this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2024
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[–] capital 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

In relation to how much power you’re going to make.

Are you buying batteries? Unless you’re buying a whole lot of them ($$$) you’re not even making it one night running your AC like that.

I spent $10k on a whole home battery and it got me 1/3 of my average daily power use.

I stress average because summers were double that, sometimes 2.6x.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I don't know where you are from, but I've been to the US a couple of times and I can understand why the AC power bill can be absurd there. You cannot keep, in August, in the middle of the desert, AC at 18°C when outside there are 35-40°C. It's criminal on so many levels.

I had a layover in Atlanta last summer and I got home sick, so much was the air conditioning in the airport and in shops and restaurants. Outside it was proper sweating hot, inside I was freezing while wearing a hoodie. I've been on a bus where the driver was wearing a heavy jacket, in August, and all because the bus AC was set to something like 15°C. What is wrong with Americans?

Keep AC at 25-27°C, remove all blankets and clothes when you go to sleep, and I bet you it will consume a lot less energy. Unless you live in the Death Valley, in which case, good luck.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Yup, could do this. Have tried to do this. Slept like shit. Not worth it. I'll spend the extra $50/mo on cranking the AC to wake up each day feeling decent.

[–] capital 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

This was in west Texas so yeah, basically desert.

I fully agree - every thread like this has people coming out of the woodwork claiming they’d simply die if their house isn’t =< 65f. Maybe it’s because we’re so fat?

25c/77f is a perfectly reasonable temperature to have your house at. If I lived alone, it’d be 78 in the summer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

I live in a basement so it stays a little cooler but I was sitting at 77ish all summer last year with the Windows open and AC vents closed. I have never been so comfortable. Before I did that my housemates were freezing me out with the AC. I was walking around in a sweatshirt when it was 95 outside. Coincidentally both of them are overweight.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I spent $10k on a whole home battery and it got me 1/3 of my average daily power use.

Good thing you have a sun for most of the other 2/3.

[–] capital 1 points 7 months ago

Have you even looked at the power curve of solar system output? You’re being obtuse.

Plus you seem to have completely ignored the last portion of my comment.

I rarely had months where I zeroed out my bill since I was in an area where credits weren’t a thing. My overproduction was sold back at ~$0.03 per kWh. I had to buy at ~$0.12.

You can be snarky if you like. You’re still wrong if you think that’s enough to cover summer days.