Great video, thanks for this. I leave it at 78 here in northern South Carolina (and lots of ceiling fans). An additional consideration for this approach is that it involves more than air temperature and humidity. If you set it at 85, for example, the walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, everything starts moving to 85. When you set the temp back, even if you get back to your base temperature (78 in this case) everything else is still at 85. The chair you sit in is 85. All radiating heat until you get back to equilibrium. So, set it, and leave it alone. Cheers! Great job!😊
I'm in a newer house that based on size, should have a 2.5 ton air conditioner. In the interest of energy efficiency, the builder installed a 1.5 ton condenser and a 3 ton evaporator. The air handler fan speed is set on max. I'll bet the TXV is wide open whenever the air conditioner is running. I have a humidity problem. The dew point of my house is 63 degrees. I can barely exert myself without breaking into a sweat. Temperature doesn't matter. A 63 degree dew point is uncomfortable. The fan needs to slow down in order to remove the humidity. If I slow the fan down more of the cooling BTU is used for dehumidification, at the expense of cooling. The undersized condenser can barely keep up as it is. Unless you live in the southwest or another area with a dry climate, install the right sized unit. Have the installer program the unit for the best humidity removal. Get the humidity down to 50 percent and then worry about which temperature setting you need.
I might ask to see the Manual J load calculation that should have been done to correctly size the unit before installation. You will want to see if the load calculation setup matches the area you live in (summer design temperature, grains of moisture, etc.) and then check to see if the size of equipment in your home matches the size the load calculation calls for. (Given your experience, it doesn't seem to.) For now, you might consider supplementing your central system by installing a ductless mini split in the largest room. A 12,000 BTU mini split would get you up to 2.5 tons overall capacity.
What do you do about the one major drawback of central air conditioning, when its on the temperature of the air from the vent that might be right above your head is 55 degrees. For elderly this is a problem. My mother shouldn't even have a thermostat in her house, all she needs is an on/off switch.
Very good, I learnt a lot on this video!!
I love the way you compromise!
Great video, thanks for this. I leave it at 78 here in northern South Carolina (and lots of ceiling fans). An additional consideration for this approach is that it involves more than air temperature and humidity. If you set it at 85, for example, the walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, everything starts moving to 85. When you set the temp back, even if you get back to your base temperature (78 in this case) everything else is still at 85. The chair you sit in is 85. All radiating heat until you get back to equilibrium. So, set it, and leave it alone.
Cheers! Great job!😊
That's a great point!
The EPA can kick rocks on this one. Set the a/c to where it's comfortable, otherwise you are truly wasting electricity.
I'm in a newer house that based on size, should have a 2.5 ton air conditioner. In the interest of energy efficiency, the builder installed a 1.5 ton condenser and a 3 ton evaporator. The air handler fan speed is set on max. I'll bet the TXV is wide open whenever the air conditioner is running. I have a humidity problem. The dew point of my house is 63 degrees. I can barely exert myself without breaking into a sweat. Temperature doesn't matter. A 63 degree dew point is uncomfortable. The fan needs to slow down in order to remove the humidity. If I slow the fan down more of the cooling BTU is used for dehumidification, at the expense of cooling. The undersized condenser can barely keep up as it is. Unless you live in the southwest or another area with a dry climate, install the right sized unit. Have the installer program the unit for the best humidity removal. Get the humidity down to 50 percent and then worry about which temperature setting you need.
I might ask to see the Manual J load calculation that should have been done to correctly size the unit before installation. You will want to see if the load calculation setup matches the area you live in (summer design temperature, grains of moisture, etc.) and then check to see if the size of equipment in your home matches the size the load calculation calls for. (Given your experience, it doesn't seem to.) For now, you might consider supplementing your central system by installing a ductless mini split in the largest room. A 12,000 BTU mini split would get you up to 2.5 tons overall capacity.
What do you do about the one major drawback of central air conditioning, when its on the temperature of the air from the vent that might be right above your head is 55 degrees. For elderly this is a problem. My mother shouldn't even have a thermostat in her house, all she needs is an on/off switch.
Locating supply vents so they don't blow directly on you is an important consideration.
6% energy savings, 100% more discomfort. This is why you don't let burocracies make life decisions for you.
Unless you're 80 years old and your body doesn't produce its own heat, 78 is entirely too high.