Any Advice About Maximizing Air Conditioner Efficiency?

[ruadisneyfan2]

I have no idea what diameter ducting I have. I just know the laws are pretty strict here on what you have to do when you replace HVAC. Pretty much you have to replace all ducting with super insulated ducts and then they have to leak test the installation..

That does add to the cost but I guess it's a good thing in the long run.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Also just throwing out there to everyone, my HVAC brother always tells me to hose down the sides of the outside compressor unit. Not where you see the big fan spinning up but where you see all those long thin fins of metal if you peek in along the sides. He says they accumulate debris (pollen, grass clippings, etc.) that reduce efficiency.
So every time I feel like watering our flowers by hand with the hose, I give it a good rinse and watch all the gunk wash away.

Another thing, our copper piping that ran from the outside compressor into the exterior wall that was very cold (and should be) had all of its black foam insulation kind of deteriorating so we got a scolding to replace that.

 

[Bree]

I live in FL....

We keep our A/C at the same temp all day/night. Our old house we kept it at 76. Our brand new house feels like an ice box at 78!

We have solar panels purchased with cash. My DH took care of it all so I have no clue the size of the system. All I know is that we have 12 large panels on our roof with plans to purchase more along with the Tesla battery.

 

[osopecoso]

I live in FL....

We keep our A/C at the same temp all day/night. Our old house we kept it at 76. Our brand new house feels like an ice box at 78!

We have solar panels purchased with cash. My DH took care of it all so I have no clue the size of the system. All I know is that we have 12 large panels on our roof with plans to purchase more along with the Tesla battery.

Where in Fl are you. We are starting to get quotes for solar panels. Plan on having them installed after hurricane season. We also plan on having a powerwall installed.

 

[tvguy]

That does add to the cost but I guess it's a good thing in the long run.

It can. Or it can't. Just depends on your ac unit, your usage patterns, your house and your climate.
My mom had an energy audit on her house, single pane windows, 40+ (at the time) ac and heating system.
Independent contract put together a proposal and estimate, THEN looked up her usage patterns from her utility companies. Calculated it would take 150 years for her to break even just from replacing the a/c and heating, so it made no sense to replace until the unit died. I sold the house with that then 53 year old system, and the new owners are still using it at 57 years old.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It can. Or it can't. Just depends on your ac unit, your usage patterns, your house and your climate.
My mom had an energy audit on her house, single pane windows, 40+ (at the time) ac and heating system.
Independent contract put together a proposal and estimate, THEN looked up her usage patterns from her utility companies. Calculated it would take 150 years for her to break even just from replacing the a/c and heating, so it made no sense to replace until the unit died. I sold the house with that then 53 year old system, and the new owners are still using it at 57 years old.

I was only referring to your comment that CA is strict about installing new ductwork when installing a new unit. That would add to the cost vs. a newer home that has more modern ducts that don't need updating.

 

[dreiwhit]

AC is pretty much a necessity around here and I am in MD. I couldn't imagine in lower parts of the US.

I live in Alabama, and I think this state would be uninhabitable without A/C. Houses now are no longer designed for not having A/C, i.e., tall ceilings, transom windows that open. Growing up, we had A/C at home, but none in our vehicles. We did have it in the school I went to, when it didn't break down (which was frequent), but the gym was not air conditioned. As i've gotten older and fatter, with A/C at work, at home and in the vehicles, I find that the heat bothers me more than it used to. I'm not used to it anymore.

As far as efficiency, our compressor fan recently went out in our heat pump. While talking to the A/C repair man, I asked him on average how long do the units last. He said about 12-15 years, which puts our 12 year old system in the danger zone. He did tell me that the newer systems use a different type of freon and are more efficient, cooling better for less electricity.

My wife has an uncle that spent the extra money for a geothermal system when he built his house. He said it works great and his power bills run $75 during the heat of summer. He keeps his A/C set lower as well.

Other tips are to have trees in your front and back yards that block the sun. One tip that I've been told is that if you are buying or building a house, look for one that does not face the east or west. Have the shortest sides of the building face east and west so that most of the outside of your house isn't heated by the sun.

 

[tvguy]

I was only referring to your comment that CA is strict about installing new ductwork when installing a new unit. That would add to the cost vs. a newer home that has more modern ducts that don't need updating.

The testing is required with all HVAC replacements. Age of the house isn't a factor.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The testing is required with all HVAC replacements. Age of the house isn't a factor.

I didn't mean to imply that. It's simply a matter of building codes changing over the years and newer homes are built to code but older homes need updating if they need to stay up to code. The cost of that is on the homeowner.

 

[Bete]

Clean filters and clean A/C is step one. Checking your freon levels is step two

If you have a high capacity A/C for the size of your house you can usually run it at a higher temperature. If you have a small A/C for the size of your house then you have to have it at lower temperatures. This has to do with BTUs of your unit and the square footage of your house.

What some people are starting to do is use a window A/C in one room and camping out there most of the time. Of course, it can't be in a wide open room. Then, you keep one room very cool to your liking and raise the temperature for the rest of the house.

Maintain your system. Have your condenser and compressor checked.

 

[tvguy]

Clean filters and clean A/C is step one. Checking your freon levels is step two

If you have a high capacity A/C for the size of your house you can usually run it at a higher temperature. If you have a small A/C for the size of your house then you have to have it at lower temperatures. This has to do with BTUs of your unit and the square footage of your house.

What some people are starting to do is use a window A/C in one room and camping out there most of the time. Of course, it can't be in a wide open room.
Then, you keep one room very cool to your liking and raise the temperature for the rest of the house.

Maintain your system. Have your condenser, compressor, capi

Thanks to well placed trees, my mom didn't use much a/c. The family room and kitchen were open to each other and could be closed off with doors, so in the winter mom just used a space heater to keep those 2 rooms warm, moved it into the bathroom when she showered, and used only her electric blanket in the bedroom. The laundry room, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms and living room weren't heated unless people were coming over and she was going to be using those areas.

 

[cruisnfamily]

http://www.fplblog.com/energy-effic...g-it-at-the-same-temperature-which-is-better/

 

[MillauFr]

I live in Alabama, and I think this state would be uninhabitable without A/C.

Somehow people managed to live there before A/C became common place.

 

[PatMcDuck]

All I can chime in on is the unbelievable value in getting a new HVAC system. We live in NJ. Our system was builder original, about 18 years old. It was working, but our electric bills went to $600+ (!!!) a month in the summer. Then we went into a program from NJNG, our gas company. Replaced furnace, AC, water heater, insulated attic, vented the dryer. The concept of the program is that they do $15,000 in work, you only pay $10,000, the other 5 is a grant. And you pay it interest free, on your gas bill, it is about $83 or something a month.

ANyWAY, the outcome is, we went from $600+ a month to about $200. I never, ever would have thought that was possible.

I leave mine on 73.

 

[usfbull]

I have my a/c set to go up/down based on when I'm home, sleeping, etc. Thankfully it's a nice unit that lets me do that.

I also never go below 73-74. Yes, I live in Florida. No, it's not that hot. Occasionally it gets a little stuffy but I'm also not home that much, I'm either working, at Disney, etc. lol.

 

[tvguy]

All I can chime in on is the unbelievable value in getting a new HVAC system. We live in NJ. Our system was builder original, about 18 years old. It was working, but our electric bills went to $600+ (!!!) a month in the summer. Then we went into a program from NJNG, our gas company. Replaced furnace, AC, water heater, insulated attic, vented the dryer. The concept of the program is that they do $15,000 in work, you only pay $10,000, the other 5 is a grant. And you pay it interest free, on your gas bill, it is about $83 or something a month.

ANyWAY, the outcome is, we went from $600+ a month to about $200. I never, ever would have thought that was possible.

I leave mine on 73.

If you have high rates even small energy savings can add up. I am curious about how your house was set up without the dryer being vented? Not sure how that would even be up to code and passed inspection when it was built.

 

[EveDallas]

Somehow people managed to live there before A/C became common place.

People also used to drive horse drawn covered wagons. Progress is awesome.

 

[dreiwhit]

Somehow people managed to live there before A/C became common place.

Yes, however before A/C, buildings around here were designed for cooling. Very high ceilings, house ventillation fans, and transoms that opened are one example. The best example is a ring of gas jets in a central rotunda area below exterior windows. As the gas burned, it pulled air from the rest of the building, creating a heavy draft.

Also, a lot of folks lived in rural areas, away from the concrete, asphalt and steel of the city. From my experience, it feels quite a bit cooler once you get away from cities and into the country.

We recently had our compressor fan go bad. At 80 degrees inside, my house was uninhabitable.

 

[Anthony1971]

I don't think there any one answer... every AC tech has a different opinion on the best way of settings...what does help is: Keep your filter clean(change it), clean the compressor fins at least once a year use soap and water let it sit than hose it down. The rest depends on your house and your self.. some houses feel cold at 78 some at 68.. if your house is well insulated has good windows has shade it can make a huge difference, but feeling hot with a $100 bill is a bad use of money if it costs you 120 to feel cool... I have my method after 12 years of having central air it works for us... I always undersize my compressor and oversize the air handler IE 2 1/2 ton with a 3 ton blower unit... it makes the unit run longer to take out the humidity as we live in a not so hot area and many people do this... 80 out with 90% humidity.. no problem if I had a matched system it may run for 30 minutes leaving the system off all day and you still feel hot.. do what works best for you...

 

[NotUrsula]

Somehow people managed to live there before A/C became common place.

True enough, but their lives were a bit different. For one thing, they were used to it. You have to gradually acclimate to heat in order to deal with it without health consequences: jump in too quick and it flattened travellers just as badly then as it does now.

They also were not living in modern suburban-style homes with black roofs, low ceilings, and not nearly enough windows. It also was generally not as consistently hot 80 years ago (though of course there WERE heat waves sometimes).

I live in the midwest now. My home was built in 1934. The brick walls are a full foot thick, the ceilings are 10 feet high, and we have at least 4 large windows in every room, and mature shade trees near the house. We also have an attic fan that is 4 ft. in diameter; it pulls enough air to make the cats' fur stand on end even downstairs. You can vent out this house pretty nicely when you need to, but we still can't get it lower than about 85 when the summer temps soar past 95, which it now does here for most of the summer months. There has been central A/C in the house since 1966, and yes, we use it. The whole place would be moldy if we didn't, since we can't leave the windows full open all day with no one home. (Another change. Back when a housewife or farm family were home all day, you could leave all the windows open and keep the heat from really building up.)

FWIW, we keep the house at 77 in summer, and at 70 in winter when we're more heavily dressed. We also have and use thick drapes, too.