Anyone turned on your A/C yet this year? How much more will it cost?

[Up2Late]

Have Electric Rate gone up as much as Gas and Gasoline? I'd especially like to know from those in the South, How mush more is it going to cost this year to use Central A/C?:shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

1. I am too afraid to even open the bill.

We have central A/C, but we have inside units on the third floor and a wall unit in the sunroom. I think it is going to be huge.

[BlueEyedSon]

11. Yeah, as soon as summer kicked in (after the mild & extended spring)

it's been 90+ every day. Yikes!

(Central NJ)

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. Our rates doubled from last month

and we hadn't used either heating or a/c, with a brand new heat pump.

What are people going to do?

[longship]

3. SoCal + Eight computer boxes = Air Conditioning.

Bill is very scary!

[Kolesar]

7. I recall that NEC was featuring low power PCs

They used the more energy efficient CPUs that were used in laptops. The displays were LCD screens, not CRT tubes. That might be useful when you are replacing your boxes.

[longship]

17. I build my own boxes.

Currently building a 1.2 GHz VIA EPIA box in a fanless chassis. It will still get very hot, but power reqs will be much lower with appropriate speed penalty.

Three of my boxes are ARM technology which are extremely low power. BTW, all run Linux which does an excellent job of keeping power reqs down--idle thread is truly idle.

Big power hog is the 21" CRT. Gotta find the cash for a 22" 1600x1200 LCD.

[Up2Late]

20. You should check out Circuit City, I was just there and they...

...have a Boatload of them now. They were everywhere in that place.

[longship]

21. I don't buy ready made

Those boxes will include Windows with them.

Why should I pay for an operating system I don't need and don't want?

I'll buy the components and build my own, save money, and have a lot of fun along the way. Plus, once the box is built, it gets powered on and it stays on and runs reliably without rebooting all the time.

When Circuit City has super sales, I'll buy something from them, but not a whole computer.

[Up2Late]

26. I'm not talking about the Computers, just the Flat Screen Monitors

I hope your not going to try to tell me that LCD monitors are coming with Computer Operating systems built in, or that you build you own LCD Flat screen Monitors. I'm not buying that.

You know, your not the only person here who builds their own computers, I do that too, and would be willing to bet that close to 1/2 of the people here do too.

[Ron Green]

4. Thank God and the Pacific Ocean, I don't ever need an air conditioner.

[Inland]

5. No, because it's goddamn NOT WORKING!

It's been 90 degrees every day since last Wednesday and of course, nobody can come until this thursday!

[Up2Late]

10. Wow, 90's in the First week of June near Chicago?

NOPE, Global Warming is just a theory.:crazy:

When I was a Kid, June was almost Cold in Chicago (when I went to a Cubs Game).

[Inland]

13. And it's plenty humid, too.

It's hotter and more humid than Florida.

[Fridays Child]

6. My most recent bill is for...

...more than $230.00. I had a July bill, a few years ago, that was more than $400.

On edit: Suffice it to say that I live in Hell's blast furnace.

[Up2Late]

15. Does that seem High for your place in May/June?

I would Die if mine was that High. The Atlanta Metro is just at that margin when you could either click it on or wait a few more days.

[Fridays Child]

25. A few years ago, I was told that my town pays the highest rate...

...per kilowatt hour in the country. So, yes, it's high, but I guess I'm used to it--if you could ever get used to being ripped off, that is. And, to make matters even worse, my hubby likes to keep the thermostat set at about 62°.

[Up2Late]

31. Well no wonder...

If I take my A/C below 78 degrees, I feel like I'm being extravagant.

[asjr]

8. I am in a small apartment and my bill will not

be as high as it was when I had a ten room house. But, I can't stand summer and I need the air. In the winter I just bundle up and keep the heat low but everything has gone up so I do not know how anyone can pay bills. Sometimes being a senior citizen has its perks but the other side can be brutal.

[Igel]

9. I don't want to look.

Houston. Use air conditioning or die. We didn't run it much in April.

We were out of the country for over three weeks in May. First thing I did when I came into the apartment from the airport was turn on the AC ... I think I was still carrying a suitcase.

[bicentennial_baby]

12. We don't use AC

Here in Western MA...It's been 90+ for days, but we'll live.

[MindPilot]

14. seems like no matter how much I conserve, my usage increases

That section of the bill where they compare your usage to last month and the same period last year...I can't remember it ever going down even though it seems like I'm always redoubling my efforts to conserve.

This year I had my whole heat & A/C system replaced with a brand new ultra-efficient unit. It cost almost $7000 but I figured I'd save on the energy bill.

But my usage went up. I think the meters are rigged.

Edit: spelling

[tech3149]

16. I haven't run the A/C since I moved here.

It's a small apartment, and the A/C is older and not too efficient. Add to that that I'm actively unemployed and don't want to waste the money. The rates have almost doubled in the three years I've been here. Natural gas heat has been my biggest problem. The water heater cost's $40-$50 a month and heating through the winter can run the bill up to $190 in the cold months. Looking back over old bills, both natural gas and KWH rates have just about doubled in three years but the gas has seen a higher increase.

[WePurrsevere]

18. Yes...

It's been very hot and humid up here near the Canadian border of NY. "Poor man's AC" only works so well for me and until a couple days ago we hadn't gotten the AC unit installed into the new house. My MS was getting very ticked off so I was thrilled when my DH finally was able to get it mounted into the wall and running.

We do try to have it off though if it's cool enough (weather says it might cool off for a few days), use the full basement and furnace fan to help cool and buy Energy Star rated but if it's between running the AC and my being able to walk and function... the AC (and power company) wins.

[Up2Late]

19. Oh, is that what the FAN setting is for?!?

I never found a use for it, but I don't have a Cool Basement either. My house it built on a Slab, as they say down here.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

24. I've had my air on

since the end of March. I can not stand the heat. It's been 95-100 here for the past couple of weeks and in the mid to high 80's for weeks now. My bill is running around 200.00 now and climbing. I suspect it will reach 400.00 before it's said and done.

[Gabi Hayes]

22. I've had mine on twice so far.....on now

about an hour today....three or four the other

my electric bill has been around 20-25/month since Winter

can't wait to see what it does when I start cranking

been very uncomfortable at times, but I hate using it....not cause I don't like being cooled off, but am trying to conserve.

now, where's my electric can opener?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

23. I've just decided to maintain a steady fever and leave the tstat

at about 90.... I hope it works. Fossil fools are getting perty xpensiv.

[Up2Late]

29. Does it get hot gradually there where you are? You get any cooling

effect from the Gulf?

I don't know if if it's because Atlanta and Marietta are a little bit up in the mountains (Marietta is 1120 ft. above Sea Level) but it goes from cold to Hot here in about 3 weeks, some times less. We get very little Mild (Blue jean) weather here.:shrug:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

30. It gets hot pretty quick from my reckoning.... but it's not the

heat.... it's the humidity.... see that number?? Yes... that's 105.

Louisiana Agriclimatic Information

http://agdev.lsu.edu/weather/
Relative Humidity:, 105, %. Wind Speed:, 0.1, mph. Wind Direction:, 76, deg ... Relative Humidity:, 100, %. Wind Speed:, 1.5, mph. Wind Direction:, 279, deg ...
agdev.lsu.edu/weather/ - 88k - Jun 12, 2005

[bamademo]

27. I'm in Alabama

Today it was 91 and I turned on the AC. I don't turn it on very much. I use the ceiling fan and since I live on a mountain I don't have to run it very much. Last month my bill was $45. The most it's ever been is $85 and that was during a unseasonably cold December.
Electricity is supplied by TVA.

[lastliberalintexas]

28. Um, yeah, back in February

:)

Our house is very well insulated, so our utility bills are not that bad. In the summer months (March thru November), ours usually runs $130-$170 per month. I've seen about a 10-15% increase so far this year, though, but I'm not certain if that is due to increased fuel costs or increased use, since we've been HOT for some time now. August is going to be miserable...

[Sgent]

32. *Happy Dance*

One of the great things bout where I am is TVA. Can't beat 0.06/KWh hydroelectric.

Of course the fact that it was 95 today with 100% humidity means we need it.

My summer bills are always higher than my winter ones (electric only apartment).