I'm getting A/C!!! Advice on how to coach guests around usage

[Valerie192]

My house was built in the 1930s and doesn't have great insulation, so it gets quite warm and quite cold even with our generally pleasant So Cal temps.

After a recent heat wave that had me sweating in 96 degree temps in my house (and thanking God that I didn't happen to have an Airbnb guest that weekend), I finally broke down to order a full solution of mini-split ductless units to be installed in the main living area, guest bedroom and my bedroom. These units can  be individually controlled and will provide either cooling or heating.

Question 1: Do you have simple to follow instructions to ask guests not to abuse it? i.e. Don't set it below XX degrees or above XX degrees? Ensure it is off if you are not in that room/area?

I realize that abuse is not altogether preventable; however, I did pay a lot of $ to have remote wifi monitoring so I can see what it is being set at and turn off and on even if I am at work, etc.

Question 2: In an area like where I live (coastal cities), A/C is definitely not a standard feature. Is this worth mentioning and/or building a few dollar price increase in the hopes that folks who value this amenity will pay a little more? (For example, when I go to NYC in the summer I for sure will look for A/C and will pay more for it.) Note I did just update my About the Space to mention it but am toying around with whether to keep or cut.

Thanks community! From your not-as-sweaty fellow host!

[Valerie192]

This is exactly what I am hoping for! Thanks for the advice @Bruna-and-Siana0. 

[John1080]

@Valerie192, we have these in our primary residence and while we don't use them too often, we have used them more often this year and our electric bill has remained very low. These units are very efficient.  Of course it depends on how much the electricity costs.  

If you're concerned, I would not advertise it in the listing and I would take the remote out of the room if it isn't too hot. If they ask for the remote, then I'd give it to them and mention that you prefer it to be set at x.  But really, I don't think you'll see much of an increase in your bill. 

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

@Valerie192 Get an efficient unit and reasonable BTU for the size of the room. If you know $/Kwh, you can calculate the cost if AC is at 100% during 24h (worst case) or 50% for 10h (maybe a more reasanobale assumption). 

I think advertising it is good as you might get more bookings and you can charge more. Guest look for comfort, especially on hot summer days. IF you are concerned, increase your nightly price $1 or $2.

[Sandra126]

You must have cheaper electricity in the US, it is sky high in Australia. $6 a month extra for adding AC? Would not even cover a day where I am.

But if the house is already cool on check in, guests are less likely to crank it up to max. Tell them it has to be run with windows closed. Not all guests understand.

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

Yes @Sandra126, electricity is cheap in US. The $6 extra also includes our own AC (we added AC in our room and AirBnB room). So technically only $3/unit.  And that was the worse month! 

[Valerie192]

@Sandra126 GREAT catch! That is common sense to me, but particularly in Airbnb hosting world, common sense is not so common.

[Wendy117]

Agree @Sandra126. Australia has the most expensive electricity in the world.  I constantly have guests who put on too high or too low and overwork them or go out leaving them all on ... and windows and doors open!  Fortunately I live downstairs and have replaced all aircons with Mitsubishi with wifi control so I can turn them off or adjust the temperature if I hear them overworking. Some guests act through ignorance and some just dont care.

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Hello @Valerie192 I live in Cancun and always had A/C at the guest's room (not on the common/shared areas, tho). I've been a host for 3 years and I've played with various possibilities, at some point I had the room available twice with two different prices (one with A/C another without). But in the end I just noticed what months were heavy A/C usage and which were not and just adjusted my fares accordingly.

I made a small manual where you place the remote and it points out what button does what and I also state that it's already set on the ideal temperature/mode. And that going lower is harmful to the environment. 

Also, I have it in my house's rules that:

a) All windows and doors most be closed before turning the A/C on.

b) The A/C should be off whenever they leave the room (not for the bathroom, of course, but from breakfast to leaving the house for the day).

c) I charge an additional night if the A/C was left on with no one in the room and/or if the windows/doors were left open.

This had worked well so far. Until ABB started pushing hosts to go as low as 10 USD a night in CANCUN in the city center and well... that wasn't close to what is spent on electricity, cleaning and the breakfast offered to guests.

[Pete69]

Valerie I know exactly what heat wave you're talking about! I had guests arriving the next day when weather reports were talking about 101 degree coastal heat so I ran out to Home Depot to buy a floor AC unit. They had 113 in stock (special buy). When waiting in line I saw about 8 other people in other lines buying the exact same AC unit!

As it turns out, my guests wanted to check in a day early THAT NIGHT. Good thing I got the AC unit otherwise I probably would have gotten a bad review.

In retrospect, maybe you and I don't mind sweating it out a bit, but not guests on vacation. When you're on vacation you want a certain amount of luxury. Also having AC is a great selling point even if it's just a PERCEIVED ammenity that guests THINK they need.

Back to your question, I have in my list of tips and instructions for guests, "Please turn off the AC if leaving the house for more that just a quick trip away. Do not run the AC with the windows open."

Small AC units actually don't cost THAT much to run per day. I did the math. I forgot how much it was. Maybe 2 bucks a day if run constantly.