What Temperature Do You Keep Your House? (live, moving)

[FamilyTexas]

Sorry to post and run, we've been out of town this week. I think the heat is growing on us a bit and we've kept our house at about 80 during the days this week. We still cool it at night, 75 or so, but are hoping to install some fans this weekend. Our past bill was $225.

?, are any of your ac's taking longer to cool in the evenings now that the days are hotter? Our ac seemed like it cooled the house quickly however recently it's been taking a few hours to get the temperature down. The house stays around 80-81 and we're cooling to 75. Has anyone compared leaving the temp lower all day or raising/lowering? I'm going to need to look into that and *hope* our ac is okay.

[J1ndo]

Originally Posted by synch390

I've been really worried about what my bill will be since I've only been here since March. I just got my first bill where I THINK I had the AC on most of the month. I live in a 900sq ft apt. cathedral ceilings (does that make a diff??) the regular bill for electric has been about $40, this month it was $75. I keep it at about 80 during the day, but have been turning it down a bit at night, I was waking up really warm, I hate that. Today I am leaving the house open, we'll see what happens....

In my experience, it seems cathedral ceilings help a little on cooling bills, but hurt a lot for heating (all the hot air rises up where nobody can feel it, for both good and ill).

[hillcountrywinefan]

Originally Posted by FamilyTexas

?, are any of your ac's taking longer to cool in the evenings now that the days are hotter? Our ac seemed like it cooled the house quickly however recently it's been taking a few hours to get the temperature down. The house stays around 80-81 and we're cooling to 75. Has anyone compared leaving the temp lower all day or raising/lowering? I'm going to need to look into that and *hope* our ac is okay.

You may want to have a reputable HVAC company inspect your system to ensure it's operating properly and that the refrigerant levels are up to specs. Schedule this type of maintenance every Spring and Fall. The regular maintenance is money well spent, believe me!

[StanStelle]

We just got our July bill for $255. We have a 3900 sq. ft. house and since we both work from home, one office on each floor, we always keep the temperature at 74-75 to feel comfortable. The $255 is actually low for the summer, we usually get into the mid-300s when temperatures are over 100 for an extended period of time like we had last year.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by StanStelle

We just got our July bill for $255. We have a 3900 sq. ft. house and since we both work from home, one office on each floor, we always keep the temperature at 74-75 to feel comfortable. The $255 is actually low for the summer, we usually get into the mid-300s when temperatures are over 100 for an extended period of time like we had last year.

How about trying ceiling fans and boosting the temperature to 77-78 degrees? That should lower your electric bill and put less stress on your A/C system.

[dawnstar2]

I keep at 78-80. Use fans in the rooms your'e in ...close vents to the rooms not in use, during the day keep it at 85 when your'e not home.
Sealing off, windows patio doors, and checking attic insulation of course is most helpful.
CPS will schedule a free energy check for home or apartment.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by dawnstar2

I keep at 78-80. Use fans in the rooms you're in ...close vents to the rooms not in use, during the day keep it at 85 when you're not home.
Sealing off, windows patio doors, and checking attic insulation of course is most helpful.
CPS will schedule a free energy check for home or apartment.

Interesting reading about closing vents, especially too many (read both pages):

Do closing vents save power? - HVAC-Talk: Heating, Air & Refrigeration Discussion

[stoneoak]

here's another question...do ya'll turn the AC off when you go on vacation during the summer and how hot would the house get??

[hillcountrywinefan]

Originally Posted by stoneoak

here's another question...do ya'll turn the AC off when you go on vacation during the summer and how hot would the house get??

We program our thermostat to cool to *82 from 4pm to 8pm if we're away. That should alleviate some heat build-up. From 9pm to 3pm, the thermostat is set for *87.

Because our thermostat can be controlled over the Internet, I can check the weather in the San Antonio area and adjust it accordingly (e.g. cooler, rainy weather would mean I'd bump it up to *87).

[Willsson]

I was born in SA, used to visit the relatives there as a kid and now live about a hundred miles up 35. Their house had one window AC, in the dining room window so at night it was open windows and fans set up all over the place to keep the air moving. With the humid air it wasn't so bad.

I just purchased this 1950's house, about 1000sf with an installed HVAC about 4 years old. The insulation is original, the roof needs replacing. There's east side shade but on the west there's no shade until about 7 p.m. That west wall takes a beating from 3 p.m. til shade time. I'm on the corner lot so the south side is completely exposed all day.

Last year my AC high was $242 in July. The low was $47 in November but typically ran about $70 in non hot months. I'm sure my PC and flat panel TV are half of those low bills. The heating is gas.

Last week I received my recent electricity bill of $175. I've since installed solar screen on the south and west windows. I've also sealed around the window casings inside and out. Before I received that last bill there was a 95 degree day, my inside temp ran up towards 87. Right now my atomic clock temp read 96 outside and 83 inside. So, the solar screens and sealing have made a difference. But I noticed that once the house warms up it doesn't cool off until about 8 p.m.

I keep the thermostat at 82 daytime in the summer. The AC tends to run constantly from about 2 p.m. til 7 or 8 p.m. At bed time I set the thermo to 80 and the AC really doesn't run much. I have fans in every roon that run constantly when I'm awake. I have a ceiling fan over my bed that seems to keep the air cool overnight.

Next week I start tacking rolls of insulation on the eves and roof in the attic. All the above drives home the reality that older homes just weren't built for modern HVAC and require diligent modification to air flows.