Which is more expensive, your A/C running 24/7 or it suddenly stopping?
this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2025
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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.
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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.
And Jesus said: "Don't share thy bread nor thy fish, for it is socialism, and it is wrong."
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
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.
[laughs in cheap municipal hydroelectric power]
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
Florida here. My AC only runs non-stop if all of this hits at once: I let it get hot inside, it's 95F outside, and it's late afternoon where I catch zero shade.
The spray foam attic insulation under the roof is the bomb. If I had my druthers I'd force that in all new construction. Insane that we still use fiberglass and other crap.
I heard spray insulation voids your homeowners insurance. Is that still true?
Haven't heard that. I can say this, we have a Habitat for Humanity home and the insulation, structure, windows, etc. are well above code. They don't play. The mission is to put people in homes they can afford, from the day you sign the mortgage, into the future.
Yeah, the faucets, doorknobs, lighting, carpet, linoleum, all that is shit. But again, they don't fuck around with structure (hurricane zone here) or insulation. Most energy efficient place I've ever lived.
How you qualify for one of those homes?
My understanding is that it's not bad when done correctly, but if they screw up the install it can be a nightmare and a huge safety issue. They screw up the mixture and now you've got extremely hard to remove foam stuck to everything that's going to off gas dangerous chemicals for 20 years. It can go bad enough to completely condemn the home.
IIRC it can also cause the structure to rot if they get the vapor barrier details wrong.
My understanding is that's true of basically all insulation. Old structures were built with the assumption that they'd breath, and insulation wasn't as important since they'd be heated by fireplace in the winter (either directly or using the fire to heat water for radiators) and air conditioning wasn't a thing yet.
Who can afford insurance in FL? 😏
that was me until i realized my roommate set the fan to on instead of auto
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.
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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
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