Frugal Village Forums banner

Turning on the AC??

Tags
turning
2K views 16 replies 16 participants last post by  The Muse 
#1 ·
Do you have a date or temperature set before you will turn it on?? Do you think you can stick to it or have you already turned it on?? I am asking as i don't have central air, we just have window units to turn on. Since we moved in the winter we have not put them in and trying to hold off till June 1st before we put them in as it will just be a temptation to turn them on. We have been over 90 here already and the humidity is 10000000%....lol.
 
#2 ·
I go by pollen count rather than temperature. Temp wise we could go quite a while before turning it on but we just can't deal with the high pollen days.
 
#3 ·
I turn mine on if it gets to 80F or higher in the house. It's very humid here and that's the point where I get very uncomfortable and my rash starts to break out.

Friends of mine use window units, but they only turn them on for the rooms they are in at the time. So the one downstairs runs during the day, and at night they only cool the bedroom, not the whole house. They shut the doors to other rooms that are not in use.
 
#4 ·
i turn it on when it gets to 85. we have a dog and she starts to pant.
 
#5 ·
Mine has been going since March and will go pretty much non-stop until around November. If the temp in my house gets above 68*, central A/C comes on. I refuse to be uncomfortable and love it to be really cool.
 
#6 ·
We've already had to turn ours on for like 3 days last month! Hubby wants the AC on when it gets to the high 80's. Especially when it's humid! Shoot! We've had to use our pellet stove this past week because it was so cool and damp. We've never had to use it this late in the spring. Usually we turn it off at the end of April and it stays off till the end of Oct. weird weather we're having.
 
#7 ·
well there are 2 of us that have asthma so im kinda worried about that. I live in east texas so it is getting hot and humid here pretty fast. Dh hours are cut so we are cutting where we can.
 
#8 ·
we don't have a specific date to start using our window a/c units. I'll start them up when the inside temps are getting above 80 AND it gets humid. We've had some real scorchers already, but the humidity wasn't all that bad, so fans and dark rooms took care of the problem for the most part. I'm hoping to use mine as little as possible this year to reduce our electric bill, since rates are going up again and DH's job is looking more and more iffy...
 
  • Like
Reactions: freebs
#9 ·
~My personal highest comfort level temperature is 92*. My daughter, however, starts to melt at 84*. So we turned the air on 3 times in April also.
We have one large window unit for our entire 800 sq. ft rancher. I tend to set it at 50% power at 76* and we're very cool.
Other money saving strategies I use are:
1. I check the hour by hour forecast at weather.com and use it to plan when to turn the ac on and off each day. I plan to turn the ac on when the outside temp rises above 88* and off when the outside temp drops below 80*. I like to have a clear 'this time to this time' plan or I'll forget it's running and waste money.
2. Let in the cool night air and then shut the house up tight early in the morning.
3. Use drapes to keep out the midday/afternoon sun.
4. I shut up my bedroom(west-facing) while the ac is running. I also keep closet doors and cabinets closed so there's no wasted cool air.
5. I turn off heat producing electronics during the warmest part of the day. I try to keep the tv, computer and appliances off(at the power strip!) from 9am-6pm.
6. Eat/drink frozen stuff. Homemade popsicles and ice water really do a good job if you have one or two every hour.
7. Plan to be away from home on crazy hot days. Look at the forecast and make a date to visit a friend or go thrifting in an ac'd shop. Go to the library! You may even be able to volunteer somewhere that has ac. Make a list now so you're prepared when the heat wave comes.
 
#10 ·
I am in Houston Texas and it is already very hot and humid here. I think we are even past ANY days of opening the windows. I keep the central a/c on 80 degrees during the day. All blinds, curtains, etc. are closed all day long.

I am in my office most of the day and I have a small 110 window unit. It is set on energy saver and 76 degrees. It keeps my office around 78 or 79. I am sweating as I type this! I do most of my house work early in the morning.

I also have ceiling fans in most rooms that are turned on when someone is IN that room. I am cringing at the thought of what my next electricity bill will be. I will know in about a week.
 
#11 ·
We already had a few days of triple digit weather and it is suppose to be really warm this weekend! I try to go as long as I can without turning the AC on....as a general rule when it reaches 100 degrees outside the AC goes on. We don't get the extreme humidity that a lot of you do and we have ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and the family room so the house stays fairly cool.
 
#12 ·
I can handle the heat better during the day - but at night I really sleep better when it is cooler. Our bedroom AC died and we will be replacing it soon. No sleep makes both of us cranky!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: freebs
#13 ·
We have had ours on 2 days so far. We had a couple of 80 degree days about 2 weeks ago and we live in a tin can(mobile home) so it was heating up pretty good and I had to use the oven. We try to open the windows early in the morning and let the cool breeze work its magic. But once the sun hits the south side the air comes on, if we are home. I also have allergy induced Asthma and it controls the climate inside sometimes.We used to have central air but when we got a new furnace 3 years ago the new one was not compatible with the central air so we had to buy window units, we have a small one in our bedroom and a big one in the dining room that takes care of most of the house. At least I know it's not running while I'm gone like the central air did.

Cat
 
  • Like
Reactions: freebs
#15 ·
We put ours in a couple of weeks ago when we had a few 90 degree days. Just put the one in downstairs yesterday morning. I put them in when I can't stand it any more...don't really care what the date is. :yes:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top