Blog

My air conditioner caused a rise in my energy costs

It’s no secret that Phoenix is located in the middle of a desert; the city is known as the Valley of The Sun. Naturally, it should be hot there given that it is in the middle of the desert. Furthermore, you will need to get used to the dry heat in Phoenix. Even though many of us have developed a love for the heat and even discovered ways to cope with it, there are times when it gets to be too much to bear. One of the hottest months on record since 1896 occurred a couple of Summers ago. The hottest month of the year is typically July, with an average temperature of 96 degrees. The temperature reached triple digits for more than 50 days in August two years ago, though. No words can even begin to convey how miserable it was outside; to say that the temperatures were extreme would be an understatement. Naturally then. I regrettably noticed the increased usage on my utility bill because I spent the majority of that month indoors in the air conditioning. In fact, I ran my air conditioner so frequently that Summer that it increased my energy bill by almost $30 a month. I maintain a thermostat setting of 76 degrees during the summer when the average high is 96 degrees. Therefore, if I try to run my air conditioner at 76 degrees while the outside temperature rises to 110 degrees, I will use a lot more energy to try to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Therefore, even though I paid significantly more because I used more energy that Summer, I’m glad I have air conditioning because I’m not sure how I would have survived the summer in Phoenix without it.

 

hvac system replacement Phoenix Arizona

Way too hot at grandmothers for the holidays

I know I have an uncle that is always trying to sneak windows and doors open

My grandparents somehow worked out a deal that they get free gas in their Oregon home. Since all their heating equipment is gas operated, it is just brutal in the wintertime. Yes, as you get older your circulation goes down a bit. However, I feel my grandparents abuse their free gas. When they have the whole family over for the holidays in Hillsboro OR, I dress like I am going to the beach. I wear a dress or shorts and a tank top for the meal. It has to be almost 85 degrees inside the house. Figure you have my grandmother cooking a lot of hot dishes, a ton of people adding body heat and the heating system is on full power. They must set the heater to 80 degrees. Everyone is sweating the whole holiday meal. Even my grandmother brings a dishrag with her to mop her face. We don’t need that much heating. It actually would be comfortable to have no heat. I would think with the food and people we would make up for it. Also, my grandmother’s heater could get a break for once. It takes a long time to run a heater and it’s a big task. I know I have an uncle that is always trying to sneak windows and doors open. Outside it is in the -30s and the wind comes whipping in with snow. That is a better solution than dealing with the severe heat and stuffiness inside of the house however. It is nice that we all get together, but I think we should vote on what the thermostat is set to when we visit in Hillsboro.
air conditioner repair Hillsboro OR

Having a handy guy is amazing

I am so thankful that my husband is handy. I feel that is worth more than how he looks or is built. A handy guy around the house is so great. We used to live in a really crappy apartment in Indiana. It wasn’t so bad with him around. My dryer would break down every few months and he would fix it for me. It took him about an hour and 20 dollars in parts and my dryer would be back up and running. He fixed an outdoor light with a wiring issue. He also got my oven to work again and the dishwasher to no longer leak. Frequently our Indiana apartment AC system was a mess. It would sometimes refuse to turn on. My husband would change the air filter, use an air compressor to blow out the dirt, muck out the condensate drain, all sorts of things. He would get it on and run again. There was a time that the AC just wasn’t cold enough. He started looking into getting a certification to be able to handle refrigerants. At first that is what he thought the problem was. Then he realized our outdoor unit was at an angle. He bought some blocks and leveled the unit so the refrigerant no longer pooled to one side. After that, the AC system worked great and we had cold air. The next tenant after us must have been in for a rude awakening. The place was in shambles and the landlord did nothing. However, I have a handy man and it wasn’t a problem for me at all.

air conditioning Evansville IN

Not a fan of ductwork in my Missouri home

I am not a fan of ductwork or utilizing HVAC equipment that has it.

  • Furnace are a no since they connect to ductwork.

I don’t want a central HVAC unit either. I won’t even go the high velocity AC path for my Missouri home. Yes I know that ductwork is bendy and smaller, but it is still ducts in the walls and ceiling of the home. No ductwork in my Lee’s Summit home. Why do I have such a firm stance? Ductwork is awful. Its only purpose is to provide whole home temperature control. With a ductless mini split you can just add indoor air handlers to every room. Every room can have the same temperature if you want. Who wants every room to be heated and cooled the same though? I know when I cook in the kitchen I want more AC than my husband does working in his office. I don’t want to waste energy providing HVAC in the laundry room and guest bedroom that has no one in there. Central HVAC just doesn’t make sense. When you own ductwork, it is quite a bit of care too. First, you never really know how clean it is. The HVAC unit sucks up a lot of gross stuff. The air filter catches some of the dust, dirt and hair. But some of it makes it into the HVAC and eventually into the ductwork. The only way to remove this is with special ductwork cleaning. Even using a vacuum ot suck it out can damage your ducts. A microscopic hole can cause a significant jump in energy bills. A tear along the seam means that all that air is leaking outside and being wasted. Then you are on the hook for ductwork sealing. Another expense for something that isn’t worth it when you live in Lee’s Summit, MO.

 

central air conditioning maintenance Lees Summit MO