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JZ
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Help needed!!!
My power bills are out of control here in Mexico! I think most of it is due to the AC's. Any heating and cooling experts out there?
The house is pretty big (3,100 sq foot) and has high ceilings. It has two AC's. One for the main house and 1 for the bedrooms. I have been trying
to run them at anywhere from 78-80 degrees, but the bills are still really high.
I'm thinking about getting a timer control to make the bedroom temps cool at night (78-79), but maybe 82 or so during the day. And the opposite for
the main part of the house (80 daytime, 82 night time).
I don't know much about AC units, so I need to ramp up my knowledge. I had an AC guy over today. We going to try and take some airflow from the
bathrooms and re-direct it to the bedrooms. I noticed the bathrooms were cooler than the bedrooms.
He said my units are 12 Seer (?). I'm wondering if replacing them with more efficient units would make a big difference in power consumption.
Any thoughts/suggestions?
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comitan
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JZ
It looks like you have efficient units, you have a big house, I think the only way would be to lower the settings. Just use fans at night, you will
just have to get used to the warmer climate if you want to lower your electric bills.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Roberto
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Sorry, no help from me. 
But, could you give an idea of how much "out of control" is?
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comitan
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JZ
SEER of 12 is good but they do go as high as 17 being the higher the number the more efficient.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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JZ
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Roberto
Sorry, no help from me.
But, could you give an idea of how much "out of control" is? |
$2,000 for two months!!!!
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jerry
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heck just get a window ac for the bedroom run it only at night or when you get a hot flash and say the hell with the rest
jerry and judi
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bajabound2005
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First and foremost, have your meter(s) checked. Secondly, add ceiling fans! 3100 sq ft is a lot to be cooling. Only cool what you need to, add
additional room (window) a/c as needed to cool only th eroom you need to cool. And lastly, where are you?
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JZ
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabound2005
First and foremost, have your meter(s) checked. Secondly, add ceiling fans! 3100 sq ft is a lot to be cooling. Only cool what you need to, add
additional room (window) a/c as needed to cool only th eroom you need to cool. And lastly, where are you? |
How can I have the meter checked? San Carlos, Sonora.
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JZ
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| Quote: | Originally posted by comitan
SEER of 12 is good but they do go as high as 17 being the higher the number the more efficient. |
I heard they go up to 19. The AC dude was suggesting to replace mine with a Carrier 5 ton 14.6 SEER.
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Dave
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Well, that explains everything.
| Quote: | Originally posted by JZ
San Carlos, Sonora. |
Seriously, 3100 sq ft-in the Sonoran desert-in the summer...What did you expect?
What is CFE charging per kwh? In Mexico, the more you use the more they charge.
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JZ
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Guess I was't thinking Dave. Yes, I understand there is a tiered billing system here. I'm going to start tracking my usage if I can figure out how
to read the meter.
My neighbor's house is probably 2,300, he has one AC, but his bill is more than half mine and he runs it on 80 all the time. Mine only runs about 1/2
to 2/3's of a month. I think his is more energy efficient then mine.
[Edited on 8-9-2006 by JZ]
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Dave
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Used to be that you could get 2nd service with an additional meter and split your use cost. But the CFE, at least here in Rosarito, got smart and
stopped that. Now, unless the billing is under a different name, they won't install additional service.
My advice is to add ceiling fans and only cool the bedrooms at night.
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tim40
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Is it possible that the meter is wayyyyy off? 1k/month is high by any standard and 12 seer is not exactly a power hog...unless it is having a
compressor issue. At that rate...you would be better off to move into a hotel room during the warmest days....yikes
When searching for the end of your rainbow you only have until dusk....
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JZ
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One more thing I forgot to add. The ceilings in the bedrooms are 11 foot and 16' in the main part of the house. Yes, another mistake!
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Diver
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So, lower the ceilings, add insulation, get "warm-window" blinds to cover the glass, paint the roof white, get more efficient cooling units, seal all
draft openings, turn off the bedrooms in the daytime, turn off the living rooms at night, maybe add a solar cooler..........
Now wait a minute !!
Who wanted a comfortable 3000+ square feet in the desert, anyway ??
You could always move to Alaska
.
Seriously though, seal all draft leaks, get GOOD insulated window coverings, see if you can add ceiling/roof insulation and make sure the roof color
is light. You may be able to add some rigid foam insulation to the ceiling and then re-stucco over it without much trouble. Also, check the wire and
breaker sizes to the AC units to make sure they are getting enough juice to run efficiently.
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Roberto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by JZ
$2,000 for two months!!!! |
Wow!
Here is what I would look into:
1. Ceiling fans MAY help. The hot air will get trapped at the top, and raise (upstairs?) sleeping quarter temps.
2. 3M has a reflective film that goes on the windows that really helps in keeping the temps of the glass down.
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bajabound2005
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| Quote: | Originally posted by JZ
My neighbor's house is probably 2,300, he has one AC, but his bill is more than half mine and he runs it on 80 all the time. Mine only runs about 1/2
to 2/3's of a month. [Edited on 8-9-2006 by JZ] |
Maybe he's running off your meter!
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dono
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We lived in a 3500 sq ft home in Los Barriles for 3 years and our biggest electric bill was about $200 a month and thats keeping the temp around 78*
one of the long term benefits of having an insulated home.
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Oso
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Roberto
| Quote: |
2. 3M has a reflective film that goes on the windows that really helps in keeping the temps of the glass down. |
I looked into this when building here (2 miles from Sonora border) and decided against it based on info that may or may not be technically correct. I
have low-E thermopane windows on the South and West sides, only one small window on the East. I was informed that installing the reflective film on
thermopane windows would heat the space between the panes to the point that it could blow the seals. (I've not heard of installing the film on the
outside of the window). Of course if it's an older house with single pane windows, the film sounds like a good idea. In this area, a lot of people
use a type of window screen that reflects sunlight and has a shading effect. I planted bouganvillea to shade the West windows.
BTW, we hit 116 a week ago. My wife is home all the time so we leave the thermostat around 75. I could probably save a few bucks setting it at 78,
but the divorce would probably be more expensive in the long run. So far, I haven't had an APS bill over $200, even in July. But then we have a bit
less than 1,200 SF, I did all my own insulation and have a 13.5 SEER heatpump. |
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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JZ
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Are you in the US or MX.
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