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IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy to cowboyro

Premium Member

to cowboyro

Re: [HVAC] How screwed are we?

said by cowboyro:

said by IowaCowboy:

I would look into eventually replacing the system, a 24 year old system is probably costing a lot of money to run. If you look at replacing it with an Energy Star rated unit, you'll be glad when that electric bill arrives.

A more efficient system will save up to 50% of the $50-300 monthly operating cost (depending on location, usage and rates). It will also cost in the $5000 range to install. Payoff may be from few years to never.

You'd have a fast payoff in New England with our electric rates. I heard Connecticut is even worse than Mass in terms of electric rates. Maine ain't as bad and it's cooler up there.

One summer (I think July 2013 I got a $180 electric bill, equivalent to a mild winter bill with baseboard heat) for running two room units (a window and a portable) non-stop because the summer that year was brutal. And that is on discount rate. Full rate your talking close to $300 (I'm guessing).

There may be utility rebates and tax credits for upgrading to a more efficient system depending on locality.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro

Premium Member

said by IowaCowboy:

Full rate your talking close to $300 (I'm guessing).

Yes, you're guessing. And you're guessing wrong.
I don't go crazy about only using A/C when I can't breathe anymore. Actually it stays around 75F while occupied. House is big and insulation isn't great.
The lowest usage I have ever seen was 700kWh/month this spring. I will call this the "base level". The average usage for 5 months of "summer" comes to roughly 6000kWh - so 500kWh/month on top of the base level. I also run a 1HP pool pump roughly 8hrs/day; I will be conservative and say it only takes 500W - so 120kWh/month. That leaves 380kWh/month for the A/C.
That's $500/YEAR with peak rates of $0.26/kWh, actual net rate between peak and off-peak is much lower. YAWN.

OldCableGuy3
@207.191.193.x

OldCableGuy3 to IowaCowboy

Anon

to IowaCowboy
"I'm guessing"

Ya think!!!

Granted I live in Iowa but my electric rates are no where near that. At PEAK air conditioning season I cool my 1500 sq foot house for under $180/month. That's 2 1/2 ton 14 SEER unit installed in 2012. I had a 25 year old central A/C unit before that, that leaked freon like sieve, and that my peak bill was $180/month. Your estimates are wildly inaccurate. You seem to be under the impression that simply newer always means cheaper to run and that can't be further from the truth.

Just because something is old DOES NOT MEAN IT IS NOT EFFICIENT. And spending $5000 to save $100 a month over the cooling season means almost 8 years to recoup the investment. No one is getting rich quick off the electric savings from a new central AC

mackey
Premium Member
join:2007-08-20

mackey

Premium Member

said by OldCableGuy3 :

No one is getting rich quick off the electric savings from a new central AC

But they might if they put in a heat pump (this is climate dependant obviously). I have a friend in central PA who replaced his 3 20+ y.o. A/C only systems and a oil boiler/hot water radiators with heat pumps; payback time was 2 years. As he did this 5-6 years ago he's saved thousands so far (oil alone was $2,000+/season, and his current electric bill with the heat pumps is no where near that).

/M

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro

Premium Member

said by mackey:

But they might if they put in a heat pump (this is climate dependant obviously).

Climate is a small factor, most important factors are the available heat sources and their rates. Natural gas is hard to match for low costs, high electric rates don't help at all.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy to OldCableGuy3

Premium Member

to OldCableGuy3
You haven't seen high utility rates until you've lived in the Northeast.

I miss Iowa and I hope I can move back someday.