[missyomama]

Are there things we can do to conserve energy in this extreme heat?

Should we leave garage doors open or closed and if we have attic stairs should we pull them open to let heat escape from the attic?

[retiredguy123]

Neither of those things will help much to reduce your electricity cost. The best thing you can do is to add blown-in insulation to the attic space above the conditioned areas, especially if your existing insulation has settled to an inadequate thickness. Some people think adding insulation above unconditioned spaces, like the garage, will save energy, but it really doesn't help much, if at all.

Another idea is to buy a portable AC unit (floor standing) to use in the bedroom at night, so you can reduce the thermostat setting, assuming there is no need to cool the rest of the house.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by missyomama

Are there things we can do to conserve energy in this extreme heat?

Should we leave garage doors open or closed and if we have attic stairs should we pull them open to let heat escape from the attic?

Just got back from walking six miles. Publix at the halfway point--a quick bottle of ice-cold Gold Peak unsweetened tea and I'm all primed for the last three-mile stretch. We come from Minnesota: 72 years of living on Da Tundra up there entitles me to all the Florida sun I can get!

[MplsPete]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Another idea is to buy a portable AC unit (floor standing) to use in the bedroom at night, so you can reduce the thermostat setting, assuming there is no need to cool the rest of the house.

I have owned many window AC units and one floor standing unit. In the floor standing units, there is a fundamental inefficiency, and I cannot recommend them. If you are standing outside, you can feel hot air blowing out the exhaust vent. The origin of the air used to produce this hot air is the inside of the room. Thus, the unit is creating a vacuum inside the room; air infiltrates from outside into the room to reduce the vacuum. It's like running AC with the window open. Window units do not suffer from this flaw.

[callalily]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Neither of those things will help much to reduce your electricity cost. The best thing you can do is to add blown-in insulation to the attic space above the conditioned areas, especially if your existing insulation has settled to an inadequate thickness. Some people think adding insulation above unconditioned spaces, like the garage, will save energy, but it really doesn't help much, if at all.

Another idea is to buy a portable AC unit (floor standing) to use in the bedroom at night, so you can reduce the thermostat setting, assuming there is no need to cool the rest of the house.

I've slept with a free standing AC unit. It was incredibly noisy.

I got ecobee smart sensors from Amazon a few months ago. They have made a big difference in temperature control in my house. I have been able to set the thermostat a degree or two over what it was before because I have better control of the temperature in individual rooms. The smart sensors act as thermostats and motion sensors for individual rooms or spaces. You can program your ecobee thermostat to pay attention to the specific space or spaces you want at different times of the day. At night, my thermostat only pays attention to the temperature in my bedroom and cools accordingly. If the smart sensors don't detect movement, they don't switch on the AC as quickly as if they do detect movement, so the AC doesn't cycle as often.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by missyomama

Are there things we can do to conserve energy in this extreme heat?

Should we leave garage doors open or closed and if we have attic stairs should we pull them open to let heat escape from the attic?

Extreme heat?????

This is the norm, welcome to Florida.

[Gpsma]

Conserve energy!
You dont live in the north anymore where the electric company was incapable of providing juice in a heat wave.

Florida is a comstant heat wave.

Sit back nd lower your themostat. Gotta get out of those old north habits

[DrMack]

Stay cool, stay hydrated and stay out of the heat. If you are exposed for lengthy time periods, rehydrate quickly and enjoy a good book in the AC for a while. This heat can be dangerous for the elderly and I’m including myself. No one is immune to heatstroke.

[Badger 2006]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Just got back from walking six miles. Publix at the halfway point--a quick bottle of ice-cold Gold Peak unsweetened tea and I'm all primed for the last three-mile stretch. We come from Minnesota: 72 years of living on Da Tundra up there entitles me to all the Florida sun I can get!

Good plan! Wisconsin transplant and now an 18 year Villager. Most important fact to remember, YOU DON’T SHOVEL HUMIDITY!!!!

[Stu from NYC]

Look at the bright side will cool off in October

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by MplsPete

I have owned many window AC units and one floor standing unit. In the floor standing units, there is a fundamental inefficiency, and I cannot recommend them. If you are standing outside, you can feel hot air blowing out the exhaust vent. The origin of the air used to produce this hot air is the inside of the room. Thus, the unit is creating a vacuum inside the room; air infiltrates from outside into the room to reduce the vacuum. It's like running AC with the window open. Window units do not suffer from this flaw.

We run one in our enclosed lanai and I find it very efficient it cools the room down rapidly. My only complaint is that it is loud.

[asianthree]

Flipped on the Pool Chiller this morning.

Pool water 94 degrees at 7am By 10am a very comfortable 79 to swim laps.

Modern tech is so worth it.

[ThirdOfFive]

Back in the day (University days 1970, to be exact) we had a one-room apartment on the second floor above a Western Auto store. About the size of a telephone booth. Got hot up there in July and August. There was a place you could buy these blocks of ice: put one of them in a plastic tub, turn the fan on it and Presto! Air conditioning! Good for a couple of hours anyway.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Flipped on the Pool Chiller this morning.

Pool water 94 degrees at 7am By 10am a very comfortable 79 to swim laps.

Modern tech is so worth it.

Didnt know there was such a thing. Our local pool does get rather warm in this weather. Thought of bringing about 1000 pounds of ice with me one day

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Flipped on the Pool Chiller this morning.

Pool water 94 degrees at 7am By 10am a very comfortable 79 to swim laps.

Modern tech is so worth it.

The solar on our pool is turned off and the water hasn’t gotten above 87 during the hottest time of the day, and we have southwest exposure? The chiller sounds nice, but not really necessary. That being said, I swam laps Friday evening at the La Hacienda sports pool and the water was pretty warm and looking a little greenish. After a half mile, I bagged the swim and went home to finish my swim tethered to the super swim pro (which is nice, but not the same as swimming in a regulation 25 yard pool). The sports pools can get pretty nasty this time of the year with the masses of people participating in group activities while drenched in suntan lotion.