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Havasu AC Question

stephenkatsea

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Our master bed room and east side of our home is on a seperate AC unit. During the day we are not in that area of our home. So, we leave the AC off and turn it back on a couple of hours before we go to bed. We set the thermostat for 78 when sleeping. Would it be more efficient to let that AC run during the day with the thermostat set for upper 80s, versus starting it a few hours prior to going to bed. Yesterday evening the temp on the Master bedroom thermostat was 91 when I turned on that AC. Seemed like that unit ran for most of the night, but did finally shut itself down.
 

spectracular

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Seems like keeping the house constant would be easier considering you have to cool down the walls, ceiling, and everything else in the room
 

lbhsbz

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Do you mean leave it on all day set at the sleeping temp of 78?

Without a masters degree in thermodynamics...you’re not gonna find your answer considering all the variables...insulation, reflectivity of outside finishes, etc. try one thing for a month and see what the bill looks like, try another thing for a month and see what the bill looks like. Dunno who handles electric in Havasu but with our SCE smart meters, I can monitor hourly/daily/etc usage.

I’ve considered collecting my A/C condensate and misting it on the hot side of the house and windows...it’s distilled, so it shouldn’t spot...a significant improvement might be as simple as that.
 

Riverbound

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Do you mean leave it on all day set at the sleeping temp of 78?

If you’re really concerned about saving every penny. Go up to 80-85(max) during the day. Then have it drop down in temp side of the peak of the day when it gets the most direct heat.
 

franky

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When you shut off the AC and the temp climbs to 90, you have to cool EVERYTHING back down to 78. Thats the carpet, drywall, furniture...the whole thermal mass. Very taxing and expensive. If we are away for a few days we raise thermostat to maybe 82. We keep our house at 76😉
 

jet496

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When you shut off the AC and the temp climbs to 90, you have to cool EVERYTHING back down to 78. Thats the carpet, drywall, furniture...the whole thermal mass. Very taxing and expensive. If we are away for a few days we raise thermostat to maybe 82. We keep our house at 76😉

What he said. Everything in your house has absorbed btu's and are say 90 degrees. Now you have to remove these btu's and it takes a while. Might as well remove the btu's as they build up in little increments. I recommend setting at 80 & turning down when you go to bed. We put ours on 72 for sleeping comfort (hotel cool we call it).
 
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