Frugal with Air Conditioning

[amyschiff]

It's starting to get warm here in the midwest, and I have a question about running the A/C... Is it more energy efficient (and therefore cheaper) to just keep it running all the time or to turn it on and off as needed? I thought I once heard that it is better to just keep it running.

Obviously, not using the A/C at all would be the most frugal solution, but my allergies are very bad lately. Keeping the apartment closed up and using the air conditioning helps a lot.

[Megan]

I think part of that depends on how often you need it, plus how warm it gets when its turned off. I have to admit, I've heard both. When I had a programmable thermostat, I kept the AC on all the time, but bumped up the temperature when I was gone (I have pets, so I was reluctant to turn it off completely).

[gt0163c]

I think it depends on how warm your house will get without the air conditioning and how low you want the temperature to go once you start using it. And exactly where the break even point is will be dependent upon the type and efficiency of your A/C system, the size of your house, cost of electricity (or whatever powers your system) as well as the temperature differences.

I remember reading that a good rule of thumb was to not let the house get warmer than 80 degrees. But, that doesn't quite work for me, as I keep the house at 78 or 79 when the air conditioning is on. Generally, I've found that it works well for me to let the house get to 82 or 83 when I'm not there (I also have pets, big furry cats who dislike the heat) and get it down to 78 or 79 when I am there. I have a programmable thermastat, so that helps a lot.

My electricity bills are still pretty high in the summer, but I also live in Fort Worth, Texas so if I want to not melt, especially in July and August, I don't have a lot of choice.

[saint tim]

you know I came up with a ultimate frugal with AC.

Your AC dumps out a gallon of water an hour. Those of us already down with the rain barrel concept can add more dead heat free water. Set up a 25 gallon rain barrel at your a-coil (the part in the basement on top of the furnace). Have the over flow go into the drain. Tap out the water as you need it for watering plants and such. The water may be a bit chilly at first so I'd let it sit.

But 1 gallon an hour of clean free water would help cut the water bill when watering plants.

[hermione]

We live in the Mojave Desert have 2 long haired dogs so we have to turn on the A/C during the summer. We try to keep it at about 80, which is enough to keep the air and us dry during 100+ degree weather. We usually try to wait as long as possible before we turn it on - around noon or early afternoon, and turn it off as soon as possible. We do have central air with a thermostat, but I find that it's a bit of a waste because sometimes it turn on the air when some parts of the house are cool enough to go without.

For pet owners, here are a few tips for keeping your pet cool during warm weather. These are a couple of articles we wrote on our pet boutique site last year.

Warm Weather Tips for Dog Owners

Good Hot Weather Snacks for Your Dog

[lucille]

Originally Posted by saint tim

you know I came up with a ultimate frugal with AC.

Your AC dumps out a gallon of water an hour. Those of us already down with the rain barrel concept can add more dead heat free water. Set up a 25 gallon rain barrel at your a-coil (the part in the basement on top of the furnace). Have the over flow go into the drain. Tap out the water as you need it for watering plants and such. The water may be a bit chilly at first so I'd let it sit.

But 1 gallon an hour of clean free water would help cut the water bill when watering plants.

That is a really good idea. Ours is not working quite right anyway and was dripping last year so I had a yogurt container under the edge of it.

[lucille]

We try to do without as much as possible. We try to use daylighting or shading of windows to cut down on heat coming in. We have also gotten good at figuring out what side of the house has cooler air and use ceiling fans & portable fans in windows. So far we have been surviving 80+ degree days without feeling real miserable yet.

[amyschiff]

thanks for all the suggestions!

[spencer]

I use my air conditioning only when I'm in the house, with the rare exceptions of very, very hot days.

[kangaroo]

Have you tried using a HEPA allergen remover? I got one for my bedroom and it's really helped my allergies. Of course it doesn't cool the air down and it's a bit noisy but anything that alleviates my allergies is great. I take 3 medications (Flonase, Claritin, Eye drops) so I feel your allergy pain.