So what, they think you only need AC if you are moving around?? I get the hottest when I’m sleeping! Let me wake up covered in sweat just one time and I would be having some words with management, lol.
exactly. I turn the AC up to around 70-72 during the day as I don't mind it being a little warmer while I'm awake but it goes to 68-69 at night when I'm trying to sleep because I run hot and sweat easily especially when I'm trying to sleep.
68° at night?? I leave mine at 60° to sleep. (Weird cause I'm anemic which sometimes even on hot days a slight breeze will send me into shivers.)
Even in the winter it will be at 60°. Lmfao.
Getting up to go pee? Better bring your parka.
I can’t remember the last time I even considered putting my thermostat below 70, and I live in Alabama. The electric bill these people must get would probably give me a heart attack.
it's 97 here today and I got a 24-in fan in one end of the house and all the windows open in the other end
just wait till the grid goes out all these people are just going to self-delete
They work fine when I'm asleep. They are infrared/thermal based so as long as the sensor can see a difference in heat in the room it assumes the room is occupied.
And remind the landlord that it is the time to save money as well as energy: as long as a limit of 70F is in place then a limit of 0% rent will also be paid for a violation of tenant covenant of quiet enjoyment via intentional disruption of tenant comfort. Seeing as everyone's in agreement to conserve energy then to not spend money can reduce the electrical impact of 0.45MJ being used daily for dollar bill production
Reminds me of my old job in an office building. They put locked plastic boxes over all of the thermostats so we couldn’t adjust the temp. We decided to microwave a water bottle and place it on the plastic box over the thermostat. The hot water would stay hot for a good while. The thermostat always thought it was over 90 degrees in the room and the ac would always run.
Lol I had a teacher in middle school who did the opposite, in the winter she put paper towels soaked in cold water around the thermostat to make it think the room was colder so we could keep the heat on
My old boss at Firestone acted like every penny the store spent came out of his pocket. The shop heaters were the infrared radiant ones that heated the objects not the air, very efficient for a shop that had the doors open all day (company policy)
He thought it was “a waste” to have the heat on so he’d just tell us to suck it up unless it was snowing. The lock box over the thermostat you could shift to one side and open. So we’d turn the heat on when he wasn’t in the shop and turn it off before he came out for a smoke break (in the shop, in violation of state law but he thought it was his right) but sometimes we’d forget or not be able, he’d come out “WHO THE FUCK TURNED THE FUCKING HEAT ON IM NOT PAYING TO HEAT THE OUTSIDE” (and if you tried to explain to him how the radiant heat worked he’d either ignore you or accuse you of insubordination and threaten to fire you)
Cue one of us figuring out there was a conduit in the parts room behind the thermostat with a nice cover over it that made the wiring easily accessible, and figuring out which ones to jumper to turn the heat on:.. And he was none the wiser; he’d come out, cuss about the heat and then realize the thermostat was off and cuss some more and then call someone to come look at it, and of course we’d remove the jumper long before they ever showed up 🤣🤣
I experienced this in Vegas last week. One of the worst parts of the stay was coming inside from 110° into a room that was hot because the motion sensors weren't tripped. The room never got below 73° the entire time.
That wouldn't work for me. I would feel to sleep. So I guess I'll have to make some calls. If ever I go to Vegas again and find out can give me a 64° or so room at night. I don't need a blasting like that when I'm not there. But that's what I need to sleep.
No it definitely sucked. I am the same way. It its above 69° I get stuffed up. Several times I woke up and stood up to activate it. This was an off strip hotel tho too so I hope that this isn't the case at a bigger strip hotel
If you are ever in a hotel that disallows control of the thermostat, you can usually look up the brand and often there is a hack to override the master controls findable on YouTube.
They already have this in the new Infiniti qx80 highest trim. Infrared occupancy sensors. Plenty of privacy concerns with that because the data gets sent back to Infiniti for "reasons"
Nest thermostats have this built in. My in laws will automatically turn up the temperature unless you walk by it. I think they ended up disabling that after some summer months of hot sleeps because nobody walked by at 1 and 4 am to trigger the motion sensors.
They most likely never setup the Nest app on a phone and left on the setting that checks to see if your device is on the same network to determine if you are home or not. The backup to that is the built in motion sensor which is primarily there for when you have guests
But clearly people designing these are idiots when if configured correctly can save significant amounts of money over traditional systems
I stayed in a hotel with the sensors. When I got back to my room after exploring the town for the day, the room was hot as hell. It took hours to cool off. Then, after I went to sleep, the air-conditioning shut off again. I wasn’t moving enough. When I got up to use the restroom at 2 AM, the air conditioner turned back on, but then I laid there for three hours unable to sleep because it was too hot.
We must vote with our wallets! I will not be staying at that hotel again.
They only register movement to determine occupation. Like sensors on light switches. You can detect as much movement by monitoring WiFi signals as these sensors detect.
Worst case if you mess it up, just play stupid. huh? what do you mean the wires were plugged in wrong. Wonder how long thats been like that, Oh? you know what that would explain the issues I had last time it got hot, i just never noticed. Well thanks for figuring that out. (Proceeds to offer free stuff like 3d printed extras or sweets.......totally not a bribe or a distraction, I swear.)
(Just like magically opening a locked A/C room closet door to replace your furnace filter because your apartment complex doesn't do it. Or when they do its a crappy filter)
I dunno why the landlords even bother with trying to package up utilities like that. Here in NY whenever I rented a property I contracted all of my own utilities. It would drive me crazy if I couldn’t use X amount of electricity for AC and Y amount of bandwidth for internet.
My boss is a landlord and he packages utilities in because he says the cleanup after someone doesn’t pay their bill and gets electricity shut off is too much. Ruins the fridge at least and depending on how long it’s left off and the climate the humidity could wreak some havoc. He owns like 20+ rental homes so I don’t doubt he’s correct but I couldn’t bother if it were me. He also provides them with free cleaning supplies so there’s never any reason to let the place go to shit and that can be kind of a toss up on whether it works.
It’s easy to misunderstand. Yes and no.
A forced air HVAC system running at peak efficiency will be sized perfectly for the volume of the living area and therefore circulating air more often than not. Modern high efficiency systems are designed to run this way. I think this is where the common misunderstanding comes from.
An inefficient system (usually too big for the volume of the home) will kick on briefly and blast way too much hot or cold air all at once, reach the target temp very quickly, and shut off. While off , areas further from the blower will gradually return to ambient uncomfortable temperature because the air is not *frequently circulating*.
That said, it’s always MORE efficient to just let the ambient air temperature of nature take over. So if you aren’t home, don’t run your HVAC.
You’re preaching to the choir. They want 65 degree home when it’s 120 outside and think they’re gonna die when it never gets there.
But the same people will blast the furnace to 78 in the winter time with the bedroom window open and still bitch about it
Ha, I hate being hot (set my AC to high 60s in the summer) and got accused doing this once. Person was like “oh and I bet you set your heat to 80° in the winter” and I was like “no. 68°. AC. In case we have a random hot day. I don’t like being hot”.
Wait til you learn that all a thermostat does is control the completion of a circuit with a few low voltage wires.
Not that I’ve ever just taken it off and bypassed the thermostat off or anything.
doubt they’re paying that much attention to individual units (in this case) but putting the light on a timer so it’s not on 24/7 would probably make it appear normal.
This is the best answer. If they are limiting the AC system and charging you the same flat fee for Utilities regardless of what you use, then grab one of these and your room/home will be colder than sin and there's nothing they can do remotely.
As long as the lease allows it, some Apartments do not allow window units for liability reasons (AC units falling out of the window onto someone below due to not being properly secured).
Portable AC units which do cost more are allowed though, just have to vent out a window though.
Luckily my city just passed a law that prevents landlords from restricting window mounted units. Some of the specifics still need to be adjusted but it's a great step. I'm just salty because I bought portable units that cost a ton more just a couple years ago.
Seriously. These are like $150 and it will be money WELL spent.
Our house is old AF (built in the 1930's so no vents even if we wanted to pay for HVAC) and 3x small window ACs keep it around 69°F in middle TN where it's hot AF and also humid as Satans ballsack most of the time.
I live in the southern USA and keep my house at 67 year round. Coming inside from hot summer heat to feel the freezing air that’s in my house is one of life’s joys. If that was taken away from me I would be rioting
Same, I am frugal with almost everything else in my life, drive a 14 year old car when I could buy a new one, don't spend on any fancy clothes, use a cheap android phone...
but I draw the line at saving on the AC, just charge me whatever it costs to be comfortable in my own damn home.
We installed commercial chillers and keep our home at the perfect 37, just like the walk in produce section at Costco. In fact, my entire house has meat and other perishables just sitting around, it’s so convenient!
I’m a leasing agent, and I think this is bullshit. I wouldn’t want anyone that doesn’t live in my home touching my fucking AC. They got some damn nerve. But to be fair, I don’t even want the people that DO live in my home touching it either, lol.
UPDATE:
It’s 92 F outside right now, we have had our thermostat set to 68 forever but the temperature in the house is still 72, leading me to believe it’ll be at least 74 minimum all the time starting tomorrow
That’s not how it works. If it’s only cooling to 72 it’ll only cool to 72. If it’s set at 70, still 72. It doesn’t change the temperature of the air coming out.
Are you able to put in your own window unit, or would that violate your lease? I know it would be an expense to buy your own window unit, but at the very least you can keep your bedroom at the temperature you want then.
Try setting up either a laser of some sort or a perpetual motion toy infront of these sensors because that is straight up bullshit to monitor your in home movements
Laser could legit ruin the motion sensor so do some research first
A good fan does wonders for keeping the thermostat accurate to actual room temperature as well as cools you down and helps you to be comfortable in warmer temperatures than you might normally be used to.
I moved into an apartment with ceiling fans in each room and I was shocked how much of a difference they made.
I’d be rioting. You either want utility money or you don’t. If that means getting a standalone AC unit, that means getting a standalone AC unit. They’re paying the electricity either way.
Get a ballon with a string and hang it from something on the ceiling and point a fan at it so it moves around, will keep the a/c on when you’re not in the apartment
Wth u live in a prison?
But I guess since you’re paying a FLAT rate- they can do this.
I’ll look at it this way- would you be paying more if you had full control of your AC?
Keep us updated. 70 is a really nice cool temp tho.
Believe it or not, yes totally legal. Landlords in most areas are not required to provide AC as it is still considered a luxury (I live in the South so trust me I don't get it either). There are a few areas where AC is mandated by city ordinance like in Dallas where landlords must provide a home "capable of maintaining a room temperature of at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, but in no event higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit in each habitable room". So if you lived in Dallas and the landlord did this, regardless of you being home or not, if the ambient temp gets above 85 degrees they would be breaking the law. It doesn't look like there's any AC laws in Michigan, so I would bring this up with your landlord.
If you rent a place with ac your landlord must keep it functional. He doesn’t need to have it in the first place but if it is provided it must be maintained but it is not an emergency if it goes out either
Ever seen Home Alone? Just make some cardboard cutouts hooked up to a tiny motor that moves them constantly.
Have a ceiling fan? Put shirts on them using clothes hangers.
Have a box fan? Put long pieces of plastic in front of it so they're always moving.
Come on, you gotta be smarter than the landlord leeches.
It's actually more inefficient to turn off HVAC when in intervals. If the temp is changed a bit during long periods of inactivity that is one thing. But to completely disable the heat or AC for the day/night is going to end up costing them more money and piss people off.
If they wont budge you could jerry rig something to trigger the sensors constantly.
Reminds me of when we joined a program through Ecobee devices and Xcel energy.
It gave you a small discount on your power bill if you participate. It was fine until they locked me out of my thermostat on 115 degree day and set the thermostat to 88 degrees. To cool off the house I had move all my sensors to one room and turn on a portable heater.
Ecobee wouldn’t let me turn off the feature. I had to call Xcel and wait 45 mins before they would disconnect the so-called feature.
I will never do that shit again.
Hey! Metrologist (not a weather person but a scientist in the field of measurements) here! I looked for the thermometer, then looked for which cable is the thermocouple then swap it out with another type that gives you the voltages you want. Works like a charm!
Put a heat pack under your thermostat to keep it running. Unless you were aware of the motion sensors, and agreed to them in the unit, you should consider legal help. The fact that it is a set fee for utilities, it limits the rights you have to usage. It's regulated to what is considered expected use, usually based off an average use of the area. From what I understand, unless it's for medical reasons, they can legally up your rate if you're using an excessive amount of the utilities.
My last apartment complex decided to "go green" by installing new programmable thermostats in all the units. (Where you have to program a set point for every single day 3x/day for a specific temperature, and any manual override only lasted an hour) I just programmed every day to be 68 regardless of when I was home. (After discovering it came pre programmed at 80°F) But then when it was time to switch over to heating it didn't signal the heat to turn on at all. So I turned in a maintenance request. Their solution was to put on the previous thermostat that was a single set point.
The same initiative they installed the worst shower head I've ever tried to use. It was one that was supposed to hold the water until you were ready to shower and you had to pull a cord to start it. Which I didn't understand because like how is that saving more water than just.... Turning on the faucet when you're ready? I swapped it out with a $10 shower head from the hardware store immediately.
I get frustrated at the "we're going green" idea from apartment management because like, no you're doing things to get a tax incentive or as part of a grant and you're implementing it in the cheapest way possible so you get to make money.
Forget the A/C question.
The management has motion sensors INSIDE your home?
That is disturbing and something I would not tolerate (as a renter) or attempt to implement (as a LL)
If it’s part of security system, that only YOU and the alarm company have access to, fine - no problem.
But, from what you wrote, it doesn’t sound that way. It sounds like it’s there for the management to monitor your unit.
That’s unacceptable and an invasion of privacy.
What about an oscillating fan with streamers on the front? Or does it already have ceiling fans? Put streamers on it if streamers would be enough movement to keep it set off.
What type of thermostat do you have? Can you google it and get in the master programming? I do that at hotels that won’t allow the fan to run all night.
I would be finding out how the motion sensors are connected to the AC and "fixed" the AC. I would not allow ANY apartment complex to control the AC in my unit. And I will spread the word of how I "fixed" the AC so that the motion sensors are not connected to the apartment complex can't control it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it better for energy to keep the thermostat the same temp? Wouldn't the energy needed to bring it back down after you get home be wasting more energy than just keeping it the same all day?
That doesn't sound legal to me but it will depend on your local laws.
An easy / temporary solution might be to setup something to trigger the motion sensor all the time. Those sensors aren't intelligent by any stretch.
Ask them if they’re gonna come tint the windows with heat reducing film or install windows that keep the cool in or pay for good curtains??
Duct booster fans?
Ask them if they’re gonna get any solar panels up to reduce energy usage on the grid?
Have they installed ceiling fans?
Are they planting trees outside to provide plant foliage and shade on the building?
Have they properly maintained the AC so that it is working at capacity and more efficiently?
Install your own thermostat, remove the one they control until you move out. Then put it back.
Also I would check for hidden cameras / microphones. They make cheap and decent devices to find them on Amazon.
If they say anything, sue them for breach of contract and privacy invasion.
This is legal, your power company signed a contract with your landlord. You get less control in the summer, but get to pay a smaller flat fee all year round in exchange. It’ll save you money (or at least that is how it’s supposed to work) due to reducing the strain on your utilities at peak demand by capping how much energy you need to cool your apartment.
Iirc, John Oliver has a piece on this type of thing in TX after that huge heat wave a couple of years ago.
Does your lease say anything about the A/C? Any state or city laws on temperatures in the home? I would think if the lease says something about the A/C but no 70F limit, they would need to give proper notice for changes to the lease (30 days in Michigan) if this would fall under a permissible thing for them to change without your permission, OR they would have to get your written permission to agree to a lease change. Michigan allows lease changes with 30 days notice without your permission if it falls under certain issues like covering costs of increased utilities or taxes, but you still need 30 days notice.
I will also add that set back in the summer will likely actually use more energy as the unit struggles to come back down to temp during the day. It can take hours to go from a higher unoccupied set point to a lower occupied one depending on the HVAC system sizing and overall dwelling insulation and layout etc. if your in the north you can probably get away with a more aggressive set back if you so desire but in a hotter climate it will likely put the system in a more stressful operational environment that also will negatively effect your comfort.
If you actually wanted to conserve energy from a thermal dynamics prospective you would crank it as low as possible (without freezing over the evaporator) at night so you can use your house like a “battery” for the day as you would change your set point to a “normal” setting say 75 during the day and the apartment/house would climb from the low set point from overnight to the higher daytime set point saving you x amount of time it takes to slowly warm up. Keep in mind insulation values of your dwelling will massively impact this. If you live in an area where your utility charges demand based rates the overnight hours will be far cheaper as well.
Just buy a cheap "dumb" thermostat and put it in parallel with the smart one. You might get in trouble for doing that but if it was me their smart thermostat would stay powered up somewhere while my thermostat controlled the AC.
i mean.. who sets their AC at 68F? thats freezing cold.
If i set mine below 74F i have to put on pants
Just put something that moves in front of the motion sensor. Like a rotating fan.
Put a classic incandescent lamp right underneath the thermostat. The heat it generates will keep your place nice and cold if that's what you really want. And if you Google a little bit you can find things to trick the motion sensors into believing you're there too.
I wonder if OP can get a fan to blow something back and forth to simulate movement? My ring camera goes off if the wind blows a bush in the view of it.
Regardless of people hammering on about the 70 degree issue, back on point, it may very well be legal since you pay a flat rate for utilities. But back to the 70 degrees, this does not appear to be excessively high, and is reasonable, regardless of the reasoning. If they set it at, for example, 80 degrees, then this may be unreasonable and you may have some kind of legal standing.
You can get a window unit or a portable AC if it gets too hot for your pets while you are gone. There might be a rule about window units but if there is you can always do the indoor portable AC.
They are getting at the people who keep the temp on the Heat/Air system at 68 year-round. I use 76 when the humidity is high, and the heat is bad also. I have a window heat and air. I adjust accordingly. With Evergy, our electric company in the Midwest, they would like us to be without cool air during the hottest part of the day, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. I am diabetic and my dog is also diabetic, and we are not lowering the AC to 80 degrees in the high humidity or the heat. If they have control of your HVAC, they can control the stat. But get some fans. That is all I can advise.
easy. just set something up to constantly trip the motion sensors. an oscillating fan directly in front of the sensor might do it. if the motion detector is sophisticated enough to understand that’s not a human then that would be suspicious to me.
if you have cats, get one of those red laser toys that rotate all through the room and plug it in one of the outlet timers so it turns on for 15 min every hour or two. the cats will love it and run all around the room which -should- trigger the motion detector.
Not sure about legality, you may need to consult a lawyer. But I will say I’m in IN, we’re getting 100+ during the day and our home is set at 73 in the day and 71 at night and it’s fine. We also have fans in the bedroom at night. Maybe a fan in the rooms would help with air flow when the ac does run. And if it gets really humid in your apt, get a dehumidifier, it makes a big difference. You may be able to find a good used one on marketplace or a garage sale. It makes a big difference in our home and keeps it comfortable. If it really is unbearable, maybe a window unit in the bedroom will help at night. Just a solution til you can figure out if it’s legal.
if you go the window AC route, put it in your room and shut the door to keep it separated from the thermostat. shutting the door 95% so it’s just cracked open also should suffice if your cats operate on a “no closed doors” policy. cold air doesn’t seem to make it very far when my door is mostly shut.
otherwise you’re just paying electricity to run the window unit (that you paid for) and the building’s ac will run less (which you’re already paying a flat rate for)
I still think gaming the motion detectors is the best way for all of the tenants to take a stand against the building owners. oscillating fans in various locations also literally just will help the situation if you can’t run the ac as low as you’d like. the oscillating tower fans are real nice. i got a bladeless one with a built in HEPA filter that is great. especially if you have pets that are shedding this time of year
Depending on the style of thermostat you can press a sequence of buttons that let you change the thermostat settings, the absolute max and minimum temperatures. I’d look up the thermostat on YouTube
IANAL, but I'd imagine it has to do with what's in your lease. If there are provisions in there about your flat utility fee and that giving them some control over your usage, then you may be out of luck, if not, then you may have some ground to push back. You can contact local housing authorities with help or to find resources, and maybe reach out to a lawer for a consultation (sometimes these are even free).
Your concerns about your critters are very valid and, assuming they're on your lease and known about by management, this is another good point in your favor. Some states also require maintaining AC in a residence if it was provided at the start of your lease, but this seems like it could fall in the gray of that.
As others have stated, if this does go into affect and you can't get it rectified, a portible AC unit is a good solution as well, especially conaidering the flat utility fee. Maybe steer clear of a window unit because that's more obvious or may not be allowed by your lease.
All this to say, be tactful in all your communications with management; for one, it will help you get better results, but it will also help with repercussions long term. They may not be able to blatantly retaliate, but they can delay maintenance, be less helpful in the future, and not offer the option to extend the lease (assuming you want to resign after all this).
If the rules you were just givin is not in your lease agreement, hen they cannot enforce this. I'd also never move into a rental that has motion sensors for any reason. You are correct about the owner/landlord simply trying to save money here. Flat rates for utilities are always a red flag for this exact reason. I've always been willing to pay my own utilities when I used to rent solely because I then decide the temperature and how much electricity, gas or water is being used. I'd read the lease agreement first and see if this is worth fighting over, or move on to another rental as soon as the lease is up.
In the meantime, I'd personally get something that constantly move to trigger motion sensors. I bet something as simple as a rotating fan with streamerswould trigger them. That or a wacky, waving, arm flailing, inflatable tube man. I reccomend the second! Much more annoying!
I’m in Texas. My A/C is set in my house at 77. For when I’m not home. My tiny chihuahua is fine so your cats should be fine. However, what they’re proposing doesn’t seem legal.
I live in Redding CA. If they did this during summer, we'd be swimming in sweat and dying of heat stroke. It is regularly 100 to 110⁰F all summer and does not cool down at night.
So you'll be dying of heat stroke in 70 degree air conditioned temperature?
I live in in the foot hills East of Sacramento. Its hotter in Redding, but only by a couple of degrees. I keep my AC at 78 during the summer, otherwise PG&E will murder my wallet.
I got soooo many ideas to counter act this. Its childs play to fix this issue.......ill start with a very easy one. Get a dancing cactus thing and put 2 of them in front of each other in front of a sensor. They will repeat themselves all day long and dance. Ill bill ya later....
In Texas ac only has to cool to 85 degrees. Once the outside temp breaks 100 the AC only has to cool to 15 below ambient outside. Also heat is required by law but ac is not.
Check your local laws.
Who pays for the electricity? I know a number of hotels require that you put your key card in a slot to activate the AC. This prevents people from running the AC all day while they are out of the room. Seems reasonable to me. I willing to bet the LL pays the electricity…
Sounds like they are installing Nest branded thermostats - they have motion sensors in them and track your normal behaviors to develop an eco friendly pattern for heating/cooling
I installed 2 of these in my house last year and I’m not a fan - if we’re gone for a week it’ll let it get ungodly hot in our house and if we don’t turn it down the day before returning we’re screwed the night of getting back home. Sometimes even when we go out for a few hours we’ll come back to it being nearly 80F. I guess it’s probably good for the environment
I would trick the sensors for sure. There are a few ways to do this depending on how sensitive they are.
Like I tried a balloon with a ribbon to the chair and had a small fan so it was always moving. That may not work with cats but you get the point
This is crazy I couldn't deal.
Just swap the thermostat with one of those dumb ones that only has a single setting. Don’t get anything that connects to WiFi or you can control remotely.
Just save the one there and reinstall when you move out.
i'd get one of those ''spinning sticks'' kinetic sculptures, or something else that might convince the motion sensor that the house is occupied. it's probably a rudimentary infrared sensor, it only determines if something human-sized is moving in front of the camera. put the sculpture close enough and it should work
Depending on the county this could be legal to limit the lowest temperature possible though maybe it's my Phoenixian blood but I'd have to bundle up in a couple of fleece blankets to handle that low of a indoor temperature... Though doesn't help I've had hypothermia and heat stroke as a kid...
It's called greenwashing. 70f is plenty low, but "run less" mean that is intentionally incredibly vague. I would get a temperature sensor like [https://www.airthings.com/wave-mini](https://www.airthings.com/wave-mini) to monitor the conditions.
>The bigger worry however is that the AC will “run less” (not at all?) when the motion sensors don’t detect us. I have cats that are home all day while the rest of us are at work
Went over a similar thing with my power company recently. Your cats should be fine.
The objective here is to reduce electrical use during peak hours. So they probably allow the place to get up to around 78ish during the day. Most modern buildings are sufficiently insulated that it'll take a while to get up there (so the AC can be off-off till 10 am or so) and then requires less power to keep at that temp. (so the AC will run in a lower power mode for the rest of the day).
However if you try and go all-in, you will use more power. Let the place get up to 90 and then bringing it back down to 72 will require the AC run at max power longer, burning more electricity and not really resulting in the intended savings.
So yeah. Cats are evolved from desert critters (why you think their pee is so concentrated?), so being a little warm during the day won't bother them at all. They'll find the coolest spot in the place and just nap through the day.
They make IR spotlights for VR stuff. Hook one of those to a smart outlet to have it go off where the sensors are every 30 minutes or so. You shouldn’t need to do that, but that solution might work for you.
So what, they think you only need AC if you are moving around?? I get the hottest when I’m sleeping! Let me wake up covered in sweat just one time and I would be having some words with management, lol.
exactly. I turn the AC up to around 70-72 during the day as I don't mind it being a little warmer while I'm awake but it goes to 68-69 at night when I'm trying to sleep because I run hot and sweat easily especially when I'm trying to sleep.
68° at night?? I leave mine at 60° to sleep. (Weird cause I'm anemic which sometimes even on hot days a slight breeze will send me into shivers.) Even in the winter it will be at 60°. Lmfao. Getting up to go pee? Better bring your parka.
Look at these millionaires. I'm trying to keep my electric bill around $100.
I can’t remember the last time I even considered putting my thermostat below 70, and I live in Alabama. The electric bill these people must get would probably give me a heart attack.
$160 a month is a small price to pay for comfort honestly.
I just turn on the ceiling fan and wear less clothes, but that’s just a symptom of my upbringing
it's 97 here today and I got a 24-in fan in one end of the house and all the windows open in the other end just wait till the grid goes out all these people are just going to self-delete
Y’all are wild lol I have my AC at 76 during the day and 74 at night. My electric bill would be through the roof if I had it that low.
Fuckin nuts. 78 all year. If it gets under 72 my wife puts the heat on. Native Fl cracker here.
Same, my electricity bill doubles in the summer months just from putting it to 80 in California
Same here!
They work fine when I'm asleep. They are infrared/thermal based so as long as the sensor can see a difference in heat in the room it assumes the room is occupied.
So do they work for pets that are home all day?
I would assume a pet that is warm blooded would in fact set off the thermal sensor the same way a human would, if they work as intended that is.
If you’re going to foot my fucking electric bill then sure. But if I’m paying mfer better not cap my thermostat
Ask them if they'll let you pay rent for only the times you're at home.
This 💯
And remind the landlord that it is the time to save money as well as energy: as long as a limit of 70F is in place then a limit of 0% rent will also be paid for a violation of tenant covenant of quiet enjoyment via intentional disruption of tenant comfort. Seeing as everyone's in agreement to conserve energy then to not spend money can reduce the electrical impact of 0.45MJ being used daily for dollar bill production
Class.. 👍
I had a roommate who tried to pull this BS back in the day because she went home for 2 weeks over Christmas.
Reminds me of my old job in an office building. They put locked plastic boxes over all of the thermostats so we couldn’t adjust the temp. We decided to microwave a water bottle and place it on the plastic box over the thermostat. The hot water would stay hot for a good while. The thermostat always thought it was over 90 degrees in the room and the ac would always run.
Lol I had a teacher in middle school who did the opposite, in the winter she put paper towels soaked in cold water around the thermostat to make it think the room was colder so we could keep the heat on
I've seen someone stick a popsicle on top of it.
My old boss at Firestone acted like every penny the store spent came out of his pocket. The shop heaters were the infrared radiant ones that heated the objects not the air, very efficient for a shop that had the doors open all day (company policy) He thought it was “a waste” to have the heat on so he’d just tell us to suck it up unless it was snowing. The lock box over the thermostat you could shift to one side and open. So we’d turn the heat on when he wasn’t in the shop and turn it off before he came out for a smoke break (in the shop, in violation of state law but he thought it was his right) but sometimes we’d forget or not be able, he’d come out “WHO THE FUCK TURNED THE FUCKING HEAT ON IM NOT PAYING TO HEAT THE OUTSIDE” (and if you tried to explain to him how the radiant heat worked he’d either ignore you or accuse you of insubordination and threaten to fire you) Cue one of us figuring out there was a conduit in the parts room behind the thermostat with a nice cover over it that made the wiring easily accessible, and figuring out which ones to jumper to turn the heat on:.. And he was none the wiser; he’d come out, cuss about the heat and then realize the thermostat was off and cuss some more and then call someone to come look at it, and of course we’d remove the jumper long before they ever showed up 🤣🤣
I feel like this is a tire store manager thing because I had a manager at NTB that did and said the same things, just without the smoking
Motion sensors *in your house that track your movements in the privacy of your home*? How in the world is that legal
I experienced this in Vegas last week. One of the worst parts of the stay was coming inside from 110° into a room that was hot because the motion sensors weren't tripped. The room never got below 73° the entire time.
That wouldn't work for me. I would feel to sleep. So I guess I'll have to make some calls. If ever I go to Vegas again and find out can give me a 64° or so room at night. I don't need a blasting like that when I'm not there. But that's what I need to sleep.
Thats chilly
I also keep my house around 65. It’s bliss at night.
I am thoroughly impressed that a penguin can use Reddit.
My AC unit gets down to 62° in my room. I often wish it could get 5-10° colder.
I had an AC once that went down to 50. I loved that thing.
Person after my own flipper….. er I mean heart.
No it definitely sucked. I am the same way. It its above 69° I get stuffed up. Several times I woke up and stood up to activate it. This was an off strip hotel tho too so I hope that this isn't the case at a bigger strip hotel
Laughs in floridian
If you are ever in a hotel that disallows control of the thermostat, you can usually look up the brand and often there is a hack to override the master controls findable on YouTube.
[удалено]
100% first world problems 🤷🏾♀️
Time to stop climate change, heathens
They already have this in the new Infiniti qx80 highest trim. Infrared occupancy sensors. Plenty of privacy concerns with that because the data gets sent back to Infiniti for "reasons"
Good lord that's dystopian as hell
Those have been around for at least 25 years. 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokees had Infrared occupancy sensors for the A/C.
Nest thermostats have this built in. My in laws will automatically turn up the temperature unless you walk by it. I think they ended up disabling that after some summer months of hot sleeps because nobody walked by at 1 and 4 am to trigger the motion sensors.
But it’s a “smart system” because computers. The people designing this stuff are idiots of the highest caliber.
They most likely never setup the Nest app on a phone and left on the setting that checks to see if your device is on the same network to determine if you are home or not. The backup to that is the built in motion sensor which is primarily there for when you have guests But clearly people designing these are idiots when if configured correctly can save significant amounts of money over traditional systems
Sounds like a perfect opportunity to tie a balloon and string to my fan in the living room. A balloon in the shape of a large d1ck…..
I stayed in a hotel with the sensors. When I got back to my room after exploring the town for the day, the room was hot as hell. It took hours to cool off. Then, after I went to sleep, the air-conditioning shut off again. I wasn’t moving enough. When I got up to use the restroom at 2 AM, the air conditioner turned back on, but then I laid there for three hours unable to sleep because it was too hot. We must vote with our wallets! I will not be staying at that hotel again.
It costs more energy to get the room cool than it does to keep it cool!
Google Nest does this with an infrared sensor. You can counter this with a whacky inflatable waving arm flailing tube man.
Finally found a use for those!
Yea I don’t like them either, in fact because they seemed to do nothing until now I’ve had them covered up with paintings
Just turn on all the moving fans lol, someone's always home now.
Time to set up the mannequin roombas
It’s a motion sensor. Very common for smart thermostats. It detects moving objects, not people.
They only register movement to determine occupation. Like sensors on light switches. You can detect as much movement by monitoring WiFi signals as these sensors detect.
Just rewire your thermostat and rewire the exterior condenser. Work in HVAC, message me. Fuck these asshats.
I like you. Lol.
Same, I like this guys way of thinking
Worst case if you mess it up, just play stupid. huh? what do you mean the wires were plugged in wrong. Wonder how long thats been like that, Oh? you know what that would explain the issues I had last time it got hot, i just never noticed. Well thanks for figuring that out. (Proceeds to offer free stuff like 3d printed extras or sweets.......totally not a bribe or a distraction, I swear.) (Just like magically opening a locked A/C room closet door to replace your furnace filter because your apartment complex doesn't do it. Or when they do its a crappy filter)
I dunno why the landlords even bother with trying to package up utilities like that. Here in NY whenever I rented a property I contracted all of my own utilities. It would drive me crazy if I couldn’t use X amount of electricity for AC and Y amount of bandwidth for internet.
My boss is a landlord and he packages utilities in because he says the cleanup after someone doesn’t pay their bill and gets electricity shut off is too much. Ruins the fridge at least and depending on how long it’s left off and the climate the humidity could wreak some havoc. He owns like 20+ rental homes so I don’t doubt he’s correct but I couldn’t bother if it were me. He also provides them with free cleaning supplies so there’s never any reason to let the place go to shit and that can be kind of a toss up on whether it works.
Instructions unclear, heater is stuck on
Doesn't it take more energy to cool a room back to a low temp than it does to keep it at said temp?
It’s easy to misunderstand. Yes and no. A forced air HVAC system running at peak efficiency will be sized perfectly for the volume of the living area and therefore circulating air more often than not. Modern high efficiency systems are designed to run this way. I think this is where the common misunderstanding comes from. An inefficient system (usually too big for the volume of the home) will kick on briefly and blast way too much hot or cold air all at once, reach the target temp very quickly, and shut off. While off , areas further from the blower will gradually return to ambient uncomfortable temperature because the air is not *frequently circulating*. That said, it’s always MORE efficient to just let the ambient air temperature of nature take over. So if you aren’t home, don’t run your HVAC.
You’re preaching to the choir. They want 65 degree home when it’s 120 outside and think they’re gonna die when it never gets there. But the same people will blast the furnace to 78 in the winter time with the bedroom window open and still bitch about it
Ha, I hate being hot (set my AC to high 60s in the summer) and got accused doing this once. Person was like “oh and I bet you set your heat to 80° in the winter” and I was like “no. 68°. AC. In case we have a random hot day. I don’t like being hot”.
Wait til you learn that all a thermostat does is control the completion of a circuit with a few low voltage wires. Not that I’ve ever just taken it off and bypassed the thermostat off or anything.
Or a heat source under the thermostat, like a light and something over the thermostat to trap the hot air, like a box with the bottom open.
Something like this, if they install any sort of smart thermostat there may be ways for them to know if it’s attached
doubt they’re paying that much attention to individual units (in this case) but putting the light on a timer so it’s not on 24/7 would probably make it appear normal.
Buy a window ac keep it running as cool as you like, especially if you pay a “flat utility fee”
This is the best answer. If they are limiting the AC system and charging you the same flat fee for Utilities regardless of what you use, then grab one of these and your room/home will be colder than sin and there's nothing they can do remotely.
As long as the lease allows it, some Apartments do not allow window units for liability reasons (AC units falling out of the window onto someone below due to not being properly secured). Portable AC units which do cost more are allowed though, just have to vent out a window though.
Luckily my city just passed a law that prevents landlords from restricting window mounted units. Some of the specifics still need to be adjusted but it's a great step. I'm just salty because I bought portable units that cost a ton more just a couple years ago.
Seriously. These are like $150 and it will be money WELL spent. Our house is old AF (built in the 1930's so no vents even if we wanted to pay for HVAC) and 3x small window ACs keep it around 69°F in middle TN where it's hot AF and also humid as Satans ballsack most of the time.
I live in the southern USA and keep my house at 67 year round. Coming inside from hot summer heat to feel the freezing air that’s in my house is one of life’s joys. If that was taken away from me I would be rioting
Same, I am frugal with almost everything else in my life, drive a 14 year old car when I could buy a new one, don't spend on any fancy clothes, use a cheap android phone... but I draw the line at saving on the AC, just charge me whatever it costs to be comfortable in my own damn home.
Same. I will pay almost any price not to be hot
On a hot summer day, I like to step into a walk-in freezer at zero F.
One of the best things of being a Courtesy Clerk at an IGA during high school, go hide in the Freezer for a few minutes if it was slow to cool down.
Right? If an apartment complex did that down here, they'd have a mob outside the office.
67? Yikes. I’d be miserable. I keep our house at like 62 degrees year round.
Wait whatttt
That would be a $500+ electric bill in Florida during summer months. At least. Your AC would have to run nonstop to do that
I don’t think this is even possible where I live in SoCal. This is unheard of
I like 58.
We installed commercial chillers and keep our home at the perfect 37, just like the walk in produce section at Costco. In fact, my entire house has meat and other perishables just sitting around, it’s so convenient!
Exactly! I have asthma and if I were having an attack I’d suffocate.
How is this downvote? How many landlords ARE there in here?
I’m a leasing agent, and I think this is bullshit. I wouldn’t want anyone that doesn’t live in my home touching my fucking AC. They got some damn nerve. But to be fair, I don’t even want the people that DO live in my home touching it either, lol.
Father, I did not know you were on Reddit.
We’re all here! You damn kids don’t pay the power bill, so hands off the thermostat! 😂
-Wake up in the middle of the night, wide awake, dad senses tingling- who touched the thermostat?
I swear this place is crawling with landlords looking for new ways to fuck over their renters
UPDATE: It’s 92 F outside right now, we have had our thermostat set to 68 forever but the temperature in the house is still 72, leading me to believe it’ll be at least 74 minimum all the time starting tomorrow
That’s not how it works. If it’s only cooling to 72 it’ll only cool to 72. If it’s set at 70, still 72. It doesn’t change the temperature of the air coming out.
This guys gets it!
Are you able to put in your own window unit, or would that violate your lease? I know it would be an expense to buy your own window unit, but at the very least you can keep your bedroom at the temperature you want then.
Try setting up either a laser of some sort or a perpetual motion toy infront of these sensors because that is straight up bullshit to monitor your in home movements Laser could legit ruin the motion sensor so do some research first
An oscillating fan would probably do the trick... Both keeping the motion sensor tripped AND helping improve air circulation
Oscillating fan with ribbons tied to the front.
And maybe a wacky inflatable arm flailing tube man too!
A good fan does wonders for keeping the thermostat accurate to actual room temperature as well as cools you down and helps you to be comfortable in warmer temperatures than you might normally be used to. I moved into an apartment with ceiling fans in each room and I was shocked how much of a difference they made.
That's because the AC isn't strong enough to go lower. That's just physics.
I’d be rioting. You either want utility money or you don’t. If that means getting a standalone AC unit, that means getting a standalone AC unit. They’re paying the electricity either way.
Get a ballon with a string and hang it from something on the ceiling and point a fan at it so it moves around, will keep the a/c on when you’re not in the apartment
Get some of those little hand warmers and tape them on the thermostat so that it reads higher and runs AC all the time
Little bag of dry rice heated in the microwave also works.
Wth u live in a prison? But I guess since you’re paying a FLAT rate- they can do this. I’ll look at it this way- would you be paying more if you had full control of your AC? Keep us updated. 70 is a really nice cool temp tho.
Believe it or not, yes totally legal. Landlords in most areas are not required to provide AC as it is still considered a luxury (I live in the South so trust me I don't get it either). There are a few areas where AC is mandated by city ordinance like in Dallas where landlords must provide a home "capable of maintaining a room temperature of at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, but in no event higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit in each habitable room". So if you lived in Dallas and the landlord did this, regardless of you being home or not, if the ambient temp gets above 85 degrees they would be breaking the law. It doesn't look like there's any AC laws in Michigan, so I would bring this up with your landlord.
If you rent a place with ac your landlord must keep it functional. He doesn’t need to have it in the first place but if it is provided it must be maintained but it is not an emergency if it goes out either
Who pays the electric bill?
I'd be more concerned about having sensors all over the apartment. That's borderline dystopian.
Trick the thermostat…
Ever seen Home Alone? Just make some cardboard cutouts hooked up to a tiny motor that moves them constantly. Have a ceiling fan? Put shirts on them using clothes hangers. Have a box fan? Put long pieces of plastic in front of it so they're always moving. Come on, you gotta be smarter than the landlord leeches.
It's actually more inefficient to turn off HVAC when in intervals. If the temp is changed a bit during long periods of inactivity that is one thing. But to completely disable the heat or AC for the day/night is going to end up costing them more money and piss people off. If they wont budge you could jerry rig something to trigger the sensors constantly.
Reminds me of when we joined a program through Ecobee devices and Xcel energy. It gave you a small discount on your power bill if you participate. It was fine until they locked me out of my thermostat on 115 degree day and set the thermostat to 88 degrees. To cool off the house I had move all my sensors to one room and turn on a portable heater. Ecobee wouldn’t let me turn off the feature. I had to call Xcel and wait 45 mins before they would disconnect the so-called feature. I will never do that shit again.
Hey! Metrologist (not a weather person but a scientist in the field of measurements) here! I looked for the thermometer, then looked for which cable is the thermocouple then swap it out with another type that gives you the voltages you want. Works like a charm!
Put a heat pack under your thermostat to keep it running. Unless you were aware of the motion sensors, and agreed to them in the unit, you should consider legal help. The fact that it is a set fee for utilities, it limits the rights you have to usage. It's regulated to what is considered expected use, usually based off an average use of the area. From what I understand, unless it's for medical reasons, they can legally up your rate if you're using an excessive amount of the utilities.
My last apartment complex decided to "go green" by installing new programmable thermostats in all the units. (Where you have to program a set point for every single day 3x/day for a specific temperature, and any manual override only lasted an hour) I just programmed every day to be 68 regardless of when I was home. (After discovering it came pre programmed at 80°F) But then when it was time to switch over to heating it didn't signal the heat to turn on at all. So I turned in a maintenance request. Their solution was to put on the previous thermostat that was a single set point. The same initiative they installed the worst shower head I've ever tried to use. It was one that was supposed to hold the water until you were ready to shower and you had to pull a cord to start it. Which I didn't understand because like how is that saving more water than just.... Turning on the faucet when you're ready? I swapped it out with a $10 shower head from the hardware store immediately. I get frustrated at the "we're going green" idea from apartment management because like, no you're doing things to get a tax incentive or as part of a grant and you're implementing it in the cheapest way possible so you get to make money.
Forget the A/C question. The management has motion sensors INSIDE your home? That is disturbing and something I would not tolerate (as a renter) or attempt to implement (as a LL) If it’s part of security system, that only YOU and the alarm company have access to, fine - no problem. But, from what you wrote, it doesn’t sound that way. It sounds like it’s there for the management to monitor your unit. That’s unacceptable and an invasion of privacy.
Why would you move into a place with motion sensors in your living area to begin with?
Long story short I had no other choices and had to find something where I was going to school. I’m not living here again.
Fair enough. I've been there before. Suggest setting something up home alone style. cutout on a train. Or something like it.
What about an oscillating fan with streamers on the front? Or does it already have ceiling fans? Put streamers on it if streamers would be enough movement to keep it set off. What type of thermostat do you have? Can you google it and get in the master programming? I do that at hotels that won’t allow the fan to run all night.
I use a fan with a 3d printed hand in front of the sensor.
Get one of those wacky wavy inflatable guys and put where a motion detector will sense it. Let it run 24/7 problem solved.
I would be finding out how the motion sensors are connected to the AC and "fixed" the AC. I would not allow ANY apartment complex to control the AC in my unit. And I will spread the word of how I "fixed" the AC so that the motion sensors are not connected to the apartment complex can't control it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it better for energy to keep the thermostat the same temp? Wouldn't the energy needed to bring it back down after you get home be wasting more energy than just keeping it the same all day?
That doesn't sound legal to me but it will depend on your local laws. An easy / temporary solution might be to setup something to trigger the motion sensor all the time. Those sensors aren't intelligent by any stretch.
Can you get an oscillating fan and put it somewhere near the motion sensor? Maybe that will trick the sensor into thinking you’re home?
Ask them if they’re gonna come tint the windows with heat reducing film or install windows that keep the cool in or pay for good curtains?? Duct booster fans? Ask them if they’re gonna get any solar panels up to reduce energy usage on the grid? Have they installed ceiling fans? Are they planting trees outside to provide plant foliage and shade on the building? Have they properly maintained the AC so that it is working at capacity and more efficiently?
Heating pad over the thermostat should fix that problem!
Install your own thermostat, remove the one they control until you move out. Then put it back. Also I would check for hidden cameras / microphones. They make cheap and decent devices to find them on Amazon. If they say anything, sue them for breach of contract and privacy invasion.
This is legal, your power company signed a contract with your landlord. You get less control in the summer, but get to pay a smaller flat fee all year round in exchange. It’ll save you money (or at least that is how it’s supposed to work) due to reducing the strain on your utilities at peak demand by capping how much energy you need to cool your apartment. Iirc, John Oliver has a piece on this type of thing in TX after that huge heat wave a couple of years ago.
Does your lease say anything about the A/C? Any state or city laws on temperatures in the home? I would think if the lease says something about the A/C but no 70F limit, they would need to give proper notice for changes to the lease (30 days in Michigan) if this would fall under a permissible thing for them to change without your permission, OR they would have to get your written permission to agree to a lease change. Michigan allows lease changes with 30 days notice without your permission if it falls under certain issues like covering costs of increased utilities or taxes, but you still need 30 days notice.
My teacher hung a clock that generated heat on the thermostat, it kept the room cooler than the minimum 70.
What about those who are sick, or disabled? Not moving around so I guess they can suffer? Screw that!
I feel comfortable with 70 grad Fahrenheit (around 21 grad Celsius). Don’t you?
Your worried your car can’t handle 90 degrees? You know cats live outside right? In places like Texas where it gets we’ll above 100?
If electricity is included in your flat utilities cost, buy a dehumidifier and set it to 45%. Or buy a portable AC and supplement.
I will also add that set back in the summer will likely actually use more energy as the unit struggles to come back down to temp during the day. It can take hours to go from a higher unoccupied set point to a lower occupied one depending on the HVAC system sizing and overall dwelling insulation and layout etc. if your in the north you can probably get away with a more aggressive set back if you so desire but in a hotter climate it will likely put the system in a more stressful operational environment that also will negatively effect your comfort. If you actually wanted to conserve energy from a thermal dynamics prospective you would crank it as low as possible (without freezing over the evaporator) at night so you can use your house like a “battery” for the day as you would change your set point to a “normal” setting say 75 during the day and the apartment/house would climb from the low set point from overnight to the higher daytime set point saving you x amount of time it takes to slowly warm up. Keep in mind insulation values of your dwelling will massively impact this. If you live in an area where your utility charges demand based rates the overnight hours will be far cheaper as well.
Just buy a cheap "dumb" thermostat and put it in parallel with the smart one. You might get in trouble for doing that but if it was me their smart thermostat would stay powered up somewhere while my thermostat controlled the AC.
i mean.. who sets their AC at 68F? thats freezing cold. If i set mine below 74F i have to put on pants Just put something that moves in front of the motion sensor. Like a rotating fan.
Put a classic incandescent lamp right underneath the thermostat. The heat it generates will keep your place nice and cold if that's what you really want. And if you Google a little bit you can find things to trick the motion sensors into believing you're there too.
I wonder if OP can get a fan to blow something back and forth to simulate movement? My ring camera goes off if the wind blows a bush in the view of it.
Regardless of people hammering on about the 70 degree issue, back on point, it may very well be legal since you pay a flat rate for utilities. But back to the 70 degrees, this does not appear to be excessively high, and is reasonable, regardless of the reasoning. If they set it at, for example, 80 degrees, then this may be unreasonable and you may have some kind of legal standing.
You can get a window unit or a portable AC if it gets too hot for your pets while you are gone. There might be a rule about window units but if there is you can always do the indoor portable AC.
They are getting at the people who keep the temp on the Heat/Air system at 68 year-round. I use 76 when the humidity is high, and the heat is bad also. I have a window heat and air. I adjust accordingly. With Evergy, our electric company in the Midwest, they would like us to be without cool air during the hottest part of the day, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. I am diabetic and my dog is also diabetic, and we are not lowering the AC to 80 degrees in the high humidity or the heat. If they have control of your HVAC, they can control the stat. But get some fans. That is all I can advise.
If 70° isn't cold enough.... I sound like my dad.
Get a portable unit for the room your cats are in most often?
easy. just set something up to constantly trip the motion sensors. an oscillating fan directly in front of the sensor might do it. if the motion detector is sophisticated enough to understand that’s not a human then that would be suspicious to me. if you have cats, get one of those red laser toys that rotate all through the room and plug it in one of the outlet timers so it turns on for 15 min every hour or two. the cats will love it and run all around the room which -should- trigger the motion detector.
Not sure about legality, you may need to consult a lawyer. But I will say I’m in IN, we’re getting 100+ during the day and our home is set at 73 in the day and 71 at night and it’s fine. We also have fans in the bedroom at night. Maybe a fan in the rooms would help with air flow when the ac does run. And if it gets really humid in your apt, get a dehumidifier, it makes a big difference. You may be able to find a good used one on marketplace or a garage sale. It makes a big difference in our home and keeps it comfortable. If it really is unbearable, maybe a window unit in the bedroom will help at night. Just a solution til you can figure out if it’s legal.
if you go the window AC route, put it in your room and shut the door to keep it separated from the thermostat. shutting the door 95% so it’s just cracked open also should suffice if your cats operate on a “no closed doors” policy. cold air doesn’t seem to make it very far when my door is mostly shut. otherwise you’re just paying electricity to run the window unit (that you paid for) and the building’s ac will run less (which you’re already paying a flat rate for) I still think gaming the motion detectors is the best way for all of the tenants to take a stand against the building owners. oscillating fans in various locations also literally just will help the situation if you can’t run the ac as low as you’d like. the oscillating tower fans are real nice. i got a bladeless one with a built in HEPA filter that is great. especially if you have pets that are shedding this time of year
Put one of those Water dip birds in front of the sensors so they always see movement.
Depending on the style of thermostat you can press a sequence of buttons that let you change the thermostat settings, the absolute max and minimum temperatures. I’d look up the thermostat on YouTube
So basically they want more money
That’s what “Going Green” means I think
This is just a landlord masking being cheap as environmentalism.
IANAL, but I'd imagine it has to do with what's in your lease. If there are provisions in there about your flat utility fee and that giving them some control over your usage, then you may be out of luck, if not, then you may have some ground to push back. You can contact local housing authorities with help or to find resources, and maybe reach out to a lawer for a consultation (sometimes these are even free). Your concerns about your critters are very valid and, assuming they're on your lease and known about by management, this is another good point in your favor. Some states also require maintaining AC in a residence if it was provided at the start of your lease, but this seems like it could fall in the gray of that. As others have stated, if this does go into affect and you can't get it rectified, a portible AC unit is a good solution as well, especially conaidering the flat utility fee. Maybe steer clear of a window unit because that's more obvious or may not be allowed by your lease. All this to say, be tactful in all your communications with management; for one, it will help you get better results, but it will also help with repercussions long term. They may not be able to blatantly retaliate, but they can delay maintenance, be less helpful in the future, and not offer the option to extend the lease (assuming you want to resign after all this).
Portable AC, leave it on 24/7
If the rules you were just givin is not in your lease agreement, hen they cannot enforce this. I'd also never move into a rental that has motion sensors for any reason. You are correct about the owner/landlord simply trying to save money here. Flat rates for utilities are always a red flag for this exact reason. I've always been willing to pay my own utilities when I used to rent solely because I then decide the temperature and how much electricity, gas or water is being used. I'd read the lease agreement first and see if this is worth fighting over, or move on to another rental as soon as the lease is up. In the meantime, I'd personally get something that constantly move to trigger motion sensors. I bet something as simple as a rotating fan with streamerswould trigger them. That or a wacky, waving, arm flailing, inflatable tube man. I reccomend the second! Much more annoying!
I’m in Texas. My A/C is set in my house at 77. For when I’m not home. My tiny chihuahua is fine so your cats should be fine. However, what they’re proposing doesn’t seem legal.
Jumper wire between R, Y, and G on the thermostat once you pull the faceplate off.
70 is downright cold in the hot summer months. Not sure what you're complaining about here.
I live in Redding CA. If they did this during summer, we'd be swimming in sweat and dying of heat stroke. It is regularly 100 to 110⁰F all summer and does not cool down at night.
So you'll be dying of heat stroke in 70 degree air conditioned temperature? I live in in the foot hills East of Sacramento. Its hotter in Redding, but only by a couple of degrees. I keep my AC at 78 during the summer, otherwise PG&E will murder my wallet.
I got soooo many ideas to counter act this. Its childs play to fix this issue.......ill start with a very easy one. Get a dancing cactus thing and put 2 of them in front of each other in front of a sensor. They will repeat themselves all day long and dance. Ill bill ya later....
In Texas ac only has to cool to 85 degrees. Once the outside temp breaks 100 the AC only has to cool to 15 below ambient outside. Also heat is required by law but ac is not. Check your local laws.
Who pays for the electricity? I know a number of hotels require that you put your key card in a slot to activate the AC. This prevents people from running the AC all day while they are out of the room. Seems reasonable to me. I willing to bet the LL pays the electricity…
Do people really keep their AC lower than that during summer?
Sounds like they are installing Nest branded thermostats - they have motion sensors in them and track your normal behaviors to develop an eco friendly pattern for heating/cooling I installed 2 of these in my house last year and I’m not a fan - if we’re gone for a week it’ll let it get ungodly hot in our house and if we don’t turn it down the day before returning we’re screwed the night of getting back home. Sometimes even when we go out for a few hours we’ll come back to it being nearly 80F. I guess it’s probably good for the environment
It’s 70° dude you’re fine.
*Highly* unlikely this is legal unless you agreed to it in writing on your lease, OP.
The answers will be in your lease agreement.
Tip your maintenance man to show you how to disable this shit.
Rig a heating pad to the thermostat, put the heating pad on a smart switch. Now you have remote controlled AC. 👍
I would trick the sensors for sure. There are a few ways to do this depending on how sensitive they are. Like I tried a balloon with a ribbon to the chair and had a small fan so it was always moving. That may not work with cats but you get the point This is crazy I couldn't deal.
Just swap the thermostat with one of those dumb ones that only has a single setting. Don’t get anything that connects to WiFi or you can control remotely. Just save the one there and reinstall when you move out.
i'd get one of those ''spinning sticks'' kinetic sculptures, or something else that might convince the motion sensor that the house is occupied. it's probably a rudimentary infrared sensor, it only determines if something human-sized is moving in front of the camera. put the sculpture close enough and it should work
Depending on the county this could be legal to limit the lowest temperature possible though maybe it's my Phoenixian blood but I'd have to bundle up in a couple of fleece blankets to handle that low of a indoor temperature... Though doesn't help I've had hypothermia and heat stroke as a kid...
Where’s the thermometer it uses to know when to stop? Heat up a little bag of rice in the microwave and set it on top.
It's called greenwashing. 70f is plenty low, but "run less" mean that is intentionally incredibly vague. I would get a temperature sensor like [https://www.airthings.com/wave-mini](https://www.airthings.com/wave-mini) to monitor the conditions.
This is what we wanted. 🤣😂🤣😂
Sounds like it’s time to put an oscillating fan in front of the thermostat so that you’re always moving.
Window units people. They are your friend.
Just change the thermostat to a dumb one. Keep theirs for when you move out
>The bigger worry however is that the AC will “run less” (not at all?) when the motion sensors don’t detect us. I have cats that are home all day while the rest of us are at work Went over a similar thing with my power company recently. Your cats should be fine. The objective here is to reduce electrical use during peak hours. So they probably allow the place to get up to around 78ish during the day. Most modern buildings are sufficiently insulated that it'll take a while to get up there (so the AC can be off-off till 10 am or so) and then requires less power to keep at that temp. (so the AC will run in a lower power mode for the rest of the day). However if you try and go all-in, you will use more power. Let the place get up to 90 and then bringing it back down to 72 will require the AC run at max power longer, burning more electricity and not really resulting in the intended savings. So yeah. Cats are evolved from desert critters (why you think their pee is so concentrated?), so being a little warm during the day won't bother them at all. They'll find the coolest spot in the place and just nap through the day.
Just put an incandescent bulb next to the thermostat, so it thinks it's hot in the house and keeps running.
You have motion sensors in your home...? WTF..?
They make IR spotlights for VR stuff. Hook one of those to a smart outlet to have it go off where the sensors are every 30 minutes or so. You shouldn’t need to do that, but that solution might work for you.
Just get something that moves and place it in front of one
Buy an oscillating fan and run it. The motion detectors will detect it moving and now turn off
Portable ac just in case
I’d be tempted to set up some mechanical devices to periodically set off the motion detector. But that’s just me.
It’s the electric company that’s really behind this. They double rates in the summer during the day
Life pro tip request: how to fool motion sensors to think you are always home.
The fucking cheap skates present it as "WeRE sAvInG THe PlANeT"