Does anyone penny pinch house AC/Heat?

[toddnjoyce]

Don’t know what all has been said, but my experience is that when the good Lord wants me to be miserable, mother nature and/or the military arranged for it in spades.

Therefore when I can control the environment, I make it good and comfortable for me.

 

[Recoil45]

68 thats hilarious. I never set my thermostat below 74. No wonder your bill is in the 400s. lose some weight, gain some heat tolerance, and turn the thermostat up 6 degrees. Jeez.. 68..

oh my electric bill last month was the highest it's been in 4 years and it was 166 dollars. 3/2 with a double garage. The electric at my hous ein fort worth before I put solar panels in was NEVER above 300 and it was 3000 SF

We go down at 67 for the master suite at night to sleep. During the day I’m good at 73 though. We also have while house dehumidification and keep humidity at 45 which makes things seem more comfortable.


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[ETH77]

We go down at 67 for the master suite at night to sleep. During the day I’m good at 73 though. We also have while house dehumidification and keep humidity at 45 which makes things seem more comfortable.


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Tip for those interested in optimizing power usage and can modify the air returns in the house.
Rig it so that in the summer the air return pulls off of the ceiling (most of them do that all the time) and in the winter the air return pulls off the floor. Make both returns the same size and cut a piece of plywood the size of the filter you can switch between the two returns.
As was previously stated reverse the ceiling fans as well if you wish.

 

[2ManyGuns]

When I had AC/Heat installed a few years back, I purchased a "hybrid" unit, the AC is electric, but the heat is generated by propane. Cook stove is propane also, use maybe 200 gallons a year, unless it gets really cold. Time to refill the tank, it has been nearly a year since the last fill up. I also had the old ceiling bat insulation removed and 24 inches blown in. Makes a huge difference.

 

[Saltyag2010]

I live in a muggy warm corrosive place. I made my walls of my house very thick and it’s sprayed with 8-10” of foam. I’m still cheap enough to keep the thermostat at 80 from 8-5:30, then 78 from 5:30-9 then it goes to 76 until 8am.

our water bill is higher than the electrical thanks to Corpus Christi

 

[fishingsetx]

I can only dream about those electric Bill's! In winter ours usually runs between $175-$200 and in summer, I've seen it get up to $325-350. $100 of the summer bill is pool pump though. Winter thermostat setting is 62 with the occasional fire in the fireplace. Summer temp is 75 when we arent home, 69 when we are and 67 at night. I dont see how yall can be comfortable at 74, much less 78! My wife and I would be miserable and the house would feel like a sauna with all the humidity!

Edit to add: 2200 sq ft built in 2003, all electric, 4 year old AC, well insulated.

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[oldag]

I can only dream about those electric Bill's! In winter ours usually runs between $175-$200 and in summer, I've seen it get up to $325-350. $100 of the summer bill is pool pump though. Winter thermostat setting is 62 with the occasional fire in the fireplace. Summer temp is 75 when we arent home, 69 when we are and 67 at night. I dont see how yall can be comfortable at 74, much less 78! My wife and I would be miserable and the house would feel like a sauna with all the humidity!

Edit to add: 2200 sq ft built in 2003, all electric, 4 year old AC, well insulated.

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Ceiling fans.

 

[fishingsetx]

Ceiling fans.

Got'em and they run on high 24/7. Our bedroom is the hottest room in the house at about 2-3 degrees hotter than the rest of the house in the summer. Temp in the house gets to 72 and it starts to feel hot/humid in the summer! I absolutely hate winter/cold weather, but it sure is nice to feel cool and dry without spending money on AC!

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[Brains]

I can only dream about those electric Bill's! In winter ours usually runs between $175-$200 and in summer, I've seen it get up to $325-350. $100 of the summer bill is pool pump though. Winter thermostat setting is 62 with the occasional fire in the fireplace. Summer temp is 75 when we arent home, 69 when we are and 67 at night. I dont see how yall can be comfortable at 74, much less 78! My wife and I would be miserable and the house would feel like a sauna with all the humidity!

Edit to add: 2200 sq ft built in 2003, all electric, 4 year old AC, well insulated.

You still running a single speed pool pump?

 

[deemus]

68 is a heater setting.
75 is a cooling setting.

Pretty much the same for me, but AC is on 74.

I rarely have a bill over $200 for a 2500sf home. Usually one in the winter and one in the summer.