Saving money on utility bills

nphx said:
I live in AZ and we installed some split air units in the rooms we use most often. Instantly cool/heat a room to comfort when home - off otherwise (you wont convince me on numbers to keep it on all day) .
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Interesting !

I saw this type of system on "This old House" once. They are a good solution for Northern folks with hot water heat.

Are they common in AZ ? I thought most folks in that region used evap units ?

How is the cost of operation compared to what you had ?
 
Split air conditioning systems are pretty cool and pretty easy to install. Condenser unit the size of a small suitcase sits outside, small blower unit mounts to the wall inside, drill a 3" hole in the wall to pass the wire/refrigerant lines through, plug everything in and the system self-pressurizes...although some states require a licensed HVAC guy to check for leaks and pressure levels.

Some of them have multiple inside blowers all hung to the same compressor.

Problem with split-airs is that while they're more powerful than a window unit and a lot easier to install than central, they're still pretty expensive. A refurb system with about 12000btu's is around a thousand bucks and a new system with enough kick to cool a small house is closer to 2k.

Really nice option for folks who have central air and need a little 'help' in a hot part of the house or to support a room/area addition.

Also, just for the record, I HATE evaporative (swamp) coolers. I live in the perfect region for one and for low cost, minimal cooling...they're just okay but bring a lot of problems with them. Every house i've looked at that had a swamp cooler installed had mildew and mold issues, rusty ducts, some dry rot. You have to leave a couple of windows open to prevent over humidification of the interior air. And its only a 10-15 degree drop in temperature and thats if you're sitting close to the blower. Not that helpful when its 105 degrees out.

Compared to the super high efficiency air conditioners available today, i'm not sure the much narrowed cost savings is really worth the problems.
 
One more thing about swamp coolers. They are a breeding ground for Legoinella disease. The bug likes 70-90 degree water and dirt. Both of which are found in large quanities in a swamp cooler. The only way I'd use one is with a chlorine puck from a swiming pool in the water basin. Of course then you get the fragrance of chlorine through your house.:D:D:D
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
Also, just for the record, I HATE evaporative (swamp) coolers. I live in the perfect region for one and for low cost, minimal cooling...they're just okay but bring a lot of problems with them. Every house i've looked at that had a swamp cooler installed had mildew and mold issues, rusty ducts, some dry rot. You have to leave a couple of windows open to prevent over humidification of the interior air. And its only a 10-15 degree drop in temperature and thats if you're sitting close to the blower. Not that helpful when its 105 degrees out.
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WOW :eek:

Thanks for that info. I'll remember that if I ever move to a dry climate !
 
We have no air conditioning in our home and we don't need it.
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I thought it got hot in Minnesota in the summer. Why don't you need AC?

I'm sitting here in front of a fire right now. It rarely gets above 60 degrees outside.

if you agreed to let your air-conditioner to cycle off
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So they put a radio-receiver on the power to your air conditioner, and cycle it on and off? Does the receiver verify that it is indeed turned off when they turn it off?
 
theoldwizard said:
WOW :eek:

Thanks for that info. I'll remember that if I ever move to a dry climate !
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We use a swamp cooler. It works great when it stays below 95. For us the month of July is a little painfull durring the day. But our nights are ussualy 70, which cools the house down to 60.

In Wyoming a swamp cooler was perfect day and night. In Colorado it is a little underpowered.

I find the humidity in the house to be Ohio like on a 70 degree day. I find it a little refreshing from the skin cracking dry colorado weather. I do give my guns an extra coat of oil durring the summer.

My year long total utility bills add up to $900/yr (heating, cooling, electric and gas)
 
Lake Superior, a big natural air conditioner
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IC, same idea here. Average summer and winter temps differ by less than 10 degrees.
 
Minneapolis does get hot and humid in the summer months. I can tolerate the heat but not the humidity. I know a few guys who actually would touch it up. They said they enjoy natural air instead of air-conditioned air.
 
Martha said:
We live by Lake Superior, a big natural air conditioner. It is about 50 degrees right now. For all I know, it could be 80 in Minneapolis.
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Right on the mark:) Yes, large bodies of water are great temperature moderators.
 
I need a new furnace. I am looking at wood boilers, or multi-fuel boilers (wood and oil). I'd like to investigate geothermal too. I live in New England, gets cold up here.

Anyone have a wood or multi fueled boiler?
 
theoldwizard said:
Ouch ! It's hard to believe that at 48" below grade (typical frost line) it could freeze.
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catching up on my posts after being gone for a few days when I found this.....

uh, it's called the 'frost line' because that's how far down the frost goes (i.e. depth of freeze).....if it didn't freeze that deep they'd give it different name. :D

Where I am currently stationed (in permafrost), the real question is depth of thaw, not freeze....
 
Not for everyone perhaps, but here's one idea: I am in the process of booting my ex-girlfriend due to various psychological, pharmacological, financial and other issues. I do expect I'll save on heating and (especially in FL) cooling. Oddly, she has to have it hotter in winter and cooler in summer than my tastes. Ahhhh, I can taste that lower electric bill already...
 
pedorrero said:
Not for everyone perhaps, but here's one idea: I am in the process of booting my ex-girlfriend due to various psychological, pharmacological, financial and other issues. I do expect I'll save on heating and (especially in FL) cooling. Oddly, she has to have it hotter in winter and cooler in summer than my tastes. Ahhhh, I can taste that lower electric bill already...
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One of the 65 in the summer, 75 in the winter crowd?:rolleyes:
 
We installed a geothermal open loop system at the lake house. The sales people cite a 7 year pay back. Need to have some place to dump the water ... being water front helped. Need to get my neighbor to disclose what he paid for propane heat (similar houses). Then I'll know if it was worth the added expense.

One cool part is "free" AC ... the process is reversed and cool air is circulated instead of heat.

FWIW, the house is in VT ... no backup (unless you count the wood stove) ... no problems (yet).
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
Split air conditioning systems are pretty cool and pretty easy to install. Condenser unit the size of a small suitcase sits outside, small blower unit mounts to the wall inside, drill a 3" hole in the wall to pass the wire/refrigerant lines through[...]
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I guess that's what we have. (Didn't know what they were called before, other than "aircons.")

Problem with split-airs is that while they're more powerful than a window unit and a lot easier to install than central, they're still pretty expensive. A refurb system with about 12000btu's is around a thousand bucks and a new system with enough kick to cool a small house is closer to 2k.
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Yeah, they are kind of expensive, but we only heat/cool one or two rooms at a time, so they are relatively efficient in that regard. Heating/cooling when you need it, and where you need it, only.
 
A "mini-split" is the proper name for the small system with a hang-on-the-wall fan coil.

Just "split system" by itself refers to the usual AC system where the compressor and condenser are outside, the evaporator is inside, and the two are connected by the suction and discharge lines. This is in contrast with a "packaged" system, which has compressor, condenser, and evaporator in one unit, and return and supply air are ducted to and from the unit.
 
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