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Air-Con Automation, Efficiency and Electrical Costs

Discussion in 'Dumaguete City' started by Rye83, Jun 10, 2021.

  1. Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    I'm trying to figure out what is the best approach to air-con home automation and temperature settings while keeping the electricity costs down.

    I have added foam weather stripping to all the windows and doors. There is reflective tint on the windows and I have blackout shades/curtains on the way. 2HP split inverter air-con in use.

    My current automation setup looks like this:
    Screenshot_20210610-125145.png

    The thinking behind this:

    0700: Air-con turns on @25°C (usually when outside temperature hits 27°, the sun starts to hit with some force and the inside temperature starts to rise)

    1700: Temperature adjusts to 27°C, floor fan kicks on. (outside temperature usually drops to or below 27° at this time and the sun isn't beating down directly on the house, but without the air-con the temperature will creep up.)

    2000: Air-con turns off and windows are open. (Outside temperature is usually 26° or below and a floor fan gets the job done)

    Leaving the house between 0700-2000: temperature set to 28°.

    Returning home sets temperature to 25°, 27° or does nothing depending on the time. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get the house to the desired temperature during the day.

    With my current setup I'm expecting an electrical bill between P3500 to P4500.

    My question is concerning what should be done when I leave the house: is it better (meaning cheaper) to have the temperature set to 27° or 28° to keep the humidity down and walls/floor cool or to just turn it off when go.

    Today I tried turning it off while I was away for a few hours. The inside temperature got up to 30°. It took about 40 minutes running at full blast to get the house back down to 25° (about twice as long as it takes when the temperature is set to 27-28° while I'm gone).

    I suspect that keeping it running, but at a higher temperature, may be the cheaper option but I'm not sure. If there is any other suggestions for keeping costs down they would certainly be welcome.
     
  2. reich31e

    reich31e DI Member

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    What about your ceiling? Plywood? Is it hot when you touch it on a hot day?
    If so, attic needs insulation.
     
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    Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    It isn't warm right now but it just started raining. I don't think it would have cooled down that much in the last 5 minutes but I'll check again next time the sun is out.
     
  4. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Not tried running air-con continuously here (but I do use the techniques of less windows, tinted windows (not using reflective exterior coating yet), blackout curtains (found that the one of the same blackout type from the same store in the same packaging was an excellent blackouts and others were not as good (the most boring dark green was the best one), never open my curtains)) but in the UK I did a comparison of having central heating on day time only or continuously and was amazed to find continuous cost me only £1.53 per day in 2014 (and about the same as using daytime only). I should try it for a month here with our aircon (I know it is not pure science due to variables, but it is a guide). One concern is that my CH in the UK was in rented and so it did not matter to me if the boiler's life was cut short but here I own the air-con!
     
  5. eskirvin

    eskirvin DI Forum Adept Blood Donor Veteran Navy

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    Some AC units have a "dry" mode that's more about getting moisture out of the air than cooling it down. Perhaps leaving that on will allow a quicker cool down later due to the lower humidity. Just another variation to try.
     
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    Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    The different air-con modes are not fully compatible with my home automation. It could be done but it would be a pain to program.

    I would also think that the dry mode would require the compressor to be on...which I believe uses the most electricity.

    I go back and forth between thinking I should just always leave the air-con on (the compressor rarely turns on after 8pm and the air-con fan likely uses the same electricity as my floor fan) or turning it completely off at night or when I'm away. I think a regular temperature and humidity will extend the life of a lot of things in the house. Less rust, less fungus/mold, less wood always expanding and contracting, electronics running more efficiently, better health from the body and mind operating in a more comfortable temperature/humidity. The long term costs need to be factored in as well as the monthly short term costs but this would be very difficult to calculate.
     
  7. Crystalhead

    Crystalhead ADMIN Admin ★ Forum Moderator ★ ★ Global Mod ★ ★ Moderator ★ ★★ Forum Sponsor ★★ ★ No Ads ★ Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Army

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    We just use a fan through the day but at bedtime turn on the air-con in our Master bedroom and during the day try to keep our Master bed-room door shut and it stays cool enough through the day. Still does get humid in afternoon so we run a fan in that room as it is also our TV go to.

    Prior to bed we switch off the fridge, and in the morning turn it back on. Things remain cool and don't thaw.
     
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  8. SkipJack

    SkipJack DI Senior Member

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    True.
    Actually the squirrel cage blower in the air-con has to blow air through the evaporator coil which is much less efficient than the propeller blade floor fan out in the open. Furthermore, constantly running the air-con fan will dirty the evaporator coil more quickly requiring cleaning more often. Replacing the fan in the air-con when it wears out will cost more than replacing a floor fan.

    I looked around for you but sadly I was not able to find a device that will manage the two together. Turn the split type air-con completely off when it reaches a cool set point and then turn on a floor fan.

    I once had a Condura window type air-con with a remote. On econo mode it would shut off the air-con based on a thermostat set point and turn on a floor fan that was plugged into the air-con receptacle.

    This product talks about this working with a timer function but I distinctly remember having one that worked with the thermostat: “More savings because of the unique Energy Savings Plug that works in tandem with the timer function to help you save on electricity cost.”

    Maybe the product has changed or the marketing people do not understand that this also works with the thermostat when set to econo mode.

    https://www.condura.com/index.php/window-type-air-conditioners-condura-6x-plus/

    You live in Valencia. Maybe you can get by with just a floor fan at night.
     
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  9. dadof3at1ce

    dadof3at1ce DI Member Veteran Marines

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    Perhaps running a dehumidifier may help? That is kind of what air con does anyhow, but maybe could be cheaper.
     
  10. RR_biker

    RR_biker DI Senior Member Veteran Marines

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    QUOTE="Crystalhead, post: 243793, member: 4488"]
    Prior to bed we switch off the fridge, and in the morning turn it back on. Things remain cool and don't thaw.[/QUOTE]
    Switch on and off the fridge day in and out finally caused a broken CPU of a Samsung ref @relatives on Mindanao (for saving electricity consumption), a model even with an inverter. Don't know how long you're doing this!
     
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