Did your AC struggle during the record heat yesterday? (Phoenix: home builders, landlord)

[IDtheftV]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

Understand that the seer rating isn't for us here in the desert - 90% of the "weight" of a seer rating is for temps below 90 degrees. I.e., it's a super accurate measure of performance in northern states & worthless here.

A 1986 home prolly has r19 in the attic & bumping that up a bit might save you almost as much money as getting a higher efficiency unit.. And cost less.. installed cellulose - even a 6" "topper" might be under a grand ..

Notice that Zippyman ( I like that moniker ) suggestedthe best way to save money:

Using less energy by making it unnecessary to run the a/c in the first place.

Better windows, insulation are good. Also, low wattage lights add to this effect. Lights are just little heaters that happen to illuminate stuff. CFLs, LEDs, mean that you use less electricity for seeing and less electricity cooling the house from the effect of using lights. Also, when you cook, you pay twice; Once to run the oven and again to compensate for the effect of running the oven. Use the microwave when possible, eat cold stuff.

Unplug chargers ( paying twice again ). Unplug K-cup coffee makers, etc.

Programmable thermostats work without Time-of-use-Billing.

Two big myths in Phoenix:
-----------------------------
(1) it costs more to let your house heat up when away and then cool it down
(2) two story homes cost more than one-story-homes to heat and cool

If you go to work, turn your thermostat to the mid-80s for the empty house.

If you can get Time-of-use-Billing, "super-cool" your house till the Time-of-use-Billing goes high and then let it go to the 80s. This will save you money even though it will use more energy.

Learn to be cheap when it come to paying your utility bill.

[Potential_Landlord]

Originally Posted by IDtheftV

Notice that Zippyman ( I like that moniker ) suggestedthe best way to save money:

Using less energy by making it unnecessary to run the a/c in the first place.

Better windows, insulation are good. Also, low wattage lights add to this effect. Lights are just little heaters that happen to illuminate stuff. CFLs, LEDs, mean that you use less electricity for seeing and less electricity cooling the house from the effect of using lights. Also, when you cook, you pay twice; Once to run the oven and again to compensate for the effect of running the oven. Use the microwave when possible, eat cold stuff.

Unplug chargers ( paying twice again ). Unplug K-cup coffee makers, etc.

Programmable thermostats work without Time-of-use-Billing.

Two big myths in Phoenix:
-----------------------------
(1) it costs more to let your house heat up when away and then cool it down
(2) two story homes cost more than one-story-homes to heat and cool

If you go to work, turn your thermostat to the mid-80s for the empty house.

If you can get Time-of-use-Billing, "super-cool" your house till the Time-of-use-Billing goes high and then let it go to the 80s. This will save you money even though it will use more energy.

Learn to be cheap when it come to paying your utility bill.

Thanks to both you and zippyman for their expert advise. We went through the insulation etc. improvement a few years back and it was literally worth 2 degree F. After this I lowered the thermos by 2 degrees both on and off peak and the power bill stayed the same. We only have efficient lighting and use appliances off peak except for cooking. At this point I'm afraid only a new a/c would be able to lower our bill, but I'm not rushing it.

[Bungle]

I'm loving the ecobee3 I installed last weekend. I have four sensors placed around my house. I can monitor and change anything remotely. I highly recommend one. Their customer service is great as well.

Here's the web interface. Very similar on the iphone as well.

[IDtheftV]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

At this point I'm afraid only a new a/c would be able to lower our bill, but I'm not rushing it.

Are you away from the house during the day or are you either retired or work from home?

Can you get time-of-use billing?

Also, with old systems, the cooling fins on the evaporator can often be really bent up - reducing efficiency. For moderate damage, they can be manually repaired and if badly bent-up, it might pay to replace the condenser. ( I don't know if you can buy evaporators separately that you can use in a later a/c upgrade -- probably not. )

searching on the string { cooling fin damage air conditioner evaporator } gave me many results with pictures including the following:

How to Clean and Straighten AC Condenser Coils

[New Horizons]

My AC is struggling lately. The temps have been about 108 with 60 degree dew points. I live in an old ranch home in Sun City with central air. The house has adequate insulation, and a 4 ton unit. But 83 is as low as I can cool the house. If I drop it any lower it will run for hours non stop. I'm trying to conserve a little as I'm currently unemployed.

83 degrees is liveable I suppose, with ceiling fans on. But I sure wish I could cool this place down to a chilly 78 degrees on summer days. Is that even possible? Should I upgrade to a larger unit down the road? Maybe I should just run a portable ac in my bedroom, and that could be my "cold room". Then I could store it when the weather cools.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by New Horizons

My AC is struggling lately. The temps have been about 108 with 60 degree dew points. I live in an old ranch home in Sun City with central air. The house has adequate insulation, and a 4 ton unit. But 83 is as low as I can cool the house. If I drop it any lower it will run for hours non stop. I'm trying to conserve a little as I'm currently unemployed.

83 degrees is liveable I suppose, with ceiling fans on. But I sure wish I could cool this place down to a chilly 78 degrees on summer days. Is that even possible? Should I upgrade to a larger unit down the road? Maybe I should just run a portable ac in my bedroom, and that could be my "cold room". Then I could store it when the weather cools.

If its an older system, the indoor coil might be clogged with lint, reducing efficiency & performance. The coil at my little bro's place looked like a dryer lint-filter when he bought his house. I just kinda "peeled" the lint off & then sprayed it down with a hose to get most of the dust-bunnies out. He was able to get a couple more years out of it after that.

[DougStark]

OP, have you had your refrigerant levels checked recently? You may have a small leak, leading to decreased cooling capacity.

FYI. Anytime the outdoor temp goes above 100, the efficiency of an air cooled A/C system drops considerably (it has trouble "cooling" the outdoor condenser coils.) That's where evap coolers are great- they don't lose efficiency at high temps (but they do with high humidities.)

[New Horizons]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

If its an older system, the indoor coil might be clogged with lint, reducing efficiency & performance. The coil at my little bro's place looked like a dryer lint-filter when he bought his house. I just kinda "peeled" the lint off & then sprayed it down with a hose to get most of the dust-bunnies out. He was able to get a couple more years out of it after that.

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll open up the air handler, and clean it and shoot some compressed air on it. Btw, it is a Trane, and we had it inspected 1.5 years ago. They added a little bit of refrigerant, but said it was in good shape.

Edit: it's a Carrier

[New Horizons]

Another thing I've been doing: The thermostat is located in a hallway that has no ac vents. Well on hot days that hallway becomes much warmer than the other rooms. So in the spare room a put box fan near the door to disperse cool air into the hallway. It keeps the hallway cooler and enables the AC to cycle off.

[Potential_Landlord]

Originally Posted by DougStark

OP, have you had your refrigerant levels checked recently? You may have a small leak, leading to decreased cooling capacity.

FYI. Anytime the outdoor temp goes above 100, the efficiency of an air cooled A/C system drops considerably (it has trouble "cooling" the outdoor condenser coils.) That's where evap coolers are great- they don't lose efficiency at high temps (but they do with high humidities.)

We once had an evap cooler on our roof next to the AC. It was broken so we took it down. Do you think it's worth putting a new one up there at all? I heard they are high maintenance too. Also, will it make it really humid inside? - Thanks.
What I'm thinking right now is that this is more something for hard-core minimalist comfort and maximalist frugality people? - I could be wrong. But the "wisdom of the crowd" says nobody wants these things in Phoenix.