princessleia
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Post by princessleia on Jun 3, 2020 9:25:03 GMT -5
14 year old AC is busted. Freon leak! I checked the average years an AC can last and mine is a tad below. I figure it is because we used the AC more than the average seeing that somebody in my house wants it 68 for sleeping. In the day, it's set for 73 so as to be able to cool down to 68 by the time we go to bed. We are in the Midwest. This has come up before ( I apologize) but I wish to know what temps do you set for your AC.
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 3, 2020 9:38:34 GMT -5
The temp you set isn't going to have a factor in that. It's a lot colder than I keep it (78 when home and 72 at night) but living in Florida I'd be paying a lot more money if I set it lower.
FYI If your AC is 14 years old there's a really good chance it has the old discontinued freon. Which is ridiculously expensive now because making it is outlawed. Like I'm talking hundreds of dollars a pound for the old stuff. If you have the old freon it might make sense to replace it all, make sure to ask questions about it. The repair guy may be happy to have a bill with a huge amount due to cost of r22.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jun 3, 2020 9:41:18 GMT -5
Had to get a new home a/c last week ($$$$$).
In the summer, I am fine with it set at 75 day and night. My body and mind have adapted well to the temp. I am 69 years old.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 9:42:30 GMT -5
Midwest. Mine is turned off at the moment- last night the house was 84 degrees but I opened the windows in the BR and turned the ceiling fan on high and was very comfortable. I just checked the app for my Nest thermostat- unfortunately it "flushed" my previous settings for the A/C because last time I used it it was in Heating mode. I guess when I restart the A/C I'll set it at 70 at night, 80 during the day. I can handle being too warm much better than being too cold.
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Blonde Granny
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Post by Blonde Granny on Jun 3, 2020 9:42:51 GMT -5
My house is 7 years old and so are all the appliances. I have the joy of living alone so the settings for heat and AC belong to me. I keep the AC at 74 day and night.....I just don't fool with it.
On edit: I forgot, I live in NW Arkansas and they can't figure out are we in the SE, SW, or just S.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 9:43:30 GMT -5
Midwest. My AC is set at 70 degrees pretty much constantly from June to August and is entering it's 21st Summer. I'm sure it's due to go on me anytime, but knock on wood hasn't given me any issues thus far. I've had it cleaned and recharged once in all those years.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Jun 3, 2020 9:58:32 GMT -5
75, both day and night.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 3, 2020 10:00:16 GMT -5
Midwest, 75 at all times
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 10:06:51 GMT -5
Southeast, 79 during the summer. I put it a little lower if my sister is here but not much. She mostly stays in the sunroom, which has a window unit.
I grew up without a/c so I'm used to it being a little warm. Almost every room has a ceiling fan.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jun 3, 2020 10:12:07 GMT -5
Had to get a new home a/c last week ($$$$$). In the summer, I am fine with it set at 75 day and night. My body and mind have adapted well to the temp. I am 69 years old. I forgot to add I have ceiling fans on in the bedroom and living room. I also have table fans on in the bedroom, living room, and computer room when I am in those rooms.
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jeffreymo
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Post by jeffreymo on Jun 3, 2020 10:38:56 GMT -5
We’re also in the Midwest.
Pre-pandemic when we were using less electricity we’d have it 73 during the day when we were at work/school, 71 when we got home then a couple more adjustments in the evening until it got down to 67 around 2am.
Now that we’re home bound and using a lot more electricity we have it 73 while we’re awake and dial it down to 70 before we go to bed.
Our previous unit lasted 19 years and this one is on year 10.
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Cheesy FL-Vol
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Post by Cheesy FL-Vol on Jun 3, 2020 10:42:25 GMT -5
We set our AC for whatever is comfortable for me to deal with my chronic congestion. One degree too high and I am miserable. In FL our AC was set for 75 night and day. We are renting in TN right now, and the comfort spot is 73 for my congestion. That is a bit chilly temperature-wise, but if I push the thermostat to 74, I start getting all stuffy and miserable.
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princessleia
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Post by princessleia on Jun 3, 2020 10:44:48 GMT -5
We’re also in the Midwest. Pre-pandemic when we were using less electricity we’d have it 73 during the day when we were at work/school, 71 when we got home then a couple more adjustments in the evening until it got down to 67 around 2am. Now that we’re home bound and using a lot more electricity we have it 73 while we’re awake and dial it down to 70 before we go to bed. Our previous unit lasted 19 years and this one is on year 10. So envious your unit lasted 19 years.....
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 3, 2020 10:48:28 GMT -5
74/75 in the Midwest. I tend to run cold, so I don't like the ac lower. I do find the need to run it lower when our dehumidifier goes out, though. (We've gone through lots of those.) Although I personally don't like it that cold, I don't think 68 at night is outrageously low as a rule. Are you using a dehumidifier, too? I think it helps a lot.
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princessleia
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Post by princessleia on Jun 3, 2020 10:48:53 GMT -5
Midwest. My AC is set at 70 degrees pretty much constantly from June to August and is entering it's 21st Summer. I'm sure it's due to go on me anytime, but knock on wood hasn't given me any issues thus far. I've had it cleaned and recharged once in all those years. Wow...21 years old! Again, I am annoyed with mine. I will be replacing mine possibly next week. There goes my stimulus money.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jun 3, 2020 10:52:09 GMT -5
Well, I've found that the temperature varies across my house. i have a programmable thermastat and I do change the programming every couple of months as the seasons/weather changes. I live in the "midwest". My bedrooms are on the north side of my little 70 year old brick house - so they tend to be much colder in the winter and stay a bit cooler in the early/late days of the summer. The south/west sides of my house bake in the sun so those room are almost always much warmer (bricks hold the heat and windows let the heat from the sun in). The thermostat is on the south side of the house. So, what I set the thermostat for doesn't always correspond to the actual temperature in all the rooms. I live alone and go to work (well, I use to before the Shelter in Place - I've been working from home since March). When I went to work - in the early part of the cooling season, I would set the thermostat to 80 while I'm at work and to 76 over night. in the hottest part of the cooling season I'd set the thermostat to 76 during the day and 74 at night. If I was having company I'd drop the temp to 70 or 72 (if I have enough people and I'm using the 70 year old stove - I'll drop to 68 or lower to combat the stove heat and the body heat - it's a little house. . Since I usually plan to have company - that would give me some hours to get the temp down. I feel chilled at 72 degrees - but other people are comfortable - so when I have company I make it cooler in the house. I don't quibble about the cost of having a cooler house once a week. The winter time is a crap shoot. I tend to keep the thermostat at 68 and then bump up the heat as needed OR use a small space heater as needed. The cats have heated cat beds in the warmest room. The temps could get down to 60 degrees in the bedrooms.
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princessleia
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Post by princessleia on Jun 3, 2020 10:52:45 GMT -5
74/75 in the Midwest. I tend to run cold, so I don't like the ac lower. I do find the need to run it lower when our dehumidifier goes out, though. (We've gone through lots of those.) Although I personally don't like it that cold, I don't think 68 at night is outrageously low as a rule. Are you using a dehumidifier, too? I think it helps a lot. No, not using a dehumidifier as I found AC more cost effective instead. There was one time I left the dehumidifier running for a month and my electricity came to double the normal usage for hot summer month.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 10:53:32 GMT -5
Midwest. My AC is set at 70 degrees pretty much constantly from June to August and is entering it's 21st Summer. I'm sure it's due to go on me anytime, but knock on wood hasn't given me any issues thus far. I've had it cleaned and recharged once in all those years. Wow...21 years old! Again, I am annoyed with mine. I will be replacing mine possibly next week. There goes my stimulus money. I think mine is a bit of an anomaly Google says average life expectancy of a central air unit is 12-15 years. Btw, ALL my appliances, furnace, water heater, softener, etc are that age. All hell could break loose at my house at any time!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 10:55:33 GMT -5
74/75 in the Midwest. I tend to run cold, so I don't like the ac lower. I do find the need to run it lower when our dehumidifier goes out, though. (We've gone through lots of those.) Although I personally don't like it that cold, I don't think 68 at night is outrageously low as a rule. Are you using a dehumidifier, too? I think it helps a lot. No, not using a dehumidifier as I found AC more cost effective instead. There was one time I left the dehumidifier running for a month and my electricity came to double the normal usage for hot summer month. Yes. Dehumidifiers are horrible energy sucks. The times my basement flooded we'd run 2 or 3 down there non-stop for a week or two at once and OUCH.
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princessleia
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Post by princessleia on Jun 3, 2020 11:00:17 GMT -5
Wow...21 years old! Again, I am annoyed with mine. I will be replacing mine possibly next week. There goes my stimulus money. I think mine is a bit of an anomaly Google says average life expectancy of a central air unit is 12-15 years. Btw, ALL my appliances, furnace, water heater, softener, etc are that age. All hell could break loose at my house at any time! Same here....my appliances are all the same age and it's been like that for the last 3 years that I found myself replacing something every May/June period. What sucks is I work in the school district and I do not get paid during the June/July periods.
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cottontail
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Post by cottontail on Jun 3, 2020 11:00:32 GMT -5
Mine is set to 72 but I frequently push it down to 70. I don't know how you guys can stand it being so much warmer.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 3, 2020 11:35:07 GMT -5
No, not using a dehumidifier as I found AC more cost effective instead. There was one time I left the dehumidifier running for a month and my electricity came to double the normal usage for hot summer month. Yes. Dehumidifiers are horrible energy sucks. The times my basement flooded we'd run 2 or 3 down there non-stop for a week or two at once and OUCH. We have an energy star, and find it to be a wash between running that and running the ac more to combat the humidity. BTW, the AC unit was here when we bought our house 13 years ago. I don't think it was new at that time. It doesn't run much, though, as we have enormous oak trees shading our house on all sides.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jun 3, 2020 12:23:08 GMT -5
Mine is at 72 day and night. Have ceiling fans going 24-7 in living and bedroom also. On Gulf Coast. I say set it for your comfort level . Doubt running it more or less makes one iota difference. I think having it serviced once a year is important at least to me.
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jeffreymo
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Post by jeffreymo on Jun 3, 2020 12:29:28 GMT -5
We’re also in the Midwest. Pre-pandemic when we were using less electricity we’d have it 73 during the day when we were at work/school, 71 when we got home then a couple more adjustments in the evening until it got down to 67 around 2am. Now that we’re home bound and using a lot more electricity we have it 73 while we’re awake and dial it down to 70 before we go to bed. Our previous unit lasted 19 years and this one is on year 10. So envious your unit lasted 19 years..... In hindsight I can see we were fortunate, but at the time it conked out it was September 2010, around the time we’d be turning off the AC and opening the windows. Wouldn’t you know we had scorching heat for like 2-3 weeks. And this was a time when we had a toddler and my wife was working from home. So what was to be a purchase the following spring when the tax refund came in was done about 6 months earlier. We paid $2600 which was way below what I was thinking it would cost.
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flamingo
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Post by flamingo on Jun 3, 2020 12:41:50 GMT -5
We set our AC around 72* day and night in the summer. It's hot and humid here. It's too cold for my DH, but any warmer and we both start getting stuffed up from allergies and I run HOT, so I prefer it cooler. I currently live in the mid-south (WV).
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 3, 2020 13:25:37 GMT -5
Geeze! Is it just because it's cooler where you guys are or do you just have higher electric bills? With my setting I'm still around $90 a month and that's with it being at like 81 when I'm not home! I don't want to know what it'd be like if I set it cooler.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jun 3, 2020 13:33:52 GMT -5
75, give or take, is fine for me/us for the summer. I'm pretty sedentary while working, so it's not like I'm over heating. Sometimes, we'll pop it on for a few hours to cool the house down before bed.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jun 3, 2020 13:35:23 GMT -5
Ours is set on 70 right now upstairs and downstairs. As it gets hotter, the upstairs will get bumped to 69 at night. We replaced everything in 2018.
Combined gas and electric bill runs $150/ month.
House was built in 2001 and we replaced original units. The AC had a leak from 2015 on I think.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jun 3, 2020 13:43:48 GMT -5
Geeze! Is it just because it's cooler where you guys are or do you just have higher electric bills? With my setting I'm still around $90 a month and that's with it being at like 81 when I'm not home! I don't want to know what it'd be like if I set it cooler. It depends on the price per kilowatt! Not all power/gas companies charge the same We have natural gas. But honestly I don’t care if mine may seem high. I’m going to be comfortable. I also admit I never change my temp when away from home, even when I worked full time or on vacation! I know, I am weird
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 3, 2020 13:50:47 GMT -5
Geeze! Is it just because it's cooler where you guys are or do you just have higher electric bills? With my setting I'm still around $90 a month and that's with it being at like 81 when I'm not home! I don't want to know what it'd be like if I set it cooler. Current outdoor temp mid-afternoon is 75. AC is set on 75. Electric runs between $40-105/month, with the vast majority of months in the $50-65 range. I don't know why it was over $100 that one time. Maybe we were running a lot of power tools. Otherwise, tends to spike in the $80's. I leave several lights on overnight, but we try to use LEDs as much as possible.
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