Air-conditioning control and cost

[Denise1406]

New listing of a two bedroom, plus two pullout queen sleep sofas.  So accommodates 8.  It has been very hot in Florida, in the mid 90's.  We had guests for 11 days who kept setting the thermostat at 68 or 67.  At that temp, the unit could freeze and also runs 24/7, NEVER getting down to that temp based on the outside temperatures.  They would leave for 15 hours, and have the air-conditioning running nonstop.  Our electric bills will be through the roof, let alone the 24/7 wear on the unit.  How can we handle this?  We are ok with it being around 70-74 or higher, but it should not be more than 20 degrees lower than the outside temp.  So if it's 96 outside, the thermostat should not be below 76 or the unit will lock up.   If we lock it at a certain temp, our guests could be uncomfortable.  Thanks

[Marie8425]

@Denise1406

I am in Arizona so I haven't heard the rule about  a 20 degree limit since we were 1115 yesterday wouldn't work haha.

We have  found that mmanny like us , we moved here 4 years ago, just don't really  comprehend     that   central air systems inn  Arizona do have different rules then what  most guests are familiar  with  window units and  they have no   idea of expenses and delays  if broken.  We tried the polite but very firm encouragement  still  didn't get my message out haha.

We have the air now with       smart  controls so I  can control on  my phone.  Personally I    don't give them  a set temperature,  just avoiding you said 70 and it is 71..  haha

I have  mostly   business clients who are gone all   day. So  with the app  my  husband  just set up a   schedule  using our light company's rate schedule so peak in  the early day   no  one home 73 rates go down like 1pm  to 5 pm  our air runs at 70 to  cool off house, rates are peak  5 pmm  to 99 pm  it runs 73 at 9 pm  to 6 am it  runs 68  everyone likes cooler  when  sleeping lol.

I do  disclose I control  a comfortable temperature but if uncomfortable let's discuss  options.

[Denise1406]

Thanks so much.  Its just $400 electric bills are crazy!  We control it as well, while they are out.  

[Marie8425]

@Denise1406 

Haha In Arizona $400 air conditioning bill is cheap lol  I  did solar  but I   still have to watch them,  they have no idea of  costs to repair

[Denise1406]

@Marie8425 Thanks for your help, someone mentioned Nest thermostat, which i am going to look into.  

[Bhumika]

Hi @Denise1406 , Did you get yourself a Nest thermostat as @Karen114 mentioned? How has your experience been so far exploring the options? 

[Denise1406]

Not yet.  We are doing our homework on it.  

[Bhumika]

Thanks for sharing @Denise1406 ! Do keep us posted on your findings 😉 We'll remain keen to hear how you look forward to resolve this 🌻

[Angela3989]

Hi,

I recently setup a minimum on the Smart thermostat and also use both the schedule and Home/Away features. When no one is home it will return to 73. Also at 11pm.  The minimum temperature is 68. So far this is working well. If someone says it's too hot in the home on heatwave days, I can just go in the app and lower the minimum temp remotely temporarily. 

[Denise1406]

@Angela3989 Thanks so much d

[Elaine701]

@Marie8425 

For what it's worth, and since you're in a sunny location, I'd strongly recommend starting to invest in solar power to supplement your grid power. You can start small and add-on as funds allow. 

Nowadays, you can buy 5kw inverter/chargers for under 500$ that automatically use solar power when available, and use the grid when not.

They can accept power from up to ten 500w panels each (which should cost 100$ or less each). That's enough to power your aircon all day, and with 2 units, you could power everything with the sun, and not use one watt of grid power. And they're easy to install - for someone with a bit of technical knowledge.

The main issue is where to install the panels, and if you don't have ground space, it has to go on the roof, and installers who do this aren't cheap. We were lucky and have plenty of land, so our solar panel array is ground based, which is much less expensive to set up, and easier to service, if necessary.

The other issue is when the sun goes down. Then you need batteries to avoid using grid power (and they're expensive). But at night, the aircon uses a lot less power anyway.

The morale of the story is that for just a few thousand, you can cut your $400 electricity bills in half at least. Later you can add batteries and achieve the same savings at night.

That's what we've done. Started small, scaled up over time. Today, we don't even have grid power. Everything is powered by the sun. Heating cooling, pool, water, appliances. We don't pay one penny in electrical bills. Overall investment over time was about 10000 euros (about $12000), but it was paid for over about 3 years of investing bits of income from the villa.

It's worth considering. 

[Karen114]

@Denise1406  Oh the joys of hosting in south Florida in the summer time..I can't wait for summer to be over.  

I have 7 units in Florida and every summer its a battle of wits with guests and the AC.  Not so much from in state guests as they get it, however the northerners and mid westerners want to turn the unit into an igloo and then head to the beach for the day 😒

I have been using Nest E learning thermostats.  We don't use the learning feature however I am able to lock the thermostat so the guest can't go any lower than 69 and a high of 79 becuase not everyone wants to be freezing, myself included.  

Nest also has the eco mode feature so that when the unit is vacant the temp will rise to a warmer temp and will then come on at their set temp when they return.  This is saved a lot on electricity but also wear and tear on the systems.  When the heat index is 105 and they turn it to 69 the AC just runs and runs never getting below 72. 

I did stop using the ECO mode in this heat beacuse if the unit goes up to 75 while they are away and the want it at 69 it will take forever to get it to temp.  I just keep an eye on it and when its set to 70 and the unit is vacant I will raise it up a bit so it can shut off and have a breather. 

After replacing 2 systems for 8K each, I got the Nests becuase if you don't control it they will try to set it to 55 and have the sliding glass doors open.  

Some hosts like the Ecobee which is similar I believe.  Defintiely look into getting something before your AC gives out. 

[Denise1406]

Thanks @Karen114 , since its Amazon days, i will look into the nest.  D

[MaryJane8]

Hi @Denise1406 

I have a slightly different problem as I live in the UK.

This week I have lost money on booking for the very same reason.  The first guest put the heating on full, despite being supplied with a dyson heater and it was the summer.  The heating heats a very large unit not just the Airbnb space and the Welcome notes clearly state as do the controls NOT to use the full oil fired heating.

The second guest managed to use over £12 per day of electricity - I just don't know what they were doing, I imaging charging their car or all of their laptops, phones etc.

I really don't know how to deal with these very high costs.  If I put my prices up I will not be competitive and will not get bookings but is it worth all the work when guests have no care about the financial or environmental costs.

If any-one has any ideas I would be grateful

MJ (UK)

[Denise1406]

@MaryJane8 We are going to try the nest thermostat that someone recommended. People keep lowering the thermostat and we keep raising it because we do have one that we can control right now but we can’t lock it from a distance. We also thought about buying a plastic cover that goes over the thermostat and you need a key to open it to change the thermostat, I did put in my instructions that if people keep changing the thermostat and it freezes up that they will have to pay for the service call and repair. Stay tuned.