Is anyone running their home AC now? (Scottsdale: houses, live in)

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Many builders continue to install gas heat, actually. Contrary to popular belief, the Energy Star Homes program does not mandate or even recommend the use of a heat pump (regardless of climate); the program was intentionally designed to be fuel neutral to not give neither electric nor gas utilities an unfair advantage.

Still, many homes here in the Valley don't even have gas service at all, so a heat pump is installed by default.

It is not AS common as other parts of the country, though, you can't argue that. Growing up in the midwest, I never had anything but a gas furnace, gas water heater, gas stove. Moving here and looking at a number of places, the house I bought was the first one I saw that had gas service at all. Electric, especially for cooking, seems to be much more common here. I had to learn how to use an electric stove when I got here (and I hated every minute of it!)

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

It is not AS common as other parts of the country, though, you can't argue that. Growing up in the midwest, I never had anything but a gas furnace, gas water heater, gas stove. Moving here and looking at a number of places, the house I bought was the first one I saw that had gas service at all. Electric, especially for cooking, seems to be much more common here. I had to learn how to use an electric stove when I got here (and I hated every minute of it!)

Yes, there is no denying that there are a lot of all-electric homes here in the Valley. Many community developers did this to save money on infrastructure costs by not having to run gas lines to every home, and since it doesn't get very cold here a heat pump is sufficient most of the time for heating. With gas cooking appliances now in high demand, the practice of building all-electric homes isn't as common as it once was in the past, although some builders (particularly custom builders) still install heat pumps even in homes with gas service.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Yes, there is no denying that there are a lot of all-electric homes here in the Valley. Many community developers did this to save money on infrastructure costs by not having to run gas lines to every home, and since it doesn't get very cold here a heat pump is sufficient most of the time for heating. With gas cooking appliances now in high demand, the practice of building all-electric homes isn't as common as it once was in the past, although some builders (particularly custom builders) still install heat pumps even in homes with gas service.

Even if it doesn't get very cold, I would argue that gas heat is better. It is just feels warmer somehow and heat more efficiently, and there is less static electricity, which is already an issue in this dry climate.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Even if it doesn't get very cold, I would argue that gas heat is better. It is just feels warmer somehow and heat more efficiently, and there is less static electricity, which is already an issue in this dry climate.

In many cities outside Arizona and Florida, local codes require that heat pumps be equipped with an auxiliary heating source (which could be electric heating strips or even a gas furnace) for the very cold days when the heat pump cannot operate efficiently. In most equipped installations this auxiliary heating source also runs during a defrost cycle to offset the cold air that would blow into your home.

[wase4711]

I'm hoping the house we decide on has a gas furnace, but I dont care about gas stoves; we have had electric/inductive cooktop ovens for year, so the learning curve for me would be going back to gas..
Either way, if we find the house we love, it wont matter to me if its gas or electric, but, like Elle, I am used to gas, so that would be the preference
Plus, it sounds like gas is super cheap out there too...

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by wase4711

I'm hoping the house we decide on has a gas furnace, but I dont care about gas stoves; we have had electric/inductive cooktop ovens for year, so the learning curve for me would be going back to gas..
Either way, if we find the house we love, it wont matter to me if its gas or electric, but, like Elle, I am used to gas, so that would be the preference
Plus, it sounds like gas is super cheap out there too...

Many newer homes have hookups for both gas and electric ranges/cooktops, so if you want to switch from one to another it shouldn't be much of a problem.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Many newer homes have hookups for both gas and electric ranges/cooktops, so if you want to switch from one to another it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Not everyone buys a newer home, so you can't assume that both will always be there.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by wase4711

I'm hoping the house we decide on has a gas furnace, but I dont care about gas stoves; we have had electric/inductive cooktop ovens for year, so the learning curve for me would be going back to gas..
Either way, if we find the house we love, it wont matter to me if its gas or electric, but, like Elle, I am used to gas, so that would be the preference
Plus, it sounds like gas is super cheap out there too...

I had electric stoves for almost 2.5 years after moving here. I hate ever minute of it! I can't imagine anyone actually PREFERRING them.

I am not sure if gas is really all that cheap here (cheaper than anyplace else), I just don't think I use much. Plus you aren't running the furnace 24/7 for months at a time as you would someplace cold. Mine is definitely not running more than it is on. I also have a small house so it warms up fast once it does start to run.

[wase4711]

which the crazy shift in climate lately, I guess you cant know for sure how often you will need "heat" in Phoenix going forward...
a few years ago, if you would have told me Chicago could go from dec 15th, till March first with NO SNOW, or, have 15 days in February ABOVE 50 degrees, I would have thought they were nuts, but thats where we are now..

I guess one thing that wont change is that it will be over 100 degrees almost EVERY day in Phoenix from June until September!

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I had electric stoves for almost 2.5 years after moving here. I hate ever minute of it! I can't imagine anyone actually PREFERRING them.

I am not sure if gas is really all that cheap here (cheaper than anyplace else), I just don't think I use much. Plus you aren't running the furnace 24/7 for months at a time as you would someplace cold. Mine is definitely not running more than it is on. I also have a small house so it warms up fast once it does start to run.

I much prefer gas for cooking too. A lot of people don't though.


I think my gas bills are very cheap up here. If I'm not using it to heat with it rarely gets over $25 month. I have gas for cooking, hot water, clothes dryer and heat. My highest gas bill this winter was $82 for Jan. and only $60 for Dec. and Feb.. Also there are two people living in my house for the last three months so that has made it more too. At night I turn it down to 55-60, depending on the lows and turn it up to about 72 when I get up and get ready for work. My house is over 1400 sq. ft. but it warms up fast and I think it must be very well insulated because once it warms up it'll stay around 70 'forever'. It doesn't turn on all that often but I turn it down to about 60 while I'm at work. It gets chilly in the evenings sometimes but I just throw my soft and cuddly robe on and it's okay. I wish my electric bills w/AC were that cheap! My highest bill for that, in mid summer, has been around $160 and even at that I feel it's pretty cheap in comparison with other parts of the state. I don't run the AC overnight in summer, ever, and keep it at around 80 most of the time.