Need an air conditioner? Here's where you can pick one up in Seattle

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Are you sure about that? I've been surprised as to how affordable it is to run central A/C. Window units draw more electricity to run, so if you have more than one, it adds up. Of course with central A/C, the big expense is buying in, but usually, the HVAC guys give you a more efficient furnace in a heat/AC combo unit, so you save a little on winter heating in the bargain. But if you're happy with the electric bills while running 2 window units, there's no need to get central, I guess. Especially in the NW, where you only need to run them for a few days or a week at a time, sporadically.

I don't know what the electrical utilities will do, when the climate becomes warmer consistently, so people have to use A/C more regularly. Are they preparing for that eventuality? Is foresight in their job description? In the Seattle area, it's a public utility; is there any oversight of management?

I've been in the utility business for many years. A typical whole-house AC is using about 55 kWh of electricity
per day, that's $6.60/day at our rates. Here that would be cooling 3,000 sf, and much of it wasted since we are only occupying about 1/3 of that on a typical day. Our window ACs at 6,000 BTUs each use about $1.60/day each. We normally only run one during the day, then at bedtime it goes off, and the bedroom one goes on with timer set for about 4 hours. Our electric rates are reasonable at 9-12 cents/kWh, while in some places, like the hotter East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area on PG & E) it can be as much as .41697/kWh so the difference is much greater. Now if you have a smaller home and use all of the rooms all day, then central AC is more practical even if it costs more to buy and to run.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Hebrews12

We have a heat pump (plus a gas furnance backup for freezing temps as our heat pump doesn't work below certain temps). It also cools in the summer and works great.

It sounds like you've found a strategy that covers your needs. I've never understood exactly what heat pumps are, and how they work.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I've been in the utility business for many years. A typical whole-house AC is using about 55 kWh of electricity
per day, that's $6.60/day at our rates. Here that would be cooling 3,000 sf, and much of it wasted since we are only occupying about 1/3 of that on a typical day. Our window ACs at 6,000 BTUs each use about $1.60/day each. We normally only run one during the day, then at bedtime it goes off, and the bedroom one goes on with timer set for about 4 hours. Our electric rates are reasonable at 9-12 cents/kWh, while in some places, like the hotter East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area on PG & E) it can be as much as .41697/kWh so the difference is much greater. Now if you have a smaller home and use all of the rooms all day, then central AC is more practical even if it costs more to buy and to run.

What does a Kw hr cost in Western WA/Seattle area? In NM,it's .16

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

What does a Kw hr cost in Western WA/Seattle area? In NM,it's .16

We are paying $0.11 to $0.13 per kWh depending on the tier, with Puget Sound Energy in Sammamish. In Seattle it's Seattle City Light, and they charge slightly more, $0.1132 to $0.1307.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I've lived with window units and the cost wasn't all that bad to run them. I prefer the whole house forced air but that costs $6,000 to have installed, or even more if you have to install the entire duct work system. The window units are a couple hundred dollars. Its a consideration about how long you will live there and how many hours every day that you need to run the AC.

In Phoenix, I'd definitely spring for the cost of a very good forced air unit, but in Seattle? How many hours in the year do you actually need an AC?

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It sounds like you've found a strategy that covers your needs. I've never understood exactly what heat pumps are, and how they work.

A heat pump is effectively a reversible air conditioner. Air to air heat pumps essentially chill outdoor air, extracting some heat from it, and discharge heated air inside the house when in heating cycle. As a thought experiment, consider a window unit installed backwards with the interior side facing out. It chills the outside air and discharges warm air into your room.

Now a water sourced heat pump, operating on well water or a closed loop of tubing buried in the soil, those can get into very high efficiencies because underground temperatures stay pretty much in the 50s year round.

[Hebrews12]

Our heat pump sits outside on a concrete slab and looks very much like an CAC unit. What I like about it is it keeps our indoor humidity at a decent level during the winter months (no issues with dryness or static electricity). But we usually have to increase the temp about 2 degrees to get the same comfort as we do from our gas furnace bc the air blowing isn't as warm. Our unit is about 15+ yrs old, though, so I think the efficiency/technology may have changed with the newer ones.