High electricity cost during Winter - what to do?

[Andrea8160]

Hi!

We are having our first request - yay!

But there is a problem - it's during winter and the electricity cost is variable.

Our electricity price in Finland fluctuates extremely (between 4c/kwh and 100 c/kwh or more).

And if the outside temperature drops, it also affects the need for electricity exponentially. In december it can be  between 5+ to -10, one can never be sure.

If the quest is not careful with closing doors fast or adding heat with the radiators, the price can go up with +100€ in just one day. (I've done that myself ONCE personally, so I know the pain and how easy it is to do 😉 ).

How do you other hosts solve this?

Br, Andrea

[Karen114]

@Andrea8160  This is a big issue for me in Florida with Air conditioning. I do have Nest Thermostats.  Not sure if you can get them there. If not maybe another smart thermostat. 
The Nest allows me to put a max and min setting so it can’t be set too high or low. 
I can also set schedules so during the day when they are likely gone I have the temp raise a few degrees. This is helpful too when the unit is vacant. 
Last winter it was pretty cold in Florida and we had to use the heat quite a bit. Before I was able to put the high low setting on the Nest the guest turned the heat up to 79 degrees 😮. 

[Bhumika]

@Andrea8160 @Karen114 , these are wonderful ideas! 😍 Do you allow guests to change the settings of the thermostats though?

How did you deal with the guest who turned the heat up to 79 degress? 😲 Did you share any instructions with them later on?

[Karen114]

Yes they can adjust between 69 and 78 for AC. If we don’t put a stop on the AC temp they try to put it at 62, ask me how I know 🤣

Since using heat in Florida is pretty rare, I didn’t have the high and low set for heat and was horrified to see the heat set to 79. That was their last day so I didn’t say anything and was glad they were on their way after that. 
For me it’s the not cost of electricity. It’s the wear and tear on the AC units. They will freeze up and fail. Sometimes having to be replaced all together. This causes a lot of problems for the current guest as well as an incoming guest when you can’t get a new AC installed within a couple of days which is a hard feat in the summer time in Florida. 

[Bhumika]

I hear you @Karen114 ! 😝 

AC installation and wear & tear can be both time consuming and heavy on the wallets 💸

This also makes me curious, have you listed the ideal temperatures between 69 to 78 in your house rules or send the information to the guests once they've entered the listing?

How do you clearly communicate the expected temperature settings to your guests without sounding too restrictive? 😉

[Karen114]

I don’t include it in the listing as the range is not unreasonable. Setting and locking  at one temp for the duration of the stay would be unreasonable and should be disclosed upfront. 
we do send our digital guest guide after booking as well as right before arrival that explains how to use the Nest and that turning it down to 69 when it’s 105 outside will not cool the unit any faster or make it cooler. We let them know that keeping the thermostat up when it’s that hot out will get better performance from the AC. 
I also have a message reminder after checkin during the summer months explaining how AC works in the sub tropics. 

[Rasmus60]

Hi @Karen114 and thank you for your thoughts!

To clarify, the heat in the building is adjusted in 4 different ways:

1. human-adjusted, electrically powered wall heaters under the windows. It's a little knob that is turned to a certain degree, for example 21 degrees celcius. There are 3 units on the upper floor.
2. Electrical floor heating (very expensive to have on practically any time of the year). It's in two rooms on the upper floor and the whole lower floor. It's so inefficient and expensive that we only have it on with proper heat in one room: the shower room. Other rooms have frost protection level, which is 5 degrees celcius.
3. A modern air heat pump in the lower floor. Quite efficient, but efficiency drops when the temperature outside drops.
4. A fireplace on the top floor

I don't know if it is possible to make anything automated except the air-heat pump.

During winter days, we will use only the fireplace for heat upstairs and the air-heat pump for downstairs. That makes the electrical bill manageble. If the price is particually high (say 2000% higher than standard pricing) we avoid using washing and drying machines for those days.

So those really nice automated things don't work with our heating setup we have 😕

[Tanner-With-Hazelside-Homestays0]

@Andrea8160 Ecobee is the answer. It turns off heating when doors or windows are left open for too long and will heat your house when it’s the cheapest time. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Tanner-With-Hazelside-Homestays0 , That's a nice suggestion! Since how long you've been using Ecobee to manage electric cost efficiently? 

@Andrea8160 are you thinking to explore Ecobee based on @Tanner-With-Hazelside-Homestays0 's suggestions and experience?

[Rasmus60]

Hi @Bhumika and @Tanner-With-Hazelside-Homestays0 Thank you for your thoughts!

To clarify, the heat in the building is adjusted in 4 different ways:

1. human-adjusted, electrically powered wall heaters under the windows. It's a little knob that is turned to a certain degree, for example 21 degrees celcius. There are 3 units on the upper floor.
2. Electrical floor heating (very expensive to have on practically any time of the year). It's in two rooms on the upper floor and the whole lower floor. It's so inefficient and expensive that we only have it on with proper heat in the shower room. Other rooms have frost protection level, which is 5 degrees celcius.
3. A modern air heat pump in the lower floor. Quite efficient, but efficiency drops when the temperature outside drops.
4. A fireplace on the top floor

I don't know if it is possible to make anything automated except the air-heat pump.

During winter days, we will use only the fireplace for heat upstairs and the air-heat pump for downstairs. That makes the electrical bill manageble. If the price is particually high (say 2000% higher than standard pricing) we avoid using washing and drying machines for those days.

So those really cool automated things don't work with our heating setup we have 😕

[Tina10690]

It is good if you can give people an incentive to take responsibility for their own energy consumption and thus their own impact on the environment.

[Rasmus60]

We would love to make it and keep the positive experience ^_^