Central Europe here. We had like two weeks of scorching hell and then it has been raining ever since.
So jealous. We get torrential downpour or so hot and humid it is dangerous to be outside during daylight hours.
Northern Europe here, same.
Where the hell is the rain, I'm fucking dying being outside all day during all this sunshine
Well I said northern but it's southern north lol, Netherlands, dunno where you are. Literally rained an hour ago, it drenched our tent that was out to dry while we prepare for camping trip this weekend. Last couple of weeks it's definitely been touch and go on the regular.
Southern Finland. We've had a few short drizzles but most days there has been sunshine all day erryday. And it's just too much when you're outside all day
And Jesus said: "Don't share thy bread nor thy fish, for it is socialism, and it is wrong."
Which is more expensive, your A/C running 24/7 or it suddenly stopping?
An example: old AC running 24/7 keeping the house around 80 degrees. Electricity bills between $250-300 per month.
System replacement was ~$15k. System runs regularly now and monthly electricity bill is about $150-200 and keeps the house at 75.
So it'd take 25 years to have enough savings on the power bill (saving $100 a month for 6 months of summer)
Assuming the power company never raised rates in the coming years.
That's not quite the right comparison. You can't expect the old AC to keep working for 25 years. For stuff like that, it's really a question between replacing now versus replacing later, and the net present value of the combined cash flows when you compare replacement timelines.
“You can’t expect the old AC to keep working for 25 years”
Bullshit. A properly installed system will outlive the person that installed, easily. Even 25 years ago, the compressors were made so well that most of them are still electrically and mechanically sound.
Most refrigerants from ~25 years ago have long since been banned, and the units themselves may not be suitable for use with modern ones.
Unless you’re referring to an evaporative-style cooler, but they’re practically useless in exceptionally hot weather (anything north of like ~33 degrees Celsius).
It doesn’t matter if the refrigerant is banned.
A properly installed system is hermetically sealed. All the refrigerant it will ever need was put in the day it was installed.
I still regularly service 20+ year old R22 systems that are still trucking along just fine. And just because a refrigerant is banned doesn’t mean you cannot get it. I just bought a new tank of R-22 a few weeks ago. It was ridiculously expensive because they don’t make it anymore, but it’s perfectly legal to buy. And there are drop in replacements if a system does get damaged and develops a leak.
A week ago I retrofitted my neighbors R22 unit to 407C because the lawn guys hit the suction line with an edger. Cost my neighbor a thousand dollars to do it, but still cheaper than a new unit. He plans on selling the house in 5 years, so the electricity savings from a new unit don’t interest him, and his current unit is perfectly serviceable.
Most of these companies that say you “need” a new unit, are just out to make a buck. Unless the unit is physically destroyed or you plan to keep the house for 20+ years for the energy savings, there is little reason to get a new unit. Don’t get scammed.
A new AC here costs 400$...
For a central air split system?
Cause that’s what most American homes have.
No, I don't have that sort of fancy nonsense
Does everyone in your household spend 100% of their time in the same two metre by two metre square
No, the rest of is get fucked.
Consider that the other option is having no AC in Texas though.
Oh, Agreed 100% when it's broken beyond repair. But replacement of a working (yet now inefficient old) AC doesn't save money necessarily. Not when new units are so expensive.
We are in the south, not Texas, and really need to replace our almost 25 yr old AC. We've been repairing and trying to get another season out of it for the last 3 years.
That'll pay for itself in 10 years give or take
But that's assuming your bill is that high every month when really in winter it's probably much less of a difference. But I don't know where you live to be fair.
Also depends on what type of heat you use
I have a heat pump, so my air conditioner is my heater, heat pumps are basically just an AC running in reverse.
In general, my wife and I don't mind it being cold, we're willing to let the temperature in our house get down to about the mid-low 50s (F, obviously) in the winter, so we do end up using a lot less electricity in the winter. But if we tried to keep our house at a warmer temperature that most people would find comfortable, it would probably be about the same.
Our gas bill over winters is over $200/month (AUD), due to our gas central heater
Comparatively, our three split-system ACs (2 bedrooms, main living area) over summer at most cost us ~$50/month.
Yet even still, trying to convince the missus that we’re better off running the split-systems in heater-mode would be more efficient and cost-effective is an uphill struggle.
[laughs in cheap municipal hydroelectric power]
I used to live in a small apartment building without individual mailboxes so we could just see each other's power bills. The first time they arrived, I was dumbfounded by how much everyone else paid. I'm not gonna give exact numbers because it means nothing unless you live in the same country and state but it's enough to say their bills was literally 10 to 15 times what mine was. It was a very warm place so I just assumed they ran the AC all the time until we went through a particularly hot summer and I decided to just eat the bill and ran it 24/7 as well. My bill was a little over 3 times the usual amount. WHAT THE HELL WAS EVERYONE ELSE IN THE BUILDING DOING?!
Growing weed.
If they were doing what my relative was doing - running the AC in one area yet leaving the windows open in another. Complained to me about the huge electric bill…I didn’t see the point in trying to explain why their behavior was driving that bill.
without individual mailboxes so we could just see each other’s power bills.
Really? Them bills didn't come in named envelopes?
Nope. Mexico doesn't do that. They don't even come folded. They now offer an option to get them through email, though.
My experience is slightly different:
me listening to my air conditioner run non-stop
Goddamn fucking condensation shorted the fan controller, again. Hijo de PUTA
You know how there are people who like being really warm? Just try to imagine what they feel like. It isn't your shitty apartment. You're in a tropical location, on the beach. This is amazing. It's not hot, it's summery warmth! People would pay for this probably! Maybe you'll eventually get into it and save a bunch of money?
Alternatively, you can always imagine what it's like not to have an AC
I'm using a swamp cooler. Not ideal, but my power bill stays lower.
Must be nice living in a climate dry enough for those to work.
Normally it's dry here but the humidity has been 60-80%, which doesn't do much for swamp cooling at the moment. I'm hoping things dry out.
They have a limit. So like it's 110° outside, the best my swamp cooler can do is 90° inside.
My AC gave up the ghost 5 weeks ago.
I'm watching Happy Gilmore 2 as the crew installs a new one.
that was me until i realized my roommate set the fan to on instead of auto
During the day go out
During night use an air conditioned sleep pod (cheaper than cooling the whole home)
Go out where? It's too hot outside
Libraries, movie theatres, parks with a strong breeze and plenty of shade.
The first two are a bit better. Good way to spend a smaller amount of money to be in AC.
Some cities also have advisories for people to stay cool without needing AC running, or provide other resources for the hottest days.
During the day go out
You mean work?
Air conditioned sleep pod
You mean those eggy things, one uses to go to sleep forever and an alien plant clone of you takes over your life?
I would love to make the switch
Is this the plot of the sims
Personally, I can't do this, have pets.
Also, my heat advisories are so bad during the summer, they tell us to NOT go outside unless we have to.
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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment
