New Mexico: Residents asked to limit energy use

[phantom power]

Xcel Energy officials are asking customers to limit power use Tuesday as expected electricity demands could outweigh production.

Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said the company shut down two generators Monday in coal-fire power plants in Muleshoe and Amarillo after discovering tubes in the boilers were leaking.

http://uaelp.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=164969

[Warpy]

1. The problem is that refrigerated AC has been oversold here

which is especially crazy since evaporative cooling works so well in this climate and for a fraction of the cost.

The good news is that it's monsoon season, meaning people can manage without either as temperatures are just south of 90.

[depakid]

2. Curious- how well do swamp coolers work during the monsoon?

A friend in Havasu built one, and the thing works great, but I've only been there when the humidity was low.

[phantom power]

3. They work poorly in higher humidity...

the general rule is that once the dewpoint exceeds 50, they're not helping you.

I'm not a big fan of them, because they do water damage. An evap cooler pretty much destroyed my ductwork in a previous house. And they can make a house musty and moldy.

Other people swear by them, however.

[depakid]

5. That makes sense

Didn't think about the mold issue... or even worse, pathogens like Legionaires.

[phantom power]

6. Legionaires is possible, although you can also get it from an AC unit.

I don't think it's a major risk with a properly maintained cooler or AC.

[Warpy]

4. Not all that well

Oh, the humidity never gets that high here unless we're in the middle of a torrential downpour, so the thing will still cool us off. However, when the humidity goes over 30% or so, it pumps too much water into the air for comfort.

I tend to use a small fan during the monsoon after I turn the cooler fan on early in the morning to cool the place off.