When do you turn the AC on?

[boefixepa]

I am sure there are those lucky people out there that never have to worry about turning their AC on. I wish I were you.

Now, I'm a die hard. I don't turn my AC on until I am sweating in the house and the fans are not cutting it. Since I was born and raised in Houston Texas that's pretty high! Unless I really moving and cleaning I'm alright until the outside temps break into the high 90's. I can stand nights well with a fan in the room too.

What's making me ask this is that there are people who are already running their swap coolers and ACs!! It's just starting to break into the mid 80's?!? I mean....really...do people like to pay the electric company?

Even before I got on this kick I was careful?

Have we gotten out of the habit of acclimating our bodies to where we live? As a rule of thumd AC doesn't come on until 90 and heater doesn't come on until 50? What do you do in your house/homes? I know those with kids might have to be more sensitive to their needs, but really.....AC when it's 85 out? ---- That means it's maybe 75-80 in the house?

What are your rules?

[sweeps]

I run the AC when it gets in the 80s. Some people run the AC instead of opening the windows due to allergies. I just do it because I'm a lot more comfortable with the AC on.

[flash]

Sore point with DH and me! I think open windows, air out the house, get the breeze. He keeps the house one temp, whether it means turning on AC or heat. His theory is that the house resting temperature, with insulation and all, is cheaper to maintain than to let it cycle naturally.

Anyone else have an opinion/experience?

[34saving]

For me it's more about the dew point and the predicted high. If the dew points are upper 60s/ low 70s the air conditioning will come on with a high of 85. If the dew points are okay I'll usually be okay to a high of 90. It's rare when the AC stays on for several days in a row. (Of course, here in MN the cooling season is only about 2 months long, so we don't have to worry quite as much as those of you in Texas )

[Ima saver]

I left Fla. because I could not stand the heat! I will sit in the house with 2 sweaters on and keep the heat down to 60, but I cannot stand to be hot. I get sick when it is hot. So, I keep my air conditioning set at about 73. However, I have not had to turn it on this year, so far. I am in the mountains, so it is still cool here, about 62 right now.
I love it when i don't have to run either one, the heat or the a/c!!

[eisor]

We turn the AC on at my house every Sunday and Thursday because we have bible study. But, other than that, it is usually fans. During the dead heat of summer, usually July, the AC stays on. It just gets WAY to hot. Windows aren't an option because the air quality here in Atlanta is so poor during the summer. We have smog alerts and when it gets bad they warn the elderly and children not to spend time outside.

At my BF's he hasn't turned the AC on yet. He didn't turn the heat on all winter. He uses fans instead (space heater in the winter). I don't think he plans on putting the AC on at all. The only problem is that he has to watch his roommate. Sometimes he will come home and it will be on (and his roommate won't even be home!!) But, it hasn't happened too often.

[poundwise]

It varies. Depending on how much sun the house is getting and what I/we are doing while at home. Typically, I'd say when the outside temp hits 85 we run the A/C at least part of the day. Lately, we've hardly run it at all because the temps are mild. I much prefer this time of year; windows opened, fans on, and power bill down!

[boefixepa]

I live in Utah now, so at least I don't have to deal with humitity like I did when I lived in Texas, but with electricity being sooo expensive now I'm waiting as long as humanly possible to resort to the AC. My poor puppies are having to suffer more than I....I think it's about Spring bath time for them....time to get rid of those winter coats!!

[Tree0164]

Originally Posted by flash

Sore point with DH and me! I think open windows, air out the house, get the breeze. He keeps the house one temp, whether it means turning on AC or heat. His theory is that the house resting temperature, with insulation and all, is cheaper to maintain than to let it cycle naturally.

Anyone else have an opinion/experience?

I think we are married to the same man.

We have central a/c and I would rather open the windows for fresh air but DH has the a/c as soon as it hits 80 degrees. No need for it at that point.

[Lori63]

Rarely-unless we have a streak of 90+ days. We have an attic fan that cools the house down at night, ceiling fans, a nice shaded deck, and a basement that stays cooler. I am too cheap to use it much.

[ski]

Sore point with DH and me! I think open windows, air out the house, get the breeze. He keeps the house one temp, whether it means turning on AC or heat. His theory is that the house resting temperature, with insulation and all, is cheaper to maintain than to let it cycle naturally

.

OMG are you living in my world? My dh does the same thing. I love the windows open and ceiling fans running, hate the AC.

It only gets up to the low 90"s where I live a few days a year. I guess, when it is hot at night and we can't sleep well, that is when it goes on.

[markio26]

i turn it on when it reaches high degree days... like 90 and above.. other than that, we open the windows on the south side in the morning.. and close them in the afternoon... and then it keeps the house cool.. we alternate windows the following day and create an air flow of cool air where it is needed.. our 2 and 1/2 car garage is attached to the front of the house and it keeps the master br, bath, utility room pretty cool on hot days.. so, we move from room to room as needed... i have a mini office in the garage and go out there on hot days too.. we have a 3rd bathroom there..

[PrincessPerky]

I vote for fresh air over AC, but I am much more comfortable with higher temps and air motion , than simply keeping it cooler.

Course saying that, I apparently have allergies , but I still have the windows open...Maybe this year I should have made the exception!

Anyway the turn on point is July 4th at the earliest for the most part. Cause no one can sleep thru the fireworks....When on it is set at 80 degrees, and we have fans on.. I just can't stand to pay for it any hotter, but I do leave the house and head for the pool as often as possible.

[abowers]

I grew up without A/C, just oscillating fans and window fans later on. When we moved here last summer, it was in the 90's and we are on the 5th floor of a 12 floor building -- it got hot. we turned on the a/c. Turning it off even for a couple hours made the apartment hot again. No circulation, because we only have one big window in the living room, and one window in the bedroom, no cross breeze.

Can't wait til we move to the new apartment (same town) in July -- where it wil be much more home-like, and we will be on the ground level, and have a yard, and windows on all sides of the apartment! we don't plan on using the a/c there much if we can get a cross-breeze.

[Bargainacious]

When the outside temp is above 80 or inside above 75.

We have poorly insulated el-cheapo walls. The thermometer on the AC is also on crack. Sometimes if it's set at 78-80, it cuts in when it's 70, other times it has to get to 80 before it does. Sometimes, it just whirrs and whirrs and seems to forget what to do. Then we have to turn it off, let it rest, re-set the breaker and start again.

This is in a GA Power "good cents" apt (good cents for them maybe!), with poor construction and an inefficient AC unit. The filters I use are Merv 12, high efficiency and I change them every month. I can't wait to get a Brick house with energy efficient appliances!

[boefixepa]

I understand the apartment thing...when I was in my 800-1000 SF apartment my electrical bill was 50% more ($140-$180) than my 1800 SF house now is($80-$100).....Go figure....same town too.

[Tightwad Kitty]

At the moment it's autumn (fall) here. I turned my A/C off at the switch in March this year. When the daytime temperature went under 32C (90F). I will not use again this winter as it s reverse cycle until it get below 10C (50F) and raining. I like to run my Summer A/C at 25C (78F) when my house equals the outside temperature of over 34C (92F). I mainly run it in a Heatwave when the temperature is over 38C (100F) all day and nights are still hot! That's very few days a year. Or when my feet are swollen from the heat. In winter I will put extra jumpers on first, then if I am still cold then I may put the heater on at 18C (64F). The cost so far is about extra $20.00 in each a quarter when it's running. Our summer temperature wise can run from late September to early May. Now we are back down to 25C to 13C at night.

[CJsoccerchic]

Only at nights to go to sleep....