AC causing Electrical bill to go through the roof - Jamaica

[Sean1437]

Hi Fellow Host, 

Is there a device that can be found on amazon or any other USA market place that automatically turns Air Conditioners ON or OFF based on room occupancy to achieve maximum energy savings.  

Please share link on this thread. 

[Fred13]

Based on room occupancy, meaning people in the place or not? Then it would depend on power to it or not and there lies the dilemma, I can't think beyond something that is triggered by motion but then how it would know the sequence, whether coming in or out. Perhaps a timer will help and they  always come with a physical override that the guest could execute but still has to be turned back to auto when going out the door. A heck of a question, and challenge.

[Sean1437]

Yes it is @Fred13 . My electrical bill has tripled over the month of July and is projected to be the same in the month of August. Im researching motion detector though they arent available in my rejoin from what Im seeing. 

[Fred13]

I fancy myself an inventor or sorts, but this one has me stumped. Perhaps a upper limiter (F72 / 26C) may help on the A/C control may help.

[Octavio115]

A smart thermostat and person detection device could help.  Amazon echo dot 4 have sensors to detect when someone is in the room.  You can then set a routine to adjust the thermostat based on presence.

A similar approach would be to use geofencing.  tis technology detects the blue tooth on phones. Or, you could use your wifi router to detect when all mobile devices have disconencted to turn off the AC and then turn it back on when they return and their device gets re-connected.

Another advantage to the smart thermosts approach is that you control the temperature and can take that option away from your guests do you don't have to worry about them keepign the place like a ice box. 

The only thing wrong with this approach is that your guests may be returnign to a warm space and then it could take a while for the house to cool off.

[Bob297 · Accepted solution]

@Sean1437 
The cost of electricity in Jamaica is probably much higher than in the USA.
I have the same in Curacao.
Therefore, based on meter readings, I decided to charge electricity and water separately.
Of course, I communicate this clearly in my advertisement and repeat it in my welcoming email.
This acts as an automatic switch 🙂
Now the average use is US$ 13 per day. In 2018 I had occasionally  guests spending US$ 350 per week.

[Sean1437]

Thank you for the input Bob. I didnt know I could charge extra.. This is very much a new insight. 

[Bob297]

@Sean1437 
You can let them pay via the resolution center.
In my case, my manager collects a deposit and settles the use of AC and water with the deposit.
Guests from Europe are used to pay via bank transfer. They transfer the deposit via a bank transfer. When they leave I (and they) get pictures of the meters). Most of the time, the deposit minus water and electricity usage is in their bank account before their flights leave or the next day at the latest.
More and more guests from the USA, Canada, and South America use Wise.
That's an  online payment system with low cost, reasonable exchange rates.

[Paulet91]

Install air conditioner that has inverters.  They use less power.  In addition, use the sensor on the unit to pre-set the temperature to a comfortable degree.

It can be beneficial to leave a note inside saying Thank you for turning off the a/c unit whenever you're leaving the house.

[Debra300]

I fully understand what you're going through as the cost of electricity in St. Lucia is also very expensive. The most effective deterrent to excessive energy use is an idea that we borrowed from one of our Airbnb stays in Martinique.  We installed a keyed power switch on the AC's power cable, and put the key on a small lock with the entrance key.  Guests must use the key to provide power to the AC, and power it off to remove the set of keys before departing the rental.  We no longer have guests forgetting to turn off the AC and it runs all day while they are away. 

It can be purchased online: https://www.tme.com/lc/en/details/xald144/control-stations/schneider-electric/.  

Schneider Electric key switch

[Patti272]

We use a WiFi-enabled thermostat that we can control remotely from an app on our phones. Then we can turn it off or down manually once check-out time has passed or we could even set a schedule for it to be turned off or down automatically at check-out time. Best wishes!

[Raheem16]

Hi Sean,

I hope by now you have found a solution to this issue. If not then I suggest you get some motion sensor, I purchased some at enersave and uses them at my properties. It basically sends a signal (on/off) to the ac after a period of no motion. I added inverter fans to help cooling at nights if the guest is asleep and the sensor turns off the ac. I also added some motion sensor switches for the lights as well.

[Kimberley-And-Roshane0]

Hi @Sean1437 . There's a device call sensibo and there's another one which I use nethome that can be connected to your AC units.