Cooling Costs
 

When it comes to cooling a home, insulation, home facing direction, window treatments are important.

My thought is concrete-stucco home construction would be considerably cheaper on the AC bill ?

Is this correct ?
Thank you;

Everyone’s cost is different some like it very cold others don’t . Example I leave it at 80 in warm months and shut it off when I go to bed ,I’ve never slept with AC on and I mean never unless I have a visitor.I stay acclimated so.I can enjoy the outdoors . I’m the same with heat very rarely have I turned it on and never to sleep in , there are others that go to the other extreme making he house like a fridge or sauna

Not true about the type of construction. All houses must comply with the building code for the exterior wall R-value, although there may be some slight differences in construction types.

My electric bill has been about $105/month the last several months. In summer, up to $150. I have a sided home, not stucco. I have SECO. I understand Duke is more expensive.

When buying a home, get the one you like. Don’t worry about electric.

Electric cost won't be a significant factor, get the home you want..

Three home all at the same temp 12 months, total year added cost per month

PV vinyl Built 2010 1134sf $84

Cottage vinyl Built 2012 1534sf $91

Designer stucco Built 2009 1934sf $117

Obviously not as hot summers as we are having now, and cooler winter then last few years.

And you would be wrong :). I have 2 rentals, a Jasmine and a Wisteria. Exact same model but one is stucco and one is frame. The Wisteria has thicker wall space for insulation, and I would say the power bills over the last 7 years of owning both would say the Wisteria is more efficient by about 15% or so. Every month the bill is a bit lower than the Jasmine. I would not even say it is a consideration. The power bills here are pretty low, I would not even consider it when buying a home.
Ed

Just out of curiosity I did a very unscientific experiment in our west facing bathroom. I placed one hand on the outside wall (concrete block) and then on the inside wall, and then the wall to the garage no discernible temperature difference, even with the afternoon sun beating down on that outside wall.

I read on here that years ago there was a tornado that hit the villages and the only homes to survive were the concrete stucco homes.

So I do know they are more than valuable But I don't think there's a difference in the power cost

Our home is a stretched Gardenia. Block construction. Highest electric bill was 156$ for the last four years. Last summer which was hot. 74 inside. That’s a lot less than our home at Maryland.

There are a few factors that have to be considered here.
What temperature someone is comfortable with.
Is the major portion of your home bathed in the sun or the shade.
Construction of the home.
Even the company who is supplying the power to your home.
But based on the figures that were given by a previous poster, there was only a difference from the highest figure to the lowest of $23 dollar.
Maybe it's me but a $23 amount is not going to keep me up at night.

I live in a 1200 square foot courtyard villa, eleven years old, stud walls covered with insulation. I have a high-efficiency heat pump. I keep the AC or heat on 24/7 (73° in the summer and 71° in the winter) and rarely open a door. There is no attic fan or vent except at the eaves. I recharge my car in the garage. My SECO bill runs about $60 to $80 a month. I assume my house has 6” of fiberglass in the walls, but it might be four. Do block walls have that much?

Probably very close. More of a consideration is insurance and termites. Lower insurance for a block or poured concrete home and less potential problems with termites. Personally if insurance continues to skyrocket, I would self insure a concrete home

I don't agree about termites. You have the same potential for termites in all types of construction. Termites live in the soil under your house and they eat soft woods, like door and window frames, drywall, and carpet. It really doesn't reduce the risk by having a concrete house.

NOT necessarily I have lived in both in Arizona.........and you can still get termotes with concrete block too...........