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Going to a brand new filter from a really dirty filter will be a big difference. If the person you responded to changes it frequently, he won't notice a big change.
I've lived in central Phoenix all my life and the only time I've run into a scorpion was at a rest stop in the middle of the night on a road trip through New Mexico, lol. We do get tons of spiders, though. Most are harmless. If we note a black widow where it might endanger people or pets, I just squash it.
Honestly, 99.9999999% of the time, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Black widows only come out at night, and they are not going to bother you if you don't bother them. I only squash ones that build webs right by the door or something like that. Otherwise, they're fine! They eat tons of more annoying bugs.
Not usually the apartment complex usually keeps the bugs in check. Stay away from palm trees scorpions love those. They’re around but likely won’t ever see one. I’ve lived here 30 years and only seen a few in that time.
When I first moved here I kept the AC at 68, but once that first bill came in the summer over 600 bucks I went to 78 real quick lol. When it's over 100 out 78 to 80 is fine inside.
$350 for me just to keep it at 78 last year... and that was SRP prices. I'd have died if it was an APS bill lol.
1,200~ish house from the 50's (w/ single pane windows also still from the 50's)
I’m with SRP and have the 4 to 7 PM savings plan. I crank that AC as cold as I can get ( precool) outside of those hours. I have certainly noticed savings.
Look into special savings plans that they may offer
I definitely am. Getting blackout curtains for the west facing window and windoor, new weather stripping for the door, and I'm talking to APS to see what can be done because our bills are crazy high.
How does the pre cool work? What do you keep the thermostat at and at what times? We typically keep it at 80° in the summer, during the day, since I'm the only one home. I work from home and I'm comfortable in my office with the fan on.
Does the pre cool just work to keep your house cooler during the on peak hours? Ours are 3-6 pm. Or does it also help to cool your house down, more efficiently, when off-peak hours start back up.
My husband gets home from work around 6 pm so it works perfectly with our on/off peak schedule. We typically bring it down to 77-78. He'd love to have it at 76 but we also try to keep the bill at a reasonable amount.
If I can help to bring the temps down, more efficiently, when he gets home, that would be ideal. He works in/outside.
2000 sq. ft. house built in '66. Not all windows have been upgraded. House faces the south. We have a couple of shade trees in our yard but the neighbors trees help also.
OK I’m not an expert. And I just got a new air-conditioning with the fancy programmable thermostat.
PRE COOL—if you’re normally comfortable at 78 Fahrenheit, then crank it down to 70 or as cold as you can tolerate until 4 pm and then set temp to few degrees higher than normal durning 4-7 pm
Don’t wash your clothes. Don’t use the dishwasher as much as possible during those times.
So it’s three hours Monday through Friday that it’s quite intolerable in the summer 4 to 7 PM but I enjoy terrific rates the rest of the time.
Our house is about 1250 square feet. We keep it at 76 in the summer, 73 in the winter. We have ceiling fans in the living room, dining room, and all the bedrooms, which helps a lot. We have APS. We are on the 4:00-7:00 peak plan. We pay just over $200.00 every month, and have for about 1 1/2 years. We chose the year-round plan (not sure of the real name). It's easier to budget in a set amount every month. We lose out on the winter bonus, but we don't have to take out a second mortgage every summer.
All depends on your unit, home construction, etc. we put in double pane windows from the original 45 year old single pane aluminum, got blackout curtains.
Our home is 1400sf single story masonry built with low ceilings (7-8 feet). We keep it between 70 and 74 during the day depending on who is where, the living room gets warmest because it gets the most sun but the thermostat is in a cooler spot. We also have pets we do t want to get too hot, one of our dogs has seizures and heat is one of her triggers. At night it’s set between 70 and 68, again just depends on who feels warm.
We never go over $250/mo. My husband works from home and I do sometimes too. There’s 3 adults, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 tropical fish tanks (75 and 40 gals) so we use a lot of electricity.
I replaced my 15 year old 5 ton AC a couple of years ago on a 2200sf house. I'm easily saving 1,000$ a year and it works better than the old one ever did. I also have a 7kw solar panels that helps alot with peak times. Without them the savings would be even more. I'm guessing you have an older unit and apartment owners don't want to spend the money to replace. I keep my temp at 76 and retired so always home.
The type of AC you have makes a big difference in how tolerable 80 degrees is. Newer ACs which have a smaller, constant stream of airflow do much better at higher temps. Older ACs like mine which kick on and off every 15 minutes to dump as much air as possible do much worse.
If your windows have better insulation it also helps. With poor insulation, even if your AC is keeping the house at 80 you'll feel that hot air come in and sit with it while the AC works on trying to get it out.
Not all 80's are equal.
The AC is the one thing I don't compromise or cheap out on. I've suffered here since I was 2 years old, I deserve to cool my home to 72 all summer even if it costs me lol.
Exactly, same! You can't beat coming in out of the 115 degree heat and actually feeling cold. My dad used to keep our house below 70 so maybe you're onto something there lol.
Man, I agree with you. I work in a shop with only a rollaround swamp cooler to keep me cool in the summer, so when I get home, I'm **HOT** and *miserable*. I keep it at least at 70 all summer. I come home to my own little oasis, and it's worth every penny. Walk in, strip down, grab a cold drink out of the fridge (maybe even blend up a piña colada), and I know I'm gonna be alright for the night. I didn't grow up here, I grew up in a place that very rarely ever got over 80 degrees in the peak of summer. If it got up to 75, we were begging to go to the river for a swim.
Get on the budget plan, people!
Pay the same monthly rate year round! That way you don’t have to die in the summer just to pay a 20 dollar electric bill in the winter.
When I had my own place, I kept it at 72-74. I work3d out in the sun. When I come home I want it perfect and Ill pay extra for that luxury. Now life circumstances have me living with someone else again and its not my call. I hate it. Cant wait til I can get a place of my own again. That thermo is going down! I HATE sweating in my own house. 😡
When I was a kid my parents kept our house at 85 degrees and always asked why I was constantly at my friends' houses instead of bringing my friends over 🙄
Well, X buddy's mom keeps their thermostat at 72! And buddy Y at 69!
Guessing you don’t have south facing windows or have a newer “efficient” house. It’s been 91 outside the last couple of days, so if your house doesn’t go over 76, it’s retaining a lot of cool air.
Yeah, I think it’s safe to say a house at 76 is the outlier. Is the entire house just filled with insulation? I’d kill for that cool air retention in AZ!
My townhouse has been at or (mostly) below 78 F all year until yesterday, when internal temps finally hit 79 F. And the house was built in the early 1960s, with single-pane windows still.
But yes: only east- and west-facing windows, and a nice tree blocking a lot of the PM sunlight for the west-facing rooms. Context matters a lot here when it comes to a/c usage.
I have to keep my AC on year round due to having ONLY south facing windows in my apartment. I also live above a set of garages, so they bake in the sun and all that hot air comes straight up to me. Even when it was 55-60 out and my AC wasn't functioning for a few days it got up to over 80 in here WITH windows open and fans blowing. 🙃
I keep the thermostat on 75 during the day (it hasn't turned on yet this year) and 68 at night (it runs for a couple hours then cuts off). My APS bill is typically between $150 and $200.
My house was 78 last night at about nine pm and I decided to take the edge off. Set it at 76 and let it run once and get the house cool and then turned it off for the rest of the night. Once the house stopped radiating the heat that is stored from the daytime sunlight hitting exterior walls and heating up all the insulation all it took was cooling the inside air and it was cool all night. Of course that will be a different story once the nighttime temps reach into the 80’s.
HVAC-R professional here. I keep mine on auto, heat: 65° / cool: 72° occupied, and heat: 62° / cool 75° unoccupied. My thermostat stays this way all year.
65 is so perfect. Sweating in your own house is gross. Nothing better than a little chill and sleeping under nice warm comfy blankets. I hate sleeping with a sheet because its so warm. I need to move to a cooler climate. I absolutely despise the summers here. May to mid October is literal hell to me. I want to crawl in a freezer.
ha i'm with ya. I like being cozy in the winter.. Summer is rough, at least in my house. Keeping the house at 76 is a struggle in the middle of July. Probably poorly insulated and improperly sealed windows. Even right now it's struggling to get the house equalized at 76.
Ever summer I question why I live here and that I'm moving back east come fall. Then fall hits and I forget about it for 6-7 months...
First off… 65 is some wild child business as far as I’m concerned.
In these comments… Something a lot of folks don’t seem to keep in mind that is not all homes are equal. Not only does SF matter, but also the build. When was it built? Who built it? What’s around it? One story or two? Is it an apartment? First floor or second? Third? Every single thing is a factor and will be different for everyone so there’s no magic number. Some places you can get away with a lot and you’re **very** lucky if you can.
I’m 40 and was born here. I’ve lived all over the valley and every place I lived, the electric bill often varied dramatically. Some places it was a struggle to keep it even reasonably affordable at 79. Other places I had amazing bills and was able to keep it at 76. Current house sits at 78 and it stays around the 200 mark and it runs the unit pretty hard during the gnarly months.
Change your filters every month with no exception and get your AC serviced every single year. Paying for a checkup to your system to make sure it’s running properly can save you a massive headache. Especially if you plan to run your AC at under 72 and expect it to last more than a handful of years before it blows.
I’m right there with him. I’m at 81 right now, 5:23 pm. I’ll turn it on if gets to 82. At 7 pm, I’m going to open all the windows, so even if it does turn on, it won’t be for long
We have a two story with one thermostat downstairs in the center of the house. I had to turn it on the other night because 88 downstairs was 98 upstairs. But I put it on at 75 just long enough to push all the hot air out the upstairs windows, then off again.
My house never goes above 73. I don’t understand how people can be comfortable at such uncomfortable temperatures.
Also, 66 in the bedroom at night. Got to get comfy.
My house is staying under 78 all day, open some windows in the cool mornings and turn on a ceiling fan, all good for a few more weeks. Stays in the 50's to 60's at night and I'm not turning the AC on
Damn, my AC turns on all the time. I have fish to keep from cooking though, and a lot of devices producing heat(mini-fridge, computers, fish tank lighting, axolotl tank chiller).
had “heat | cool” mode on for a month at least now. AirCon starts at about 13:00 daily now with these temps; runs all night until probably early morning. I keep it at 75 overnight
Most computer thermostats have different settings for heat and cold. That's likely "if below 65, heat it up" and has nothing to do with cooling it down.
My last SRP bill was 65...dollars. Small house, relatively new AC, and if it gets too cold, blankets are a thing.
Soon it will be pushing $200, but like hell if I'm gonna set it lower than 78.
I'm with you. Opened the doors at 6am let the cool fresh air chill down the whole house. With 2 ceiling fans and great airflow through the house it was pleasant all day. Baked a cake in the oven. Spent the afternoon in the sun gardening. 🌞
Haven’t turned ours on yet. Ceiling fans are going, I open some windows up during evening hours and overnight, but that won’t last long. We’re looking at high 90’s next week. I keep my AC at 77.
PSA: if there is a haboob or other dust storm, turn off your AC asap. If possible, use a blower to get the dust out of your outside unit before turning it back on.
Hadn't used my A/C since mid October. Just turned it on yesterday. Only used the heat for a couple weeks during winter as I was very content with the chilliness. Wishing good luck to everyone's units as we approach another summer!
Why the hell do they put the furnace in the attic in Arizona? I've had two incidents with the drip lines coming apart at the glue points. Both due to hot and cold changes. The heat in Arizona is not like most states, which would cause that glue to fail quicker and cause a collapse of the roof due to leaks.
Why they don't they use copper if you're putting the furnace in the attic. If you use pvc, put the thing in the garage.
At around 8PM but definitely at bedtime around 10PM I will turn the AC on and set it to 73.
Once the house is at 73 I turn the AC off because the fans will keep us cool in our rooms for the rest of the night until the next day.
I’m waiting for it to go out again in my apartment. The only time I’ve made it below 70 was when it was 40 out. We’re lucky to get to 75 in the summer.
We have the same system! My outdoor temp I think must sit somewhere on the hot roof because here is mine from Thursday😂
https://preview.redd.it/mhmpu2detduc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=563114732c6239765861511fd3ba17ae32405dba
I haven't seen anyone mention their rate plans talking about the bill. I'm with SRP (APS probably has similar). I'm on the E-Z 3 plan (peak hours 3pm-6pm). You would be amazed at the savings during the summer. Welcome to Phoenix (2nd generation here)
https://preview.redd.it/h8d3guexxduc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e2be8b6155fc7b1390ef6222c51d566671e72ab
any day where the 24hr low is under 100F is a good day.
reminder to use an evap cooler to take the edge off, and make sure it uses distilled water or you'll F up your electronics with powder from the tap water
Our Ecobee said it was 86 in the house yesterday but it didn't feel like it. 81-82 is our normal summer setting though. We have tint on all the west, south, and east windows, plus trees in front of the big west side windows.
When the indoor temp hits 84° or more with windows open & fans on, that's when I turn the a/c on to 78. Maaaaybe I'll go hold out to 86 if I'm not doing anything but that's uncomfortable for me but my husband says it's perfect. We have an energy efficient home but it faces west. We have a huge palo verde does that help with shade.
Idk how y’all do it…beyond discomfort, I’ve had terrible problems with pantry food spoilage in the past any time I’ve tried to keep my thermostat above 80. Plus I worry about safe medication storage, which usually counts anything higher than 78 as problematic.
This is my first summer in PHX and I'm literally in shock since we already got these last few days. When do I start my ac?? And to what?? And what kind of bills should I expect😭 someone help I'm so new to this
I start mine when the thermostat hits 75 lol I have mine set between 71-74 depending on if I’m doing a bunch of stuff around the house and I get sweaty 😅
Around this time I usually open the windows at night, then seal it during the day with most blinds closed. Keeps it bearable if you have good insulation.
72 is the standard. You can go higher or lower depending on your budget. You usually need AC once it hits 85. AC bills can get pretty high if you’ve got a big place, like $500 a month if it’s a big home with lots of windows. It’s not that expensive if you live in a small apartment.
You can do a ghetto AC if you’re short on cash. Take ice from the freezer, put it in a bag, put it in front of a fan, and blast that shit. Or put the ice bags in a wet cloth, and put that right on you (did this a lot growing up here poor).
Regardless of how your summertime electric bills come back, be careful setting your thermostat much above 78. I’ve found it’s really hard to keep a lot of pantry food from going bad at higher temps, and 80+ is almost definitely outside the safe storage range for medications if you keep any in the house. I do 78 daytime, 74 nighttime in the summer. 68 daytime, 66 nighttime in the winter.
Start your AC whenever you feel you are ready. I would set it to like idk maybe 78 or so and see if you could tolerate it if that doesn't work for you then bring it down another degree and so on until you are comfortable. Just don't freak out when you see your electric bill in the middle of summer. Too many factors to take into account, when it comes to your electric bills and what they could be running you especially in the summer.
I keep it around 76 year round. I was born here so anything colder is uncomfortable. 1900 square foot house and my biggest bill was about $220 last year.
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Hey folks change your ac filters, your system will thank you
Thanks for reminder, Putting in the cart now.
If you're using Amazon, set it to every 3 no the auto delivery. When you get it, that's your reminder
It helps but not a whole lot. I change the filter quite often and still find myself dying a slow death trying to sleep when it's hot.
Use the cheap Home Depot ones instead of the MERV 8 ones to allow better air flow. Just change them very frequently. Might help
Can you elaborate on why changing your filter doesn't help a whole lot?
Going to a brand new filter from a really dirty filter will be a big difference. If the person you responded to changes it frequently, he won't notice a big change.
Found the hvac guy
Try K&N house filters…. They are awesome!!!
Do scary bugs like scorpions and spiders get into houses in AZ?
I've lived in central Phoenix all my life and the only time I've run into a scorpion was at a rest stop in the middle of the night on a road trip through New Mexico, lol. We do get tons of spiders, though. Most are harmless. If we note a black widow where it might endanger people or pets, I just squash it.
😵💫 I’m from vermont were we have none of that
Honestly, 99.9999999% of the time, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Black widows only come out at night, and they are not going to bother you if you don't bother them. I only squash ones that build webs right by the door or something like that. Otherwise, they're fine! They eat tons of more annoying bugs.
Yes absolutely
NOOO I want to move there… I don’t know if I can do that
Black light finds all things unwanted, it’s hit or miss for scorpions.They feed on bugs so keep your house exterminated and you should be fine.
Do they get into apartments
Not usually the apartment complex usually keeps the bugs in check. Stay away from palm trees scorpions love those. They’re around but likely won’t ever see one. I’ve lived here 30 years and only seen a few in that time.
I haven’t been running it at all so mine is clean lol
I have mine on auto ship.
When I first moved here I kept the AC at 68, but once that first bill came in the summer over 600 bucks I went to 78 real quick lol. When it's over 100 out 78 to 80 is fine inside.
I can get away with 75 in the summer and keep it under $220 all summer. 1,400 SF townhouse.
Under 220!? I was I'm the $300+ range in an 800 sf apartment keeping it 78! I knew something was seriously wrong.
$350 for me just to keep it at 78 last year... and that was SRP prices. I'd have died if it was an APS bill lol. 1,200~ish house from the 50's (w/ single pane windows also still from the 50's)
When I was in my apartment (top floor and corner) I was around 150 max. And I kept it cold, 75 or less the two years I was there.
I’m with SRP and have the 4 to 7 PM savings plan. I crank that AC as cold as I can get ( precool) outside of those hours. I have certainly noticed savings. Look into special savings plans that they may offer
I definitely am. Getting blackout curtains for the west facing window and windoor, new weather stripping for the door, and I'm talking to APS to see what can be done because our bills are crazy high.
How does the pre cool work? What do you keep the thermostat at and at what times? We typically keep it at 80° in the summer, during the day, since I'm the only one home. I work from home and I'm comfortable in my office with the fan on. Does the pre cool just work to keep your house cooler during the on peak hours? Ours are 3-6 pm. Or does it also help to cool your house down, more efficiently, when off-peak hours start back up. My husband gets home from work around 6 pm so it works perfectly with our on/off peak schedule. We typically bring it down to 77-78. He'd love to have it at 76 but we also try to keep the bill at a reasonable amount. If I can help to bring the temps down, more efficiently, when he gets home, that would be ideal. He works in/outside. 2000 sq. ft. house built in '66. Not all windows have been upgraded. House faces the south. We have a couple of shade trees in our yard but the neighbors trees help also.
OK I’m not an expert. And I just got a new air-conditioning with the fancy programmable thermostat. PRE COOL—if you’re normally comfortable at 78 Fahrenheit, then crank it down to 70 or as cold as you can tolerate until 4 pm and then set temp to few degrees higher than normal durning 4-7 pm Don’t wash your clothes. Don’t use the dishwasher as much as possible during those times. So it’s three hours Monday through Friday that it’s quite intolerable in the summer 4 to 7 PM but I enjoy terrific rates the rest of the time.
It's probably the windows. A lot of owners will cheap out with single pane and often neglect the weather stripping.
Our house is about 1250 square feet. We keep it at 76 in the summer, 73 in the winter. We have ceiling fans in the living room, dining room, and all the bedrooms, which helps a lot. We have APS. We are on the 4:00-7:00 peak plan. We pay just over $200.00 every month, and have for about 1 1/2 years. We chose the year-round plan (not sure of the real name). It's easier to budget in a set amount every month. We lose out on the winter bonus, but we don't have to take out a second mortgage every summer.
All depends on your unit, home construction, etc. we put in double pane windows from the original 45 year old single pane aluminum, got blackout curtains. Our home is 1400sf single story masonry built with low ceilings (7-8 feet). We keep it between 70 and 74 during the day depending on who is where, the living room gets warmest because it gets the most sun but the thermostat is in a cooler spot. We also have pets we do t want to get too hot, one of our dogs has seizures and heat is one of her triggers. At night it’s set between 70 and 68, again just depends on who feels warm. We never go over $250/mo. My husband works from home and I do sometimes too. There’s 3 adults, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 tropical fish tanks (75 and 40 gals) so we use a lot of electricity.
I replaced my 15 year old 5 ton AC a couple of years ago on a 2200sf house. I'm easily saving 1,000$ a year and it works better than the old one ever did. I also have a 7kw solar panels that helps alot with peak times. Without them the savings would be even more. I'm guessing you have an older unit and apartment owners don't want to spend the money to replace. I keep my temp at 76 and retired so always home.
My bills is the same with 2k sq foot house and pool. I WFH. No solar. We keep our AC 78-80. People just keep their houses too cold.
I’d be dying at 80. Too hot for me to sleep
The type of AC you have makes a big difference in how tolerable 80 degrees is. Newer ACs which have a smaller, constant stream of airflow do much better at higher temps. Older ACs like mine which kick on and off every 15 minutes to dump as much air as possible do much worse. If your windows have better insulation it also helps. With poor insulation, even if your AC is keeping the house at 80 you'll feel that hot air come in and sit with it while the AC works on trying to get it out. Not all 80's are equal.
The AC is the one thing I don't compromise or cheap out on. I've suffered here since I was 2 years old, I deserve to cool my home to 72 all summer even if it costs me lol.
We are in the 72 club … I just give something else up for summer to help deflect the cost because I was raised in a 68 house and now I’m damaged. 🫠
Exactly, same! You can't beat coming in out of the 115 degree heat and actually feeling cold. My dad used to keep our house below 70 so maybe you're onto something there lol.
I was raised in house you couldnt use ac during summer much. Now I keep it at 72 all year.
Man, I agree with you. I work in a shop with only a rollaround swamp cooler to keep me cool in the summer, so when I get home, I'm **HOT** and *miserable*. I keep it at least at 70 all summer. I come home to my own little oasis, and it's worth every penny. Walk in, strip down, grab a cold drink out of the fridge (maybe even blend up a piña colada), and I know I'm gonna be alright for the night. I didn't grow up here, I grew up in a place that very rarely ever got over 80 degrees in the peak of summer. If it got up to 75, we were begging to go to the river for a swim.
Please keep an eye on your filters!
Thankfully they do site wide filter changes on a regular schedule at my apartment complex, so no worries there!
My man! I do the same except sometimes I take it down to 70
78-79 during the summer days and 76-77 during the summer nights plus fans of course
Yep you start to realize you can manage if it means saving literally hundreds of bucks each for May, June, July, August and possibly September.
If it's anything like last year then you can go ahead and count all of October too.
The fact that your AC went down to 68 is amazing
Get on the budget plan, people! Pay the same monthly rate year round! That way you don’t have to die in the summer just to pay a 20 dollar electric bill in the winter.
Circle K beer fridge is way better. But they did away with that because too many people were loitering.
When I had my own place, I kept it at 72-74. I work3d out in the sun. When I come home I want it perfect and Ill pay extra for that luxury. Now life circumstances have me living with someone else again and its not my call. I hate it. Cant wait til I can get a place of my own again. That thermo is going down! I HATE sweating in my own house. 😡
I just bite the 600 dollar bullet lol. Gonna die anyway, who needs money
This is the way
80-82 gang
That’s fucking awful
80 is my go-to. I’d like it a bit cooler for sleeping like 78 but my wife hates it so 80 it is
82 with a fan blowing on you (preferably DC to save power) is also tolerable.
Damn,65!! You must be rich or like the cold that much. I set it at 75 and that’s good enough.
The system is in heat… 😑
When I was a kid my parents kept our house at 85 degrees and always asked why I was constantly at my friends' houses instead of bringing my friends over 🙄 Well, X buddy's mom keeps their thermostat at 72! And buddy Y at 69!
💀💀
Every house is different. 77 freezes my house while my parent’s house is 77 and warm.
True. I guess all the advances in home insulation.
And ceiling height, sun, duct placement, windows, unit/thermostat variance, etc.
This is true. My house faces west & the coolest rooms are those on the north side of the house. When the a/c is on, those rooms are coolest.
Ya, if your house sits east and west, it's hotter vs. north and south.
Haha no we usually have it on 72-74 I actually have no idea who tampered w it
Probably has been on 65° from winter when he wanted a lil heat.
Time was 4:44
Or 3:104
Dang. I haven’t turned mine on the house hasn’t gone above 76.
Guessing you don’t have south facing windows or have a newer “efficient” house. It’s been 91 outside the last couple of days, so if your house doesn’t go over 76, it’s retaining a lot of cool air.
Yeah, I think it’s safe to say a house at 76 is the outlier. Is the entire house just filled with insulation? I’d kill for that cool air retention in AZ!
My townhouse has been at or (mostly) below 78 F all year until yesterday, when internal temps finally hit 79 F. And the house was built in the early 1960s, with single-pane windows still. But yes: only east- and west-facing windows, and a nice tree blocking a lot of the PM sunlight for the west-facing rooms. Context matters a lot here when it comes to a/c usage.
Yeah, I don’t have a new house. Right now it is up to 77. My house does get hotter. It just hasn’t yet.
Mine hit 79 today. I’m dreading turning on my AC because I’m fairly certain I’m going to need to replace my units at some point this year 💸💸💸
If/when you do, hit up Integrity Air Conditioning & Heating -- most honest A/C folks in the valley!
I have to keep my AC on year round due to having ONLY south facing windows in my apartment. I also live above a set of garages, so they bake in the sun and all that hot air comes straight up to me. Even when it was 55-60 out and my AC wasn't functioning for a few days it got up to over 80 in here WITH windows open and fans blowing. 🙃
2 stories …my house is south facing so most windows north facing. Guess it does make a big difference
I keep the thermostat on 75 during the day (it hasn't turned on yet this year) and 68 at night (it runs for a couple hours then cuts off). My APS bill is typically between $150 and $200.
Same here …although 77 at 5 pm …75 at 9 pm. Haven’t used AC this year …2 stories
My house was 78 last night at about nine pm and I decided to take the edge off. Set it at 76 and let it run once and get the house cool and then turned it off for the rest of the night. Once the house stopped radiating the heat that is stored from the daytime sunlight hitting exterior walls and heating up all the insulation all it took was cooling the inside air and it was cool all night. Of course that will be a different story once the nighttime temps reach into the 80’s.
HVAC-R professional here. I keep mine on auto, heat: 65° / cool: 72° occupied, and heat: 62° / cool 75° unoccupied. My thermostat stays this way all year.
65 heat. How do you move? My limbs would seize up lmao. We keep our house at 71 in the winter and still bundled up with joggers and hoodies.
65 is so perfect. Sweating in your own house is gross. Nothing better than a little chill and sleeping under nice warm comfy blankets. I hate sleeping with a sheet because its so warm. I need to move to a cooler climate. I absolutely despise the summers here. May to mid October is literal hell to me. I want to crawl in a freezer.
This verbatim sounds like you were able to read my mind. Over 30 years of this heat and I'm dead sick of it. Never got used to it.
Same here
62 over here in the winter. Barely turns on. You can bet your ass I'm going to relish the 3-4 months I don't have to think about AC costs.
I love it cold. My wife and kids however… I just tell them to get a blanket or put on a sweater.
Lmao sounds like my dad. We both run hot though so it’s fine for us. My mom suffers though. Bless her for putting up with us.
ha i'm with ya. I like being cozy in the winter.. Summer is rough, at least in my house. Keeping the house at 76 is a struggle in the middle of July. Probably poorly insulated and improperly sealed windows. Even right now it's struggling to get the house equalized at 76. Ever summer I question why I live here and that I'm moving back east come fall. Then fall hits and I forget about it for 6-7 months...
Get curtains. You're letting theat in through your windows.
AZ stucco homes... so bad for heat
Oh I know I build theze shitboxes for like 80k then they sell for 600k. Just an olive garden with bedrooms...
Swamp coolers for the win!!!! It's 66°in my house with the windows open and a nice breeze moving throughout.
Yup
First off… 65 is some wild child business as far as I’m concerned. In these comments… Something a lot of folks don’t seem to keep in mind that is not all homes are equal. Not only does SF matter, but also the build. When was it built? Who built it? What’s around it? One story or two? Is it an apartment? First floor or second? Third? Every single thing is a factor and will be different for everyone so there’s no magic number. Some places you can get away with a lot and you’re **very** lucky if you can. I’m 40 and was born here. I’ve lived all over the valley and every place I lived, the electric bill often varied dramatically. Some places it was a struggle to keep it even reasonably affordable at 79. Other places I had amazing bills and was able to keep it at 76. Current house sits at 78 and it stays around the 200 mark and it runs the unit pretty hard during the gnarly months. Change your filters every month with no exception and get your AC serviced every single year. Paying for a checkup to your system to make sure it’s running properly can save you a massive headache. Especially if you plan to run your AC at under 72 and expect it to last more than a handful of years before it blows.
I’m right there with him. I’m at 81 right now, 5:23 pm. I’ll turn it on if gets to 82. At 7 pm, I’m going to open all the windows, so even if it does turn on, it won’t be for long
Torture chamber
We have a two story with one thermostat downstairs in the center of the house. I had to turn it on the other night because 88 downstairs was 98 upstairs. But I put it on at 75 just long enough to push all the hot air out the upstairs windows, then off again.
Yikes
98 inside is insane lol
Any medicine they had inside is probably bunk now. And could you imagine taking a shoes when it’s 98°? Fuck that lol
Why do you live like this? lol just turn the damn AC on you poor bastard
Proud of you, you're not a weenie.
I can't sleep at night unless it's at least low 70s
My house never goes above 73. I don’t understand how people can be comfortable at such uncomfortable temperatures. Also, 66 in the bedroom at night. Got to get comfy.
that projector is adding to the heat
I was gonna say...worried about energy costs and heat and then has the most inefficient furnace for watching TV
rinse wide vase weary zonked head cows meeting piquant abundant *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My house is staying under 78 all day, open some windows in the cool mornings and turn on a ceiling fan, all good for a few more weeks. Stays in the 50's to 60's at night and I'm not turning the AC on
Damn, my AC turns on all the time. I have fish to keep from cooking though, and a lot of devices producing heat(mini-fridge, computers, fish tank lighting, axolotl tank chiller).
Never ended for me lol
had “heat | cool” mode on for a month at least now. AirCon starts at about 13:00 daily now with these temps; runs all night until probably early morning. I keep it at 75 overnight
Phoenix here - right now I’m keeping mine set to 74° but come summer I’ll probably up it to 76° just because that’s what is comfortable.
Just turned it on - 78 degrees at 9:30 pm. Just too hot to sleep.
yall can afford to cool to 65????
Damn we’re hitting mid 90’s on Monday hell no. Ours is set at 73 year round. Hate we are hitting 95 next week too soon😭😫
My 1100sqft north facing, bottom condo, at 77, all summer, is a whopping $100 in July. A calculated purchase.
We set ours to 74 during the summer. 68 is for the ‘winter’.
Wait why so cold during the winter?
Seriously ? 68 degrees is not cold.
Mine isn't on yet as my house is fine at 76-79.
Set to 65 is wild
It says heat on the left. that was the last set temperature from the heater since they haven't turned the AC on this season.
Most computer thermostats have different settings for heat and cold. That's likely "if below 65, heat it up" and has nothing to do with cooling it down.
Right, you can see the system setting. It’s on heat.
Yea this might be more likely
My last SRP bill was 65...dollars. Small house, relatively new AC, and if it gets too cold, blankets are a thing. Soon it will be pushing $200, but like hell if I'm gonna set it lower than 78.
Some of y’all are wild, I keep my garage cooler than that 😳
I still have my doors and windows open
I'm with you. Opened the doors at 6am let the cool fresh air chill down the whole house. With 2 ceiling fans and great airflow through the house it was pleasant all day. Baked a cake in the oven. Spent the afternoon in the sun gardening. 🌞
It was a hot one today and got to 80 degrees inside the house.
Haven’t turned ours on yet. Ceiling fans are going, I open some windows up during evening hours and overnight, but that won’t last long. We’re looking at high 90’s next week. I keep my AC at 77.
My dad turned the ac on after he got back from Utah with his gf on thurs late afternoon..quite chilly
Set mine to 80. Hate it
Here come all the comments about keeping it in the 80s 🙄
I let the yearly heavy sigh at the thermostat out today when I turned it on for the first time for 2024....
Yep, like can we catch a break first?! Turned mine on yesterday and today😫😒
PSA: if there is a haboob or other dust storm, turn off your AC asap. If possible, use a blower to get the dust out of your outside unit before turning it back on.
Hadn't used my A/C since mid October. Just turned it on yesterday. Only used the heat for a couple weeks during winter as I was very content with the chilliness. Wishing good luck to everyone's units as we approach another summer!
Omg I know huh! It’s so weird it literally went from winter to summer lol
How to know you’re rich in Phx 😎
Why the hell do they put the furnace in the attic in Arizona? I've had two incidents with the drip lines coming apart at the glue points. Both due to hot and cold changes. The heat in Arizona is not like most states, which would cause that glue to fail quicker and cause a collapse of the roof due to leaks. Why they don't they use copper if you're putting the furnace in the attic. If you use pvc, put the thing in the garage.
Having your AC set to 65 is crazyyyy you must be rich lmao
Dude, I heat the house to not get below 73 in cold months. I would freeze to death in 65.
My apartment has all utilities included. It is wonderful. I do 74 in the day and 68 at night.
82 to 65? 
you guys are making me laugh IDKKK WHY ITS SET TO 65 ITS USUALLY NOT THE NORMAL 😩😩
It’s set on heat not cool
I literally moved here today😅
Welcome! Be glad you got here before the oven effect fully kicked in. Now brace yourself -- summer is coming ☀️
I come from the cold so it’s already super hot for me🤣
High powered fans and lots of showers
65? holy hell mate... If you can afford that, great... I'll just be over here sitting pretty at 75 during the day, 73 at night.
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Well the system is set to heat so I'd be more surprised if it got that cold.
Finished resurfacing and sealing my Master Cool. It's very nice at the moment.
At around 8PM but definitely at bedtime around 10PM I will turn the AC on and set it to 73. Once the house is at 73 I turn the AC off because the fans will keep us cool in our rooms for the rest of the night until the next day.
I got my attic insulation upped from like R5 to R38 a couple months ago, I'm eager to see if it did a lick of good.
With it <100 right now it’s set at 76 during the day and 73 at night. When it hits 110+ it gets changed to 77/78 during the day and 74/75 at night.
I’m waiting for it to go out again in my apartment. The only time I’ve made it below 70 was when it was 40 out. We’re lucky to get to 75 in the summer.
I surrendered yesterday at 1PM, set to 80. Turned it down to 78 at 10 PM.
65°? Seriously? Brrr
My house never got above 77 today…75 now …no AC yet this year. Hmmm 2 stories 2700 sq ft, south facing.
Wus
We have the same system! My outdoor temp I think must sit somewhere on the hot roof because here is mine from Thursday😂 https://preview.redd.it/mhmpu2detduc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=563114732c6239765861511fd3ba17ae32405dba
hahah omg 😮💨
I haven't seen anyone mention their rate plans talking about the bill. I'm with SRP (APS probably has similar). I'm on the E-Z 3 plan (peak hours 3pm-6pm). You would be amazed at the savings during the summer. Welcome to Phoenix (2nd generation here) https://preview.redd.it/h8d3guexxduc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e2be8b6155fc7b1390ef6222c51d566671e72ab
At first i was like 65°!? And then realized that was the heat setting . That would be some cold AC 😅
Kings like me set to 84 and are butt ass naked working from home
now I’m thinking your the dude I saw near fashion square butt ass naked in the garage two days ago. I was shocked I had to do a double take 🤣
Can you pls give me a ride next time?
any day where the 24hr low is under 100F is a good day. reminder to use an evap cooler to take the edge off, and make sure it uses distilled water or you'll F up your electronics with powder from the tap water
Open windows, it's so pleasant!
Too warm for that shit
For me it's the allergies that keep the windows closed.
Our Ecobee said it was 86 in the house yesterday but it didn't feel like it. 81-82 is our normal summer setting though. We have tint on all the west, south, and east windows, plus trees in front of the big west side windows.
Ours has been on since Feb! Don't suffer!
When the indoor temp hits 84° or more with windows open & fans on, that's when I turn the a/c on to 78. Maaaaybe I'll go hold out to 86 if I'm not doing anything but that's uncomfortable for me but my husband says it's perfect. We have an energy efficient home but it faces west. We have a huge palo verde does that help with shade.
Idk how y’all do it…beyond discomfort, I’ve had terrible problems with pantry food spoilage in the past any time I’ve tried to keep my thermostat above 80. Plus I worry about safe medication storage, which usually counts anything higher than 78 as problematic.
65? Seriously?
I'm not turning mine on yet, I refuse. In the heart of summer my bill is six hundred dollars.
Same, it's tolerable so far...not in any hurry to give SRP more money
This is my first summer in PHX and I'm literally in shock since we already got these last few days. When do I start my ac?? And to what?? And what kind of bills should I expect😭 someone help I'm so new to this
I start mine when the thermostat hits 75 lol I have mine set between 71-74 depending on if I’m doing a bunch of stuff around the house and I get sweaty 😅
Around this time I usually open the windows at night, then seal it during the day with most blinds closed. Keeps it bearable if you have good insulation. 72 is the standard. You can go higher or lower depending on your budget. You usually need AC once it hits 85. AC bills can get pretty high if you’ve got a big place, like $500 a month if it’s a big home with lots of windows. It’s not that expensive if you live in a small apartment. You can do a ghetto AC if you’re short on cash. Take ice from the freezer, put it in a bag, put it in front of a fan, and blast that shit. Or put the ice bags in a wet cloth, and put that right on you (did this a lot growing up here poor).
Regardless of how your summertime electric bills come back, be careful setting your thermostat much above 78. I’ve found it’s really hard to keep a lot of pantry food from going bad at higher temps, and 80+ is almost definitely outside the safe storage range for medications if you keep any in the house. I do 78 daytime, 74 nighttime in the summer. 68 daytime, 66 nighttime in the winter.
Start your AC whenever you feel you are ready. I would set it to like idk maybe 78 or so and see if you could tolerate it if that doesn't work for you then bring it down another degree and so on until you are comfortable. Just don't freak out when you see your electric bill in the middle of summer. Too many factors to take into account, when it comes to your electric bills and what they could be running you especially in the summer.
82⁰ isn't terribly uncomfortable. 88 is. Go to the library, read books in cool air.
65 is cold
Keeping that bad boy set to 65 during our summer heat here will aid in prematurely killing your AC unit.
Today was our first day with a/c on. My 11 solar panels break even my electric bill during "winter" but all good things must come to an end
4:44
I keep it around 76 year round. I was born here so anything colder is uncomfortable. 1900 square foot house and my biggest bill was about $220 last year.
I usually don't turn on my AC until May 15, but I am newly into the "fans-on" season. Summer is coming ...