing machine, etc. on NON peak hours. NOT the A/C unit. That is simply nonsensical. Heat is heat. It builds up. Your A/C has to run to remove it. Not only that, but when you allow humidity to build up for 3 hours during the hottest part of the day, your A/C unit has to work longer to remove it before you even start to feel comfortable. It's not accomplishing anything except making you sweat.

Don't take my word for it. Talk to anyone know knows air conditioning, they'll tell you the same thing. Modern efficient A/C units are designed to run on a semi continuous basis. Not be "throttled" by the owner, in some half assed attempt to save money. You set the temp and leave them. Having automatic thermostats that raise or lower the temp a couple of degrees are something else. It works when you're gone for 10 or 12 hours.... not 3. And they don't shut the unit down. There is a good reason for that. You won't save money doing it. APS may know electricity, they produce it. But they know squat about A/C efficiency.

So called "off peak" hours are not as economical as you might think. The power companies don't want you to use power in high demand times... period. Personally, I think it's mostly nonsense. I have not noticed much, if any savings. I do it because it doesn't matter when I run my pool pump, or wash clothes. But I'm not going to sweat during the hottest part of the day in order to try and save a few pennies on my electric bill. As I said before, I'll save money somewhere else. That type of logic is a bit like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer, because it feels good when you stop. Go back to a normal way of living, and you'll be surprised at how little extra it costs you. Shop for cheaper gas instead. At least you won't sweat doing it.

TL;DR

Check out the Combined Advantage Plan with it's demand charge. You can absolutely save money by limiting your demand usage throughout the month. With that plan, off-peak usage is almost free. During off-peak hours, I'm loving life at 71 degrees. I've also never had a bill over $280 for a four bedroom house with a pool. My current bill was for $265.

[petlover8]

That's where mine is now, ($260.00 was the highest ever). And I NEVER shut down my A/C. As I said, I'll alter my pool pump times, and when I run washing machines and dishwashers........ But no way I'm shutting down my A/C. Let alone during the hottest time of the day.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by petlover8

That's where mine is now, ($260.00 was the highest ever). And I NEVER shut down my A/C. As I said, I'll alter my pool pump times, and when I run washing machines and dishwashers........ But no way I'm shutting down my A/C. Let alone during the hottest time of the day.

Cool story. Good for you. I have no idea what you're arguing about.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Voebe

Thanks, also, luckily for me, last year I practically fainted at a summer bill, and the vey nice APS person said that the peak/offpeak would help. It did, a bit - and I do laundry at night anyway.

The best way to avoid that summer sticker shock is to go on a managed payment plan, where you pay the same amount twelve months a year. Sometimes they make minor adjustments to be sure everything balances out at the end of the year, but overall it's SO much better than those high bills. I do the time of use, too (3-6pm) but the best thing is the MPP.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by observer53

The best way to avoid that summer sticker shock is to go on a managed payment plan, where you pay the same amount twelve months a year. Sometimes they make minor adjustments to be sure everything balances out at the end of the year, but overall it's SO much better than those high bills. I do the time of use, too (3-6pm) but the best thing is the MPP.

The balanced payment does not save any money though, just makes it less painful. The managed plans also are not available to new residents, I don't believe. You have to have a history to base it on. So for new to the areas, it is a bit of a game to decide which plan you want. The time of day work for most people and probably the one to choose right off. Then you csan get into the demand plans or the 3-6. Contrary to the forum contrarian, these plans can work well - save money while allowing comfortable living - depending on one's lifestyle. Once again, we find that one size does not fit all when it comes to the subdivision we choose or the electric plan that best fits us.

[petlover8]

One thing that I would suggest if you are building or buying new, is to look for construction that has 2" X 6" exterior studs. That allows for R-30+ in the walls. Insulation is VERY important to lower cooling bills. In Lake Havasu City 2" X 6" exterior studs are all but standard building these days. They are one of the, if not THE hottest city in the nation. I lived there in 1994 when they set the all time record high of 128F. I had no problem keeping the house at 78F.

Another thing they had there you don't see hardly at all here, is up duct discharge for evaporative coolers. Instead of opening windows when running a evap cooler, it discharged the cool air upward into the attic, and out the attic vents. This would keep your attic just a few degrees warmer than the house. That would help unbelievably in cooling a home. You can go outside when the evap is running, and stand under a side attic vent when there is no wind, and feel the cool air descending down on to you. Without it your attic temp can easily exceed 150F. Especially with a dark colored roof.

[ghdana]

I have kind of a dumb question, today I eyeballed it and bought a 16x20x1 air filter, the smallest they had, and got home opened it without checking I got the right size to find I really needed a 14x20x1. I ordered the correct filters from Amazon, but in the meantime is it OK to just stick the filter in front of the hole and prop it up, so it won't fall out and covers the entire hole, until the new ones get here Tuesday or should I just keep the dirty one in it?

Also my AC water drains into my outside doorway making it wet, is it normal to have it pump out over a gallon a day? None of my neighbors seem to have the same problem.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by ghdana

I have kind of a dumb question, today I eyeballed it and bought a 16x20x1 air filter, the smallest they had, and got home opened it without checking I got the right size to find I really needed a 14x20x1. I ordered the correct filters from Amazon, but in the meantime is it OK to just stick the filter in front of the hole and prop it up, so it won't fall out and covers the entire hole, until the new ones get here Tuesday or should I just keep the dirty one in it?

Also my AC water drains into my outside doorway making it wet, is it normal to have it pump out over a gallon a day? None of my neighbors seem to have the same problem.

That could mean you have a back up, or your unit is freezing up. Call an ac repair to take a look. That pipe is for warning you of a problem in your attic with your ac. When you see water you have a problem.