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Air conditioning Question -- what do you do?

August 11th, 2007 at 06:49 pm

In the winter, I had the programmable thermostat turn the heat on right before I got up in the morning. I turned it back down while I was at work & turned it up again right before I got home & then back down again when I went to bed.

I've noticed that I follow a different plan altogether with the a/c. I leave the temp up higher while at work all day, set to start cooling a little bit more when I'm about to get home. I stay downstairs most evenings and utilize the ceiling fan, so the air still isnt being used that much.

HOWEVER, when I'm going to bed, I turn the temp down more because I am completely unable to sleep in high temperatures and humidity. Its still not that low a temp (I freeze when I go to my friend's houses. But I'm wondering if it a/c is being wasted because I use it the most at bed time.

What do you guys think? Or how do you do it?

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

9 Responses to “Air conditioning Question -- what do you do?”

  1. frugalhousewife Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 07:44 pm 1186861478
    1186861478

    I do not think it is wasteful. I, for one, do not sleep well if I am too warm. Since I need a decent amount of sleep to function properly, I run the AC at night. It does not sound like you are keeping it cold enough to pass for a deep freezer so I would vote keep using it. Being frugal does not mean you have to be miserable.

  2. Ima saver Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 07:57 pm 1186862222
    1186862222

    I agree with frugal housewife. I keep mine down low enough to be comfortable. I like it about 75 or 76. I do however, turn the unit upstairs up at night because we sleep downstairs.

  3. Amber Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 08:13 pm 1186863192
    1186863192

    I don't think so either, when I loved on my own mine was off until right before I got home and chipped off late at night/early morning before I got up

  4. jdedit2001 Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 08:23 pm 1186863816
    1186863816

    I think you should do what makes you comfortable. A good nights sleep is important. I turn my AC up to 80 at bedtime, and keep a fan blowing in my bedroom all night. I really don't get too hot. But everyone is different.

  5. princessperky Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 08:50 pm 1186865414
    1186865414

    If you can afford it go for it.

    In winter you can always pile on blankets, so turning the heat down isn't to terrible, in summer there is only so much you can take off...

  6. carol Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 08:53 pm 1186865605
    1186865605

    I agree that being frugal does not mean you have to be miserable. Esp. when you are dealing with broiling temps and high humidity.

    Here in the Midwest where I live, it is over 100 degrees with a dewpoint of 68. It's sweltering. No one in my family has set foot out of the house today with the exception of the kids dad going to the local grocery store for all of about 1 hour. We have an 18,000 BTU a/c going in the front room, and 6 fans to help distribute the cool air into the bedrooms and kitchen. The attatched garage has two fans going and is the hottest, being that it's built on a concrete slab and faces north, where the sun is the most intense.

    Just a few minutes ago, both boys were bitterly complaining about how hot and miserable they were. I told them to go in the bathroom, take off their t-shirts, completely soak them down with cool water, wring out the excess water and put them back on, which was what I did(except that I stepped in the shower and completely soaked my clothes and self down). Even with only a fan blowing, the cool wet clothes brings down the skin temp and is almost like air conditioning. That's the only way I have been able to get thru these "dog days" of August when our polystock tank pool is unavailable.

    Coming here to this board helps keep me focused about saving money. I just checked the website at Sears.com and found a window 5200 BTU a/c. Right now I have $111.60 instantly accessable, and am so seriously considering having SO go and pick it up.

  7. monkeymama Says:
    August 11th, 2007 at 11:01 pm 1186873284
    1186873284

    I don't see anything wrong. We have dual zoned A/C so we only turn the upstairs one at night. I usually turn it on when we get the kids ready for bed and off when we go to bed - that usually works. But if you have to leave it on all night to be comfortable - so be it... There are a few horrid nights we just leave it on (or I wake up in a sweat and witch it back on). We do have a ceiling fan that works rather well, but with 4 of us sleeping in different bedrooms I find the air way more efficient. Plus we get a cool breeze in the evenings. I know in more humid/hot places the fan doesn't really help.

    I agree with not being miserable though!

  8. disneysteve Says:
    August 13th, 2007 at 02:38 am 1186972692
    1186972692

    I do about the same as you. Turn it up in the morning when we leave. Have it a degree or two lower when we get home and turn it down further before bedtime.

  9. Sunshine Suz Says:
    August 13th, 2007 at 06:23 pm 1187029404
    1187029404

    Hello,
    I'm in hot and humid Houston area. I turn my AC up to 82 when I leave for work in the mornings. When I get home from work, I turn it to around 77. I, also, like to sleep "cold" so I turn it down cooler right when I get in bed...also have a ceiling fan and a regular fan blowing at me in the bedroom. You gotta get a good nights sleep to be able to function the next day.

    AND WOW!!! The heat this week is almost unbearable. Stay cool!!!

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