MOMania

By Thor

May 22, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this

My AC has not run yet, and I fear the power bill in August with oil prices soaring! We also live in an older neighborhood which has trees to provide shade in the afternoon.

Windows are open, nice breeze at night, keep the AC off and save some money!

By chocoholic

May 22, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this

I have not turned it on yet. There have been a few days warm enough to tempt me, but not very many in a row so we’ve been able to survive with open windows and ceiling fans. We do not have allergies, so air quality is not a concern. I am so glad to be saving the money!

By motherjanegoose

May 22, 2008 8:36 AM | Link to this

HAHAHA! Theresa you made me laugh. Your parents must be related to mine (NOT). My Dad now lives in Florida on a lovely house on the lake. He was having a fit last week as he had to replace his air conditioner. It is 20 years old….hello?
He moved there to get away from the STINKIN’ SNOW. We keep our house around 78 in the summer, so the air goes on whenever we need it. Allergies prohibit us from opening the windows for a long period…we would spend more on medication and doctor visits. BUT we have purchased 5 of those safe coil heaters and rarely used our heat this past winter. Our gas bill was maybe $40 and the electric bill did not really spike.

All it took was one $300.00 gas bill and we made the switch. I would rather wear a sweater ( it was 68 or so in here) than spend $1000 on heat…when I could spend that on a condo at the beach….LOL!

By JJ

May 22, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this

I keep my air (when it’s on) at 78 during the day, then 80 when we go to bed.

We have ceiling fans in every room, plus I have an oscillating floor fan in my bedroom.

My house gets the hot afternoon sun right in the front windows. I put up lined dark curtains and so far so good….

On nice cool nights, ALL the windows get opened. Our bedrooms are on the upper floor, so I have no problem having the windows open while we sleep.

In winter, I keep space heaters in every room. My gas bill never once went over $100.

By Stan

May 22, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this

In the winter we keep blankets out and dress warmer to save money then. In the Spring/Summer/Fall we run the heck out of the AC. It’s been on for over a month now at least off and on. Our logic is, if cold we can get more cover/clothes but when hot there is only so much we can take off.

We run fans, both ceiling and floor, but without ac we would not be happy.

By DB

May 22, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this

It’s a game with us, to see how long we can wait to turn on the AC. One year we made it to June 14. But usually I wimp out about mid-May. I haven’t turned it on, yet, the weather has been so gorgeous. We aren’t too allergic around here, so open windows aren’t a problem.

By new mom

May 22, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this

My parents were the same way growing up (not surprising—we went to school together—maybe something about that generation?) I remember how hot our graduation was, the humidity down on the field under that gown…yuck! Anyway, my parents still don’t turn the air on much. They reminisce about the days of the attic fans!! Ahh, the fun of wondering if you were going to be sucked straight through the attic, out of the house, and onto the lawn…

We tried going as long as we could without our air on, but gave in about a month ago. I think the clincher was having our windows open—we could hear our neighbors’s AC units cycling on and off, and we were constantly reminded of how hot our house was!

We considered trying our power company’s ‘time of use’ program, but when the guy came out to install the meter, we talked, and realized that since our house uses gas for heat in the winter, we would probably never see any savings (and would be melting for no reason) SOOO thankful!! Now baby and I can play comfortably inside with the air on whenever it needs to be on! WHEW

By JJ

May 22, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this

I have my systems’ fan running constantly. My HVAC guy told me it would save money.

By running the fan constantly, the air is circulating, and therefore the a/c does not come on as often…….

By CA

May 22, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this

I’m the first one to say “Is it hot in here or is it just me?” Darn hot flashes!

We have had our AC on just a couple of afternoons and try to keep the temp set between 75-78.

This spring has been nice so at night it’s no AC and open windows. My husband has allergies…but he is cheap too. Ceiling fans really help.

The evenings are nice here in Atlanta because it cools down. We moved here from Florida where it’s just hot all day long.

By CW

May 22, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this

Our AC has been on since March. I HATE summer.

By Stacey

May 22, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this

We turned our air on Sunday and it’s probably on till September. We have it set to switch to 78 about 30 minutes before we get home in the evening & all day on the weekends. It switches to 81 when at 10 pm. We survived up until Sunday with the windows open and using fans but the inside temp reached 86 Sunday and that was even hot for cold-natured-old me! :-) I have 20 ft ceilings, skylights and windows galore and they do not make for a cool home in the summertime.

We didn’t have central air when I was growing up. We had a window unit in the living room but only “important company” was allowed in there and the air conditioner was only used while the company was there. By the time they pulled out the driveway, the air was turned off! That would probably still be the case if my parents were alive. The good news was I was really smart in school because I spent A LOT of time at the library in the summer months!

By Jen

May 22, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this

We use ours sporadically. Like Thor we live in an old house in an old neighborhood with 85 year old trees so they do a good job of keeping the house cool. I’ve never seen the inside temps get about 78.

But, sometimes it gets stuff and muggy and on the AC clears that out so we’ll turn it on then.

Or, after I come back from a jog I might turn it on to get a lovely blast of cold air.

I’d like to open windows more but every single screen for our 45 windows have been taken down for repair. I tried opening windows in the living room one afternoon and all kinds of bugs got in.

By Michelle

May 22, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this

No, I refuse to turn the air on. Your parents seem to mirror everyone’s parents and here I am doing the same thing. I had ceiling fans installed in every room of our house including the kitchen. LOL On hot days, I come home, take a shower and just sit very still under the fan. I dread looking at my electric bill once the time calls for my AC to activate!

My plan is to take on a 2nd job or visit places with AC’s until it’s time to go home at night. LOL

By Ilene

May 22, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this

Sorry to tell all of you — but anything over 72 is not air conditioning. We have had ours on and off now since March! I have allergies and asthma and need cool air to keep healthy. We keep ours at around 68 - 69. In the winter, we might put it up to 72 — at night it goes down again because it’s too hot upstairs.

How can anyone not turn on their air conditioner and sweat all the time. Blaaccchhh.

By Michelle

May 22, 2008 11:23 AM | Link to this

I am trying to hold out until mid to late June. I have allergies also so mugginess does not help my situation. I am also the proud owner of a CPAP so breathing isn’t so bad at night. In order to combat allergens, I dust my fans and the rest of the house often. An air filter is great and they do work. I think we have been fortunate as of late, b/c the house has been relatively cool at night. I’m also lucky enough to have huge trees shading the back of my home.

Best of luck to everyone this summer. The gas and food prices are killing us, so we are all sacrificing the normal comforts of life, one way or another.

By Jeff

May 22, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this

Well, I am EXTREMELY hot natured (to the point that - literally - T could snuggle up to me on cold nights underneath a blanket or two and be SWEATING from the amount of heat I was putting off within minutes!) I also have a VERY hard time thinking at work when the temp in the office gets anywhere NEAR 80 - all I can think about is how hot I am!

So yeah, my heat/AC unit stays on year round. We keep the house right around 70 year round. Nice and warm when you come in in the winter, and nice and cold when you come in in the summer!

(BTW: T hates that I am so hot natured, as she is almost as COLD natured. So she stays under blankets/sweaters a lot, particularly in winter. As has been said though, FAR easier to put more on if you’re cold….)

By Penguinmom

May 22, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this

We have had our air on but we keep it set at 77 or above. So it has not run that much. We do also run all of our ceiling fans, especially at night.

I’d love to be one of those people who could have their windows open, but with asthma, hayfever and my kid’s bad reactions to mosquito bites, I really can’t do that.

I highly recommend getting your air conditioner serviced. We did that last year and he said our high energy bills were in a large part due to a faulty compressor. Looking forward to lower bills this year.

By motherjanegoose

May 22, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this

Irene…I am not being sarcastic here but really want to know… anything over 72 is not air conditioning… is this a medical answer, scientific or just your opinion. I had never heard that before and am wondering…who knew? We rarely keep ours that low or we would have to ride bikes and eat peanut butter sandwiches…LOL.

My husband is now carpooling to work with 3 others…it has helped a bunch but is not at all convenient. We all do what we can! He hates coupons and could not even tell you if $2.25 per pound is a fair price for bananas…LOL. Once, we were at the beach and purchasing food for the condo. He told me he wanted EGGBEATERS. I asked why? Because it would take less time than cracking open the eggs…HELLO? We are on vacation here. He told me ( last night at dinner) he really likes everyone in his carpool…they are learning a lot from each other…cheaper than therapy…HAHA~ I am proud that he is pitching in!

By Dixie

May 22, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this

On humid days when the inside temp hits 78 or above. My son has a labrador that has seizures if she gets too hot. The little bit of extra electricity keeps me from having to medicate her every day. If not for that My air would not have run yet. Elderly people SHOULD run the air when the temps go up. I watched my grandmother die in front of me from overheating. I belong to Walton EMC and we have a program that helps the elderly with the extra cost.

By Chuck

May 22, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

I have 14.5 seer systems. In August my worst bill $180. My house stays at 71 from April till Oct. Just get new systems.

By Trish

May 22, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this

I love this topic! But really, how did we make it growing up. I didnt have AC until I was grown. And back then summers were “HOTT” and we played outside!!!

By Dixie

May 22, 2008 12:14 PM | Link to this

BINGO Trish ! I grew up in Atlanta with no air until I was in my twenties. But in all fairness we had a creek in the back yard.

By Jeff

May 22, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

Trish:

I, for one, don’t remember being as hot natured when I was growing up as I am now.

Like you, I was outside most of the day growing up, and don’t remember having too many problems with it. But I worked as an outdoor wilderness camp counselor a few years ago and experienced more physical misery than I EVER remember experiencing - and that was in the mountains!!

By Dixie

May 22, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this

By the way, air conditioning ruined the south. We had the south to ourselves until air conditioning became readily available. The yankees couldn’t handle the heat and humidity before then.

By JJ

May 22, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this

I too love the hot weather…..I even drive the car with the windows open. I will wait until August to turn the a/c on in the car….

By motherjanegoose

May 22, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this

Chuck…how many square feet in your house ( thus your bill)? Our 2 units are 10 years old ( same as the house) maybe we should update.

I HATE RIDING WITH THE CAR WINDOWS DOWN…FUMES AND EXHAUST YUCK!

FYI while this is HOTLANTA…it does not hold a candle to south Texas. We moved here from Texas and the temp was 104 on moving day…with the humidity out the wazoo!

By new mom

May 22, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

These comments got me remembering my childhood here in Atlanta. Every summer day (and I mean EVERY day) was spent at our neighborhood pool. Swim team, swim practice, swim meets, playing in the pool, learning to jump off the high dive, running across a hot parking lot barefoot taking the fewest steps possible, speeding down neighborhood streets on bikes to get the air rushing around you to cool off…

Is it just me, or do summers for kids now revolve around indoor activities (computers, video games, etc) because we have AC? Maybe we should start turning it off once our daughter turns 4 or 5, it will force us to be at our pool everyday too!

By Chuck

May 22, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this

Mother goose my house is around 3K sq feet. I have 2 units. A 3ton down and a 2ton up. One other small note. I do A/C work. It is not my main source of income but a decent side job.

By Ilene

May 22, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this

First of all, it’s ILENE, not IRENE. It’s pretty simple. Put your hands over a vent when your air is coming out at 77 degrees — is it cold or warm?

By Thor

May 22, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this

We have a full screen door, front and back.

I fight turning on the AC for as long as I can - I don’t want to know how much it will be come August…

By motherjanegoose

May 22, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this

Whew…I am sorry, I did not have my glasses on and have never seen Ilene spelled this way…usually I have seen Eileen, who knew…sorry! I was once told that if you have a 20 degree spread of the air coming out of the vent and the temp. outside…your unit is good…i.e. if it is 95 outside, the best you are gonna get it 75. Chuck can you help us out here. What about ILENE saying anything over 72 is not air conditioning…is that true? At our last house, we put in a new unit in August and the new unit only had a 20 degree spread…that was 12 years ago and maybe things are more efficient!

By Becky

May 22, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this

I did have my air on for about a week last month, but have since turned it off..I have fans in all the rooms & all the windows are open..My husband is a roofer & air’s not a big thing to him..He says just getting off of the roof is like having air to him…I have allergies & we will most likely have the air on from this point on…Chuck sometimes it’s not so easy for everyone to get a new unit.As someone else said, I HATE riding in the car with the windows down…

By Lauren

May 22, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this

We live on a very wooded lot so if we opened our windows we just be inviting in a host of very large cockroaches and perhaps even some four-legged critters. No thanks! I grew up in deep south GA where it gets much hotter and more humid than it does here and I had enough of sweating indoors when I was growing up. I can’t stand, in particular, to sweat at night when I am sleeping. We run the air as little as possible and we really use our ceiling fans but we do make sure we stay cool. During the hottest part of the day I keep my air on 74 and at night we bump it up a degree or two. We have been running it a little starting in early May, but not too much. Luckily our house is pretty well shaded by trees which keeps in cool.

By Chuck

May 22, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this

It is true that a perfect system in a perfect world will have a 20 degree “drop”. By law it must be 13 degree. Most people do not get 20, but it is the inside temp not the outside temp. Meaning if it is 1oo outside,but 80 inside you should get 60 at your vent.

By Jj

May 22, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this

I work in a very cold office all day long. My co-workers insist the thermostat is set no higher than 70. I freeze all day long. I have to go outside to thaw my toes most days. I guess that’s why I don’t care for the a/c at home……..

By Jeff

May 22, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this

Jj:

Need any programmers?? :P

By carrie

May 22, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this

We keep our windows open during the day, but turn the AC on at night. The only windows that open in our whole house are in the kids’ rooms, and I don’t like to have those open at night. Too easy for someone to break in. I’m paranoid, I know, but I’ve learned to deal with it! :)

By fk

May 22, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this

Our a/c has been set at 78 for about three weeks. It has come on only a few times. Once the thermostat is set for the season, a/c or heat, no one touches the button. It stays put. The (seven) ceiling fans have been whirling for almost two months now. I agree with the poster who recommends servicing the hvac system. It makes a big difference.

By new mom

May 22, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this

Jeff, what kind of programming do you do?

By Lauren

May 22, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this

Ilene, I don’t know how your cooling system works but if I set my air conditioner to 77 and let’s say it is 80 degrees in the house when I do this, then the A/C will blow cold air until the room temp comes down to 77. 77 is not the temp of the air coming out, it is the temp you want your room to be, so the unit blows cool air until that comes down. I really thing when you say anything ove 74 is not air conditioning you don’t understand how the whole system works. You are programming a room temp, not the temp of the air blowing out into the room. Okay?

By FCM

May 22, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this

Since my neighbors &^%$ cigarette smoke float right in through my windows….YES my air is on. Set at 82 to keep the true heat at bay.

Wish I could make the smoker pay the bill…Still I would rather not have my children and I exposed to the second hand smoke.

By Becky

May 22, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this

JJ, your office sounds like where I want to work..Need anyone in the A/P dept.? Carrie, in this day & time, I think you have every right to be paranoid..

By new mom

May 22, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this

You’re right Becky, we should all be paranoid about home security—it only took one episode of ‘it takes a thief’ on discover channel for me to realize how easily the average house can be broken into.

On that show, they point out that burglers will often check the upstairs windows first, since homeowners assume they are ‘too high’ to be accessed. Sometimes they even use the homeowner’s own ladders to climb up to upper floor windows!! It’s for that reason we never leave any windows open at night, no matter how high or seemingly inaccessible.

By beachdog

May 23, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this

Yep, mine’s on…but I live at in North Florida.

But it is worse is South Georgia

By val

May 23, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this

My gas bill ran about $150, space heaters. I have the fixed bill for the electricity. The air has been on and off in May with indows open on nice days. And even thought I have a fixed bill, you have to be careful, it will increase based on what you’ve used the previous year.

By Paige

May 26, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this

We live in Cornelia and we never turn our air on until LATE August. Windows open and ceiling fans on. We have screens and the occasional bug is worth it for the fresh air. No critters yet but you never know what mught come in if you leave the screen door open :-)

By Paige

May 26, 2008 7:31 PM | Link to this

We live in Cornelia and we never turn our air on until LATE August. Windows open and ceiling fans on. We have screens and the occasional bug is worth it for the fresh air. No critters yet but you never know what mught come in if you leave the screen door open :-)

By fk

May 28, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this

We just got back from FL. First stop, my mil’s, central FL. No a/c. My husband was pleasant for the first hour, but when the sweat beads appeared above his forehead, he asked his mother to turn on the air. She was suprised that we were “warm”. She had the ceiling fans going, but the windows closed. Geez. It was stifling.

From there, we went to visit his sister & family at the ocean. It was so nice with the breeze that the a/c was unnecessary. We were outside most of the time. Simply beautiful.

By FCM

May 29, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this

Well with today’s cool weather I let the windows open while the neighbors were out at work…we’ll see what happens now that they are due back home.