Home owner question dealing with electricity....

[Tonyscoots84]

Hey guys another question for those who know....

My question is which is better to do. (I changed my thermostat to the insteon wireless thermostat so i can control with my home automation setup and receive alerts if house gets to hot or to cold)

Option A

Turning central ac on 72 when away and when i get home turning it down to 70.

Option B

This option seems crazy to me but here it is

Turning central ac on 78 when away and when i got home turning it down to 70. (this option seems like it would cost me a fortune)

Also a few things to note... I have just replaced my entire HVAC system to an energy efficient york system single stage @ 13 seer and a 3 and 1/2 ton coil with a 95% efficient heating system.

Also i am in the process of making this house a smart home little by little...

Have been changing lights a little at at time when the cree bulbs are on sale. Im at about 60% less vs other bulbs in my home....

BTW the tank has nothing to do with this . i ran the numbers and it cost me about 20 bucks a month to run in electric...

Thanks everyone :grouphug: :groupflip

 

[albano]

Both options will cause global warming! Air conditioned 78* is more than cool enough when you're home!...do you keep the heat at 70* during the winter or do you need 80*+?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Lol alfie. 70-72 in the winter but i dont want swamp a$$ when im home in the summer....

 

[Tonyscoots84]

also i work in the solar industry so most of my time is spent outdoors during work hours

 

[Mattl22]

78 is no where near cool enough!!

 

[Paul B]

Mine is also automated. I turn everything off when I am out, and when I come home my wife tells me that she is to hot or to cold and I automatically adjust the temperature (or throw out the garbage)
I also installed solar power on my house and I also installed a condensing boiler that saves me about $4,000.00 a year in heating costs compared to my old oil burner.

 

[1UCKY]

I have a thermostat that sets itself automatically to "away" when I'm not home (coldest set to 50 and hottest set to 90). My place never goes beyond 80 when I'm not home. I recently replaced my whole HVAC system along with a new Nest thermostat so I don't know how it'll do in the winter time. It automatically turns on when I get home and cools to 77 (has built in motion sensor).

 

[Tonyscoots84]

wow thats insane guys. My ac is set to 72 all day long

 

[albano]

It automatically turns on when I get home and cools to 77 (has built in motion sensor).

The 'planet' thanks you! :cheekkiss

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Im getting solar installed next week. The planet will thank me as well

 

[1UCKY]

The 'planet' thanks you! :cheekkiss

:biglaugh:

 

[1UCKY]

wow thats insane guys. My ac is set to 72 all day long

That'll definitely run your bill up. That's what I had my old unit running at since it wouldn't cool my place all that well (mercury thermostat, lol);. My electric bill was always over $400 and winter was a little higher.

 

[Marek-S]

I don't have any of the hi-tech AC thermostat , so I can't play with different temp settings when I'm not home - but usually 76 does it for me

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I don't have any of the hi-tech AC thermostat , so I can't play with different temp settings when I'm not home - but usually 76 does it for me

Thats what it was last year for me too. Just got june to july bill 198 bucks. Im happy . Still not done changing all my lighting to leds n changing my bedroom tv from lcd to led. Wife likes it on for an extra 1hr n half :sigh:.....

 

[piranhapat]

I keep my temp at 75 all time and 77 when away and just got my new bill $427. I was expecting a lower bill since AC really not on and been a cool summer. Especially at night in 60's.

 

[masterswimmer]

Im getting solar installed next week. The planet will thank me as well

Did you purchase the solar panels? Lease them? Pay for install or is it free? How long is your contract if you leased them? Details my friend

 

[NewfiDog]

Tony it depends how long your going to leave the 8 degree swing. Usually once you pass 6 degree swing for 6 or more hours it ends up costing you more money. You can find all the studies done on this on line. Heat or cool if your looking at an 8-12 hour work day make the swing more like 4-6 degrees. I know some people will disagree but it has been proven.

 

[albano]

I keep my temp at 75 all time and 77 when away and just got my new bill $427. I was expecting a lower bill since AC really not on and been a cool summer. Especially at night in 60's.

Way too cold ... 78* should be fine when you're home and 80* when you're out... According to NYSEG each degree less will add a few percentage points to your bill. 3* higher could save about 10%

 

[Tonyscoots84]

russ i leased for 25 years i got a great great deal which i can't talk about. Employee pricing .... it cost me nothing out of pocket and i will be saving a bunch of money. Using a roof that i don't use hmmmm..... Why not :biggrin:

 

[Tonyscoots84]

newfidog i think the same way as its def. a waste to have the ac run much longer and harder to bring down a temp from lets say 78 - 72 rather then keep it stable at 72 all day long. i might be raising it to 74 after i buy a clip on fan for my sump.