Originally Posted by callalily (Post 2338900)

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.

Originally Posted by missyomama (Post 2338866)

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?

Originally Posted by nn0wheremann (Post 2339111)

Yes, but the Attis stairs allow air to enter the attic to promote venting the superheated air up there to vent through the roof vents.

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2339082)

But...how are the skeeters?

Originally Posted by rustyp (Post 2339128)

1 Too cold for skeeters
2 Been very dry spring - very low hatch
3 Smoke from wood stoves keep the skeeters away

Originally Posted by RRGuyNJ (Post 2339103)

We have the Ecobee thermostat primarily for the ability to control via WIFI when we are away and monitor the home temperature.
It came with one room semsor which we put in the livingroom. So according to Ecobee, if the living room needs more AC or Heat it will sense the need and condition that space. That is completely false. The system is NOT a zoned system. If the system runs enough to keep the living room cool, then the rest of the house is getting cooled or heated just like the living room is. I can't believe people fall for this.
I do notice with the Ecobee savings system turned on (not sure what the proper name is) where the temp may be allowed to rise slightly if the humidity is below a certain level will make the house feel muggy and uncomfortable. The first time it happened I thought the HVAC was faulty. So that gets shut off quite a bit.

Originally Posted by Ponygirl (Post 2339100)

Another way to reduce heat in attic and energy costs is to install new technology roof shingles that have reflective granules to reflect suns heat and reduce energy costs

By replaced my roof with Atlas Pinnacle Sun roof shingles several months ago. Roof guys only ones who installed new technology shingles

I have seen reduced energy costs

Would be great if we could install white reflective roof shingles but we have to stick with the required colors

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2339078)

Ceiling fans make a noticeable difference in the comfort of a room. I feel I can set my thermostat two or three degrees higher and still be comfortable if I have fan running.

There is nothing in the fan itself to cool the room; if anything, there is a little heat generated by the motor. Where the ceiling fan helps is in circulating and mixing the air. There are no hot spots at the ceiling and cold spots on the floor; instead, all the air is a more uniform temperature. The walls and ceiling of the room stay cooler because the air does not become as warm and therefore they do not radiate as much heat. And, the slight breeze over your skin makes you feel cooler.

I like the idea of running the fan in reverse to push air towards the ceiling. We feel the breeze more at the edges of the room (where the chairs are anyway) and the breeze is less than of the fan was blowing directly on us. I use the lowest setting; I'm just trying to move the air, not cause a wind.

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2339071)

To me, ceiling fans are just annoying and don't provide any temperature reduction.

Originally Posted by missyomama (Post 2338866)

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?

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2338932)

Extreme heat?????

This is the norm, welcome to Florida.

Originally Posted by CybrSage (Post 2339144)

One of the items heat transfer is dependent upon is the speed of the fluid flow of the heat sink. More flow, more heat transfer.

You are the heat source at 94F or so external temperature. Since your home is cooler, it is the heat sink. A fan increases the airflow speed, thereby increasing the heat transfer rate.

Physics says it does cool you down.

Originally Posted by Gpsma (Post 2338943)

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