hydro one

HappyHomesteader · Post by **HappyHomesteader** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 3:11 pm

I get a lot started/done before your up lol

Post by **poultry_admin** » Sat May 28, 2016 9:19 am

Thought I share my 2 day experience with central AC...

Month before AC: 37kWh usage per day on average.
Full day with AC: 62kWh usage.

So now the question to me is: Is it possible to reduce the total cost by "super cooling" the house over night when rates are cheap, then "limp" through the day and cool again in the evening with cheap rates?

Testing started.... lol.
during the 1 to 2pm time frame in the pic below, I have raised the temp by 1deg C. House took two hours to raise that temp. We had 31 deg outside yesterday...

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sat May 28, 2016 9:35 am

You mean run AC only during off peak hours??

Let me know how it works out. The AC was on a lot yesterday. It was so hot and humid. I find if we leave AC off during the day our home rises 6-8 degrees during the day and it takes hours of constant AC running to bring it back down. I left windows open the other day and the house got to 79. Despite all our trees the house takes on sun all day. Good in the winter, but sucks kahonas in the summer. We even have tint on our windows in the front room with the massive windows, but the house heats up soooooo quickly it's frustrating. Definitely not designed with heating and cooling in mind 28 years ago.

I'll be watching for your feedback!

redninja · Post by **redninja** » Sat May 28, 2016 10:51 am

I guess we're lucky. We've never used AC. Open windows at night, close during the day. We do have lots of trees shading the house and past any open space, like the pond, is all forest. Those long stretches of high heat I do resort to a fan.
Hydro costs...when hatching etc my costs are about 180 a month. Winter months its about 145.

ross · Post by **ross** » Sat May 28, 2016 11:06 am

Any idea what your window air cost per day Martin and how temps were ? What temp you set at .

Post by **poultry_admin** » Sat May 28, 2016 12:08 pm

I wish I had the meter in for the window air conditioner. I had a different power meter in at the time that gave me the wattage only, not kWh like the Hydro One meter did. So I can't say for sure. But since it's plugged in a normal outlet it doesn't draw more than 1.8kW. Kept the living room nice and cool as well.

But it's also not a fair comparison. We had the window AC only in the living room and it didn't cool the entire house...

We still have the windows open at night and I am keeping them open as long as possible in the morning at the moment. My test is going to be turning the AC on in the morning when I get up at 6 instead of 9 and making a freezer out of the house.... Hopefully that works...

I'll let you know.

ross · Post by **ross** » Sat May 28, 2016 12:26 pm

That's what we do here cept we have a 1 1/2 story house & put a 5000 btu in window upstairs ( no one sleeping there )
The cool air comes down stairs & replaces hot / humid air plus we have furnace fan on to circulate thru rooms . We turn off & open windows at nite , then turn on at 9am again . House built in 1878 no insulation upgrade just plastic siding . It wouldn't hold over night . Keeps our bdrm ,large country bath room , large kitchen , living rm & 8/8 laundry rm just nice . Tried a 10,000 btu & coulda hung a beef in there . Luck

Post by **poultry_admin** » Sat May 28, 2016 3:50 pm

I tried that setup in our house for a while, too. Didn't work even with having a fan in the upstairs bedroom to push the cold air out. Furnace fan made little difference, the cold air return from there is a long way through the house and didn't suck a lot out of that room. When it fell down the stairs it kept going to the basement and didn't get up into the living room again.
So then we had two going (both 10kBTU). One in bedroom and one in living room. Until I figured out that the one in bedroom was over sized and not running long enough to be working well. Plus the nights were cool most of the time anyways and sleeping with a window shaker is not easy for us. We live in the country because we like quiet...
And then now the furnace had to be changed anyways. Perfect opportunity to get the AC figured out as well. Have the right guys here anyways and they give you a deal if you do both at the same time.
But since I am cheap I am now trying to reduce the running cost. $6 per day is a bit much for me. And when I have the rates in front of me with off peak 8cents, peak 18 cents. I figure I can run the thing twice as long in the hour while off peak and still pay less than when on peak. Plus, the ambient outside is cooler anyways, so it should be able to turn the house into a meat freezer, and then keep it there on mid rate and let it come up in temperature on high peak rate. Evening, I make it comfortable again...
There are obviously comfort limits. I am sure DW is going to complain when the AC gets the house down to 15 in the morning...

I'll also do a few runs where I just let the temperature come up during the mid day. See if there is a difference in cost and comfort.
Got all summer. Will be a warm one...

ross · Post by **ross** » Sat May 28, 2016 4:04 pm

Yep better to be smaller than to large .We originally 20 yrs ago had a used 10k upstairs . Made the house like a meat freezer . Always hard to explain that to customers when selling / installing pool heaters .Bigger isn't always better . Keep us posted man . Luck

Poultryprincess · Post by **Poultryprincess** » Sat May 28, 2016 9:09 pm

Ha ha ha ha ~ sounds like everyone else is living in the lap of "Luxury"!!

We live in 1870 1 1/2 storey farmhouse, empty about 10 yrs before we bought it
( had been expropriated in the 70's for airport that Never happened )

No hydro so basement flooded every spring until everything was mush.
F/A Oil Furnace estimate was Over $5,000 not counting new ducts.
We decided on a small 18 ft above ground pool, & One wall mount AC

5,000 btu AC in the LR with a curtain to close everything off from the rest of the house.
When it's Really hot, I sleep in the LR without the AC, but ceiling fan going.

Fortunate to average about $150 a month, but in a hot summer it can goes up to $170
Have "Nevah" thought about AC elsewhere.
I'm hoping "one day" to live off the grid ( or close to )
NO sense getting used to AC all the time.

Maybe I can come for a visit...sounds Delightful @ your place - LOL