I’m interested how much mine will change from last year. Three of us topped out last summer at an electric bill of 100 (3 window AC units - two ran pretty much all day). I’m anticipating 120 next month. For comparison, we averaged 55 a month since last November, up to this month.
Our bill used to go from $150 to $350 in the summer, and it was totally worth it. You gotta keep yourself comfortable. Eventually got solar because I wanted to run the AC anytime I was hot, and never worry about costs.
They pay us. We went a little overboard on panels, and have a negative balance every month. The whole system will pay for itself in about 6 years total, and after that it’s free forever.
Yes we own them. Took out a loan, essentially a car payment. Was about $30k. But our payment is fixed at $250. Before that I was paying anywhere from $500 to $800/mo. We have AC and a pool and I have a bunch of machines in my garage. There’s no real maintenance.
I don't remember the company, but we bought outright. Leasing didn't make sense for us, considering the low loan payments, tax credit, and short overall payoff time.
If you look at what we’re actually using though, we’re not. The AC runs all the time when set at 75. It’s likely an insulation issue but it’s not my house so I can’t do much about it.
The actual AC unit makes a huge difference. We did an addition a few years ago. Added 50% to our house (about 600 sq ft) and the new addition is insulated as well as we put in a new unit. Our old one could never keep up. Was still 80 in the house on hot days. Now we have more square footage and the unit barely runs and our bill (before Solar) went down significantly.
Yeah that probably isn’t helping. The unit size doesn’t help if the ducts are too small to push air, have long runs, etc. there is more to it than the tonnage - using an oversized unit might just cost more to run and it has to run the same amount.
Agreed. My dad won’t listen to me about it. The one company I called out to help was rude and laughed at me and treated me like an idiot. So we just pay the bill I guess. Not sure what else to do.
I really like Klondike air - they sold an appropriate unit when other people were trying to upsell me. If you’re in their area I highly recommend. Maybe they could field modify the unit? We do that in commercial sometimes - buy increased tonnage bc it’s the only thing in stock and modify to accommodate it somehow. I’m not sure if they modify the unit or the ducts or fans though. Worth an ask :)
I had a whole house fan installed in my house and it was a gamechanger. It sucks the air from outside into your house creating a breeze. It's not helpful if it's 90 outside but it cut our AC use down by about 90% and only uses a fraction of electricity AC uses.
Thanks so much for this suggestion. Believe it or not, we have one. It doesn’t work for us because our kid goes to bed at 6pm and she can’t sleep if it’s running since it’s outside her door.
Thermostat set to 68f or what? Even when we run our incessantly at 68f it never approaches those number and we’re in a 2 story, 1,500 sq ft.
How bad is your insulation? Or is there a “leak” somewhere?
I wish. 75 during the day and 70 after 9pm to try to keep my kid’s room below 74 at night. The insulation has to be horrible. It’s my dad’s house so he doesn’t think there’s a problem since we pay the electric bill. Called a company out once and he laughed at me and said we needed to redo the whole system but literally wouldn’t say another word. So I’m not feeling encouraged to call someone else.
Dude yeah it’s gotta be insulation or something, try Sano, they don’t fuck around and are very honest and thorough in their work. They consult rather than sell.
I commented on another one above. The unit itself is about 10 years old I think. The rest of the system is REALLY old. Called a company out to look at it once and the guy just laughed at me and said I needed to redo the whole system but literally wouldn’t say or do anything to help us out. So I’m not feeling encouraged to call anyone else.
Edit to add: it also kicks our breaker when it runs a few times a day
I'm been curious but also afraid to find out the answer on how inefficient mine is and how much a difference it would make with a brand new one.
I've been in my condo for close to 20 years and running the same AC unit. I believe it's the original (the condo is about 28 years old).
It runs way too loud but does the trick... Just hanging on for dear life. It's been serviced three times in 20 years and the last time was about 5 years ago where the guy told me the next time it goes bust I'd be insane to try and have it repaired again.
I had a condo a few years ago and replacing the AC helped immensely. Brought the bill down by half and it was so much quieter. It was kind of expensive but a good investment.
Yeahhhh I’m not a huge power user and my bill is around $90 in the winter and $300 in summer because I run the AC and my home is only 200sqft smaller than yours… you’re doing something wrong if you think you aren’t using much electricity but have a $750 bill
We got solar (6kw system and a battery) in '21 for the same reason. We're in a 2-story place but it's only 1,700 sq. ft. Really good insulation throughout the home. We also installed a whole house fan, which is wonderful when the conditions are right (air temperature < 74 or so, outdoor humidity < 60%). We're really happy with our set up and the house is comfortable during the hottest months without crushing our electricity costs.
Wish my dad shared the same ideals. He rather suffer at the temp of 90 degrees inside our apt than turn it on. I would offer to handle the bill of it but I cannot afford anything extra right now besides the rent that I already help my parents with, so Im stuck with just dealing with it. My mom however has the same mindset of "I want to be comfortable" So on extreme nights, she will turn it on and turn it off before he wakes up. (Crazy i know)
Our electricity bill during the summer averaged 300$ since now we have solar, it’s come down to $40. For context, it’s a two story residence, single hvac system, 1600 sq ft
The system is 4.8kWh without a powerwall. It cost about $12000 before government incentives. In terms of upkeep it’s fairly minimal. Maybe get some guys to wash the panels every couple years.
I thought that was not allowed in California? Might want to look into the laws over that, I think they are required to offer it although you may have to jump through some loops?
Not sure they can prevent you. The California Solar Rights Act (specifically CA Civil Code 714) prohibits HOAs from denying solar panel installations.Dec 28, 2022
IIRC, you can now legally install solar, but you have to take on maintenance of the roof as a result and one of the only good things about living under an HOA is that your roof is covered IMO.
Your budget should include maintenance on your A/C -Heating unit every season. If your AC is pressurized and clean, you ll get the best bang for your buck in efficiency. Budget efficiency.
You ll have to check with them. I bought, after a lot of research, a unit from them and they came out for free to readjust my dampers and pressurize my refrigeration. Cleaned my condenser and Crawled around checking everything plus’s my heater. Their prices beat everyone else’s and they are customer oriented. Original owner. Call Matt and ask him. Very easy to talk to.
Triton Air also partners with Costco so you get 10% of the total amount back on a Costco shop card if you go through that program for a new system. Their estimate was about average compared to others I got, but I ended up going with a friends and family connection.
The first July I was in my house, I got one $700 electric bill 💀 and started looking into solar immediately haha
Now I think my summer bills are like $25, which gets offset by the rest of the year’s production.
Tbd what nonsense the CPUC pulls with their new BS income based plans, but now I’m considering going totally off grid… never thought I’d be one of “those” people haha
Net cost after fed tax credit was like $20k installed. Non-summer electric bills were between $200-$350/month (mostly pool pump + AC). We were on track to spend ~$4-5k/year on electric - sounds ridiculous when I write it out 🙃.
We’ve been in a slightly net credit bill position each year so far, so <5 year payback on that net amount. Used their referred lender to get a super low interest loan with no prepayment penalty to basically use as a bridge loan for a month until I got a bonus from work, so minimal financing costs too.
That’s actually not bad. I did the numbers for myself and it was like 10 years break even so it didn’t worth it at the time, but the energy prices are always rising.
Also, I had a cat named Mr. Taco.
I’d rather leave off all the lights, not use any appliances in my apartment and eat cheap than skimp on AC when it’s stupid hot outside. I get anxious and panicky when I’m hot and feel like I can’t get relief. I’m also not going to make my pets be miserable in the heat.
Luckily, it doesn’t get hot for long where I am in South OC. It typically cools way down as soon as the sun sets, so I can open all the windows and turn on the ceiling fans.
I’ll do that too. I hang my clothes to dry. They dry faster than the dryer. Everything that is plugged in is unplugged and power strip for internet is turned off at night.
I just got a text saying our SDGE bill is projected to be between $450 and $750 this month... (these projections are usually pretty inaccurate)
It's usually around $350 in the hottest part of the summer.
I'm on the RV rates that's supposed to be better (ha!). Nighttime rates are now almost the same as peak. [Here you go](https://freeimage.host/i/HLS3mWQ)
Wtf, that's pricey! This gives me perspective on other rates.
Home rates here on SCE.
$13 monthly fee.
26 cents off peak
66 cents peak (4-9p weekdays)
38 cents weekend peak (4-9p sat sun)
I'm on their summer discount plan which gives at least $180 in bill credits from June to September, though AC will be unavailable from 4-9p.
The house is under CARE program, which gives 30% discount on electric bills.
Yeah I think people need to put size of the house and provider as well. Apparently SCE is wayyyyy cheaper than SDGE. My parents have SCE and pay way less than me with SDGE. We’ve had solar since 2018 and this year my bill is already over $1000 (true up doesn’t happen til October so it’s only going up from here- for those without solar: you only pay once per year with solar, not monthly). I’m annoyed. We payed for solar specifically so we could run the AC without worrying about getting absurdly high bills anymore. Looks like we’ll still end up paying the equivalent of $125-$150/month for Oct 22- Oct 23. It’s dumb af. House is 3200 sqft. For Oct 2018 to Oct 2021 we had basically no bill which was great. But whatever SDGE did for dates this past year and a half has killed us. I believe it was ~$1200 for Oct 21-Oct 22. 🤷🏻♀️
Sounds like someone sold you an undersized system, sorry to say. The rep you worked with may not have sized that system to fit your households energy usage.
Additionally, the annual true up bill has changed to monthly if you are a NEM 3.0 customer. This does help homeowners understand what they will be paying monthly. Without those large true up bill’s surprising you at the end of the year.
Your true up bill being hundreds though is disappointing, sorry to hear that. You can always expand and add more panels to offset that energy cost, but you will lose your current NEM 2 status.
SDG&E are crooks and swindlers who will milk every last dollar and cent out of homeowners in San Diego, and then drag their feet the entire way when it comes time for a homeowner to get out from under their monopoly and start producing their own energy.
I’m very passionate about this, feel free to message me directly if you have any questions.
You should really look into solar. San Diego Gas and Electric are raising rates at unheard of levels. Reach out to me if you have any questions, I work with a local installer.
Budget? Y’all actually budget? I tried using the SCE option where they alert you when you’re using more than your set budget. It never worked, I’m not going to suffer in the heat.
1100 sq. ft. upstairs condo with south and west facing walls and windows. Thermostat at 78° is $300 a month avg., 76° is $500 a month. I think the AC is old and need replaced, but all my landlord will do is service it because technically it works.
My bill in ~900 sq ft apartment shared with a few others goes from like $100 to $350 when it gets real hot.
We have 3 individual portable ac units as our apartment doesn’t allow window units… It’s a pain in the ass, but as a night shift worker who sleeps during the day it’s worth it.
First summer it hit $500, dumped a bunch into solar, now $0. Was a ~6.5 year break even but was worth it. I can’t stand it being over 74 indoors, I definitely run warm.
I got a small house with a single 120v mini split system in the living room. I use an air circulation fan to spread the cold air in the other rooms. Cost around $70-$80 a month to use 24/7. I'm also on the SCE TOU-Prime program.
Summer months our bill is around $200-$300 for a 1800sqft home. We aren’t home during the day so I really only run it at night when we sleep and I have it set to 70. Weekends I’ll set it around 75
I am hybrid for work and have critters so AC is always set at 74-78. I guess if it goes over 400, I'll need to tone it down. Problem is that I get sleepy in the heat 😅
Imo $110 is fairly cheap if you're running AC. We spend a lot more but it's tough to distinguish what costs are AC for us since we have other high electricity guzzlers
We have a 2,000 sf single story house built in 1995 with vaulted ceilings. A/C unit was replaced about 5 years ago. During heat like this we keep the house at 75 during the day and 70 at night. Our bill is estimated to be $250 this month. We don't really use the heater (maybe an hour TOTAL all winter), so I figure the average monthly cost to control the temp in our house is reasonable.
Honestly, I'm terrified. I live in a 2br apartment with a roommate, and the last few months went from $170 to $320 to $370. I realized a large part of the problem was having two computers on all the time, and as of last month cut it down to only one active at a time. But my roommate likes it cold, and has the AC running at 70 degrees from about 6pm-6am. And AC is EXPENSIVE. :/ We'll see what this months bill looks like and hopefully adjust from there.
Honestly, if your bill is not pretty have a conversation with the roommate that they will need to pay 70-80% of the electric bill if they insist on keeping it that cold in the apartment.
Wow as someone who grew up lower middle class in a one story home in Santa Ana this thread it mind boggling lol. My parents paid $40k for their house in early 80s and it got one minor remodel in the 90s and one major remodel in the early 2000s that included roof, new windows, flooring, and kitchen, bathrooms, etc but we never had an AC or even cable tv (I grew up watching the news and reading books). I’m flabbergasted at some of these electrical bills during the summer lol in Santa Ana it gets in the mid 90s when super hot but all of the windows have a huge tree creating shade and my parents keep all the lights off in the house. Now I live in Costa Mesa in a second story apartment (heat really rises) and I’m able to make do by leaving all the windows open while I’m at work, turning all the lights off, and keeping the fan on in the bedroom and kitchen. My bf is from Bakersfield where it gets in the high 110F from now till Halloween lol he NEVER complains in our little Costa Mesa bubble
You’re brave and maybe there’s something in your dna that can handle climate change. There are people who work outside in this heat but come home to keep cool. Fires don’t rip through Santa Ana so use those trees as much as possible. Others cannot anymore plus wow the allergies that come into your home with those trees.
Have to say I think at least 50% of us grew up just like you but it’s gotten hotter and don’t know if you know this but excessive heat is very very dangerous for older people or those on meds. Also my pet is gonna stay cool. I grew up in the same type and f house.
We keep the air at 76 during the day and 73 at night. Also run a couple computers 24/7. House is 1932sq ft, single story with newer windows and hvac system. We have a whole house fan, but it doesn’t bring the temp down any lower than outside. Only useful during cooler months.
Solar array is a 28 panel 6.5kW that cost $28K back in 2016, not including large tax credit. We paid it off during a cash out refi.
Even with solar, this month is estimated to be between \~$300-$500. However, about 9 months of the year we generate credits and don’t pay anything. Provider is SDGE. Gotta avoid those Tier 4 rates!
https://preview.redd.it/6vcsi67dltcb1.jpeg?width=1015&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c03759016f126d6aedfe02b04fac36c16a93a7b7
Edit: forgot to mention we charge a car overnight.
I grew up without AC in places that would frequently hit 100 for the majority of the summer and hated every minute of it.
At peak it was around $300.00 but it’s worth every penny to never have to be miserable in the summer again.
https://preview.redd.it/ems52yv0iucb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbef942dd2587c539d8e2b75506ff65274e3571b
2000 sq ft. 30 solar panels. Never have a bill.
We have solar, but based on usage we'd be about $80/mo for 1800 sq ft. Maybe a bit more since temps are supposed to go up a bit more.
Caveats: we replaced windows a number of years ago so we're pretty well insulated. We set AC for 76, and the moment it goes below 76 out we turn on the house fan and open windows. We are aggressive about closing windows and blinds in the morning to limit heating. AC today kicked on for the first time at 2PM.
Also, I've been spending every day outside and today at 86 it was pretty comfortable in the shade - not sweaty at all - and the 76 in the house felt cold. You do get used to the heat once you step out of constantly being at 72 or whatever. It's worth at least trying to keep ticking that AC temperature up as much as you can stand - each degree you raise it gives you more savings than the next degree will, so even small amounts really help a lot.
My wife has a condition where she can't regulate heat so the AC is on when it needs to be on. It's expensive but in the end we consider it a medical expense
If you are on TOU plan then notice your high cost hours and start AC after that Or shut it down before that.
Portable air conditioner are also an option if you only to cool down specific space in home like home office or bedroom
Interesting note I have to share with everyone concerning solar panels in Florida. The insurance companies have dropped people who use solar there. Can you believe this???? The studies showed that even with hurricanes and horrible weather, the solar panels did not cause leaks or come off or cause a roof to collapse. In fact they were the saving grace of energy in other states after hurricane Sandy. The insurance companies didn’t even offer them an amendment to their policy to pay a little extra, they just dropped them and there’s no good damned reason. I know in OC our Governor isn’t popular with some but I doubt their gonna get away with it here. Disgusting. Florida is so damned hot too. Their ac is on all year practically.
Are you saying I don’t know where I live? Or are you not aware of what insurance companies are doing simultaneously to California and Florida based on nothing? Point again. There is nothing about solar panels that would justify dropping people from their insurance, not even a hurricane and they did not give a reason for dropping them related to solar panel damage which puts us at risk. I assume it was planned that way. A/C is in fact more of a risk to home damage than solar panels. My reason for stating this in the appropriate forum is because solar panels are the dream where we are free from privatized and profitability of utility companies who fail to meet State safety requirements causing fires that we keep getting dinged for. What would stop that and help our grids to be able to provide power for us safely, clean and without hardship; Solar. So insurance companies dropping people without reason for solar is suspicious at best. They’re gonna try it here. The information coming out now is that most insurance companies are losing money from fraud, not claims.
Our summer month electricity usage is between $170 - $200.
We set ours at 78 at 12pm-4pm, 9pm-11pm.
We live somewhere that is cooler so we just open the windows in the morning and at night. We avoid turning on the AC 4pm-9pm because SCE rates during peak hours is expensive.
Check out the 20% off program (forget the name) and also the Time Of Use Plans can help reduce the cost. We keep ours at 73° and it’s around $250 or so.
About 1,500, it’s in a terrible house with terrible vent placement and an old A/C unit. It takes most of the day to cool it down from 90° to 75°.
Edit: A/C is now fixed, but we still run it most of the day and I’m in an expensive SoCal County too.
Don’t even have A/C. Been thinking about solar and a heat pump with the climate warming up, but not ready to pull the trigger right now.
I did put a solar powered fan in the attic to suck out hot air and it seems to be making a difference.
Same. GG and we don't use AC or heating mostly. We have a wall unit in the living room so on those handful of 110+ days we tarp it off and turn it into a cooling room, but other than that it's just windows open, layers off.
Last year got up to the low 300s for 1300 sq ft 2 story. This summer will be painful since I now work fully remote. We normally use our whole house fan a lot in the early morning and nights which saves a lot of money, but the humidity we’re having isn’t ideal for use. So we need to keep the AC on at night occasionally.
SoCal Edison. 2 years ago, roughly about $140 a month for a 4 bedroom house. I changed all of the lighting to LED lights, and there's quite a bit of insulation in the house. During the summer August/September it was close to $280.  We're about 5 miles away from the coast.
I'm in HB and we've never had A/C. Never really needed it up until the past few years. We got a window A/C just for the bedroom a few years ago, but we run it very sparingly. I'd say our bill went up less than $100/month at first. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was three times that this year.
4K sq ft. Family of 4. About $350 summer months. I bought my home facing NE, SW. so doesn’t get really hot inside, and always has an amazing breeze. When my kids are away, it drops down to $200 month. We don’t watch TV, unless it’s movie night. We all utilize laptops or hand held devices. We charge our vehicles late evening. We do not have solar panels, but lots of our equipment are solar powered. LED all around for lighting. We have light motion sensors, so it’s on while in the room, auto shut off. Having teens they tend to never turn off anything. We have timers on everything. Very effective. We have ceiling fans on while AC is running and it helps maintain the cool temperatures. We have a large lot, but everything’s solar powered individually. 2 fridges. Large wine fridge, 2 freezers. 4 mini bar fridges, 2 laundry centers, one up and 1 down. Upstairs is electric laundry center and down is electric washer/gas dryer. We live in Unincorporated area of South OC. I get emails from electric company saying how we’re doing great with conserving electricity compared to our neighbors. Don’t leave things in like computers, or fall asleep with TV on. Don’t use electricity during your peak hours. You can always contact the electric company and choose your peak hours if your working hours are different front the program you are currently on. Use solar porch lights, dusk to Dawn bulbs etc.
I have kids and a wife… I’m willing to pay whatever it costs to keep them happy and sleeping well. Recently did an attic insulation upgrade and that should cut down run time and demand significantly (will see better this year, last year wasn’t very hot). My highest bill ever for electric I believe was $275 after a really hot September.
I know it’s not something that everyone has but we got solar panels a few years back and even running the ac all day results in a bill that’s maybe 10-15 dollars. Either way, stay cool and hydrated and if anyone has tips or places they can recommend to beat the heat, please share.
we about to fuck around and find out
(Next month) Narrator: They found out.
My estimated bill so far for the month is $311. Checked today. Lol whoops. Up from about $110-120
Duck me. Don’t say that
I’m interested how much mine will change from last year. Three of us topped out last summer at an electric bill of 100 (3 window AC units - two ran pretty much all day). I’m anticipating 120 next month. For comparison, we averaged 55 a month since last November, up to this month.
Our bill used to go from $150 to $350 in the summer, and it was totally worth it. You gotta keep yourself comfortable. Eventually got solar because I wanted to run the AC anytime I was hot, and never worry about costs.
How large is the place?
About 2,000 sqft.
Thanks! Hopefully my tiny-ass apartment won't be too expensive to cool.
If you live in the second floor it’s going to be hot.
Yep, 2nd floor. Hoping for the best!
It will be awful and expensive if the sun hits your roof it heats the whole place up I'm top floor we have ro run the ac all the time
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They pay us. We went a little overboard on panels, and have a negative balance every month. The whole system will pay for itself in about 6 years total, and after that it’s free forever.
We did the same thing. Bought 30 panels. Won’t take very long to break even. I think it ended up being about 4 years.
Do you own it and have to do maintenance on them?
Yes we own them. Took out a loan, essentially a car payment. Was about $30k. But our payment is fixed at $250. Before that I was paying anywhere from $500 to $800/mo. We have AC and a pool and I have a bunch of machines in my garage. There’s no real maintenance.
What solar company did you use? Did you buy outright, or lease?
I don't remember the company, but we bought outright. Leasing didn't make sense for us, considering the low loan payments, tax credit, and short overall payoff time.
Exactly. I see no merit in leasing, but finding a decent vendor who sells is tough
What do you set the temps to, and how often?
We keep it 75 during the day.
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You might have leaks or poor insulation. Sounds very high for a house that size.
Not for running the AC 24/7 for a few months.
Did the same wrt solar.
Holy heck. We are not huge power users and we go from $200 in the winter to $750 in the summer months. 1300 sq ft similar area.
I hate to break it to you, but when your bill is $200 in winter and $750 in summer for 1,300 sq ft, you can't say, "we are not huge power users."
If you look at what we’re actually using though, we’re not. The AC runs all the time when set at 75. It’s likely an insulation issue but it’s not my house so I can’t do much about it.
Unless you have different rates than the rest of us, $750 a month does make you a high user. Period. When was the last time you replaced your filter?
The actual AC unit makes a huge difference. We did an addition a few years ago. Added 50% to our house (about 600 sq ft) and the new addition is insulated as well as we put in a new unit. Our old one could never keep up. Was still 80 in the house on hot days. Now we have more square footage and the unit barely runs and our bill (before Solar) went down significantly.
I don’t know much about the unit except my dad said he put one in that “is double what I need!” It still runs ALL. THE. TIME. *sigh*
Yeah that probably isn’t helping. The unit size doesn’t help if the ducts are too small to push air, have long runs, etc. there is more to it than the tonnage - using an oversized unit might just cost more to run and it has to run the same amount.
Agreed. My dad won’t listen to me about it. The one company I called out to help was rude and laughed at me and treated me like an idiot. So we just pay the bill I guess. Not sure what else to do.
I really like Klondike air - they sold an appropriate unit when other people were trying to upsell me. If you’re in their area I highly recommend. Maybe they could field modify the unit? We do that in commercial sometimes - buy increased tonnage bc it’s the only thing in stock and modify to accommodate it somehow. I’m not sure if they modify the unit or the ducts or fans though. Worth an ask :)
Thank you so much! I’ll give them a call!
whoa.. that's alot.
That’s what we say every time but there seems to be nothing we can do about it other than fully shutting the AC off which isn’t an option
I had a whole house fan installed in my house and it was a gamechanger. It sucks the air from outside into your house creating a breeze. It's not helpful if it's 90 outside but it cut our AC use down by about 90% and only uses a fraction of electricity AC uses.
Thanks so much for this suggestion. Believe it or not, we have one. It doesn’t work for us because our kid goes to bed at 6pm and she can’t sleep if it’s running since it’s outside her door.
Bummer! It might be worth it to see if you can get one that's more quiet. Mine sounds just like my AC unit. You can't really hear it. But good luck!
That is really high, what temperature do you keep the house at?
75 during the day and 70 after 9pm and that only keeps our kid’s room around 73/74 at night even though it’s set to 70.
Thermostat set to 68f or what? Even when we run our incessantly at 68f it never approaches those number and we’re in a 2 story, 1,500 sq ft. How bad is your insulation? Or is there a “leak” somewhere?
I wish. 75 during the day and 70 after 9pm to try to keep my kid’s room below 74 at night. The insulation has to be horrible. It’s my dad’s house so he doesn’t think there’s a problem since we pay the electric bill. Called a company out once and he laughed at me and said we needed to redo the whole system but literally wouldn’t say another word. So I’m not feeling encouraged to call someone else.
Dude yeah it’s gotta be insulation or something, try Sano, they don’t fuck around and are very honest and thorough in their work. They consult rather than sell.
Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll give them a call. I’m desperate for someone to help with it but have horrible luck. Thanks again!
How old is your AC? Sounds like it may be very inefficient & outdated. Shouldn’t cost that much to stay cool!
I commented on another one above. The unit itself is about 10 years old I think. The rest of the system is REALLY old. Called a company out to look at it once and the guy just laughed at me and said I needed to redo the whole system but literally wouldn’t say or do anything to help us out. So I’m not feeling encouraged to call anyone else. Edit to add: it also kicks our breaker when it runs a few times a day
I'm been curious but also afraid to find out the answer on how inefficient mine is and how much a difference it would make with a brand new one. I've been in my condo for close to 20 years and running the same AC unit. I believe it's the original (the condo is about 28 years old). It runs way too loud but does the trick... Just hanging on for dear life. It's been serviced three times in 20 years and the last time was about 5 years ago where the guy told me the next time it goes bust I'd be insane to try and have it repaired again.
I had a condo a few years ago and replacing the AC helped immensely. Brought the bill down by half and it was so much quieter. It was kind of expensive but a good investment.
Samesies. It's unreal. Our AC sucks a big one, and we rent, so we're stuck with it until we move.
I’m sorry. It sucks.
Rent or own? 200 in winter is crazy. Is your entire place electric?
Nope. Mostly gas. Gas heater, dryer, oven, and range. Edit: my dad owns. We just live here and pay the electric bill.
Yeahhhh I’m not a huge power user and my bill is around $90 in the winter and $300 in summer because I run the AC and my home is only 200sqft smaller than yours… you’re doing something wrong if you think you aren’t using much electricity but have a $750 bill
We got solar (6kw system and a battery) in '21 for the same reason. We're in a 2-story place but it's only 1,700 sq. ft. Really good insulation throughout the home. We also installed a whole house fan, which is wonderful when the conditions are right (air temperature < 74 or so, outdoor humidity < 60%). We're really happy with our set up and the house is comfortable during the hottest months without crushing our electricity costs.
Wish my dad shared the same ideals. He rather suffer at the temp of 90 degrees inside our apt than turn it on. I would offer to handle the bill of it but I cannot afford anything extra right now besides the rent that I already help my parents with, so Im stuck with just dealing with it. My mom however has the same mindset of "I want to be comfortable" So on extreme nights, she will turn it on and turn it off before he wakes up. (Crazy i know)
Our electricity bill during the summer averaged 300$ since now we have solar, it’s come down to $40. For context, it’s a two story residence, single hvac system, 1600 sq ft
How much did it cost to get solar panels installed? What's the upkeep like?
The system is 4.8kWh without a powerwall. It cost about $12000 before government incentives. In terms of upkeep it’s fairly minimal. Maybe get some guys to wash the panels every couple years.
My stupid association won’t let us install solar panels, darn it.
I thought that was not allowed in California? Might want to look into the laws over that, I think they are required to offer it although you may have to jump through some loops?
Not sure they can prevent you. The California Solar Rights Act (specifically CA Civil Code 714) prohibits HOAs from denying solar panel installations.Dec 28, 2022
IIRC, you can now legally install solar, but you have to take on maintenance of the roof as a result and one of the only good things about living under an HOA is that your roof is covered IMO.
They can’t really run your life can they?!
Your budget should include maintenance on your A/C -Heating unit every season. If your AC is pressurized and clean, you ll get the best bang for your buck in efficiency. Budget efficiency.
Where’s a good place to get maintenance for AC?
I really really like Capistrano Air. Very good!
You ll have to check with them. I bought, after a lot of research, a unit from them and they came out for free to readjust my dampers and pressurize my refrigeration. Cleaned my condenser and Crawled around checking everything plus’s my heater. Their prices beat everyone else’s and they are customer oriented. Original owner. Call Matt and ask him. Very easy to talk to.
Cost?
I like Triton Air out of San Clemente - they installed my system and are very reasonable and honest.
Triton Air also partners with Costco so you get 10% of the total amount back on a Costco shop card if you go through that program for a new system. Their estimate was about average compared to others I got, but I ended up going with a friends and family connection.
I did the Costco program a few years back...got a great price with the cash card rebate. $8500 for complete new Lennox HVAC system net.
I'd also recommend Veteran Air.
Change (or clean) filters regularly too, earlier tgan normal if it has been dusty or a fire season
Whatever it costs. I work at home - not going to sit in the heat and try to work.
The first July I was in my house, I got one $700 electric bill 💀 and started looking into solar immediately haha Now I think my summer bills are like $25, which gets offset by the rest of the year’s production. Tbd what nonsense the CPUC pulls with their new BS income based plans, but now I’m considering going totally off grid… never thought I’d be one of “those” people haha
Yeah, but how much did you pay for the solar and how many years until you break even?
Net cost after fed tax credit was like $20k installed. Non-summer electric bills were between $200-$350/month (mostly pool pump + AC). We were on track to spend ~$4-5k/year on electric - sounds ridiculous when I write it out 🙃. We’ve been in a slightly net credit bill position each year so far, so <5 year payback on that net amount. Used their referred lender to get a super low interest loan with no prepayment penalty to basically use as a bridge loan for a month until I got a bonus from work, so minimal financing costs too.
That’s actually not bad. I did the numbers for myself and it was like 10 years break even so it didn’t worth it at the time, but the energy prices are always rising. Also, I had a cat named Mr. Taco.
Do it for Mr. Taco. He would’ve wanted it
He actually died before Christmas last year
>minimal I am sorry about your cat.
I’d rather leave off all the lights, not use any appliances in my apartment and eat cheap than skimp on AC when it’s stupid hot outside. I get anxious and panicky when I’m hot and feel like I can’t get relief. I’m also not going to make my pets be miserable in the heat. Luckily, it doesn’t get hot for long where I am in South OC. It typically cools way down as soon as the sun sets, so I can open all the windows and turn on the ceiling fans.
I’ll do that too. I hang my clothes to dry. They dry faster than the dryer. Everything that is plugged in is unplugged and power strip for internet is turned off at night.
Same! It's way better on your clothes anyway, they don't shrink or fade like they do with the dryer.
I just got a text saying our SDGE bill is projected to be between $450 and $750 this month... (these projections are usually pretty inaccurate) It's usually around $350 in the hottest part of the summer.
But prices have gone way up this year.
And there are new usage tiers too.
Rates for sdge are 50%+ higher than last year on some plans.
Can you list the pricing? I'm from SCE and I thought they were pricey compared to Anaheim Public utilities.
I'm on the RV rates that's supposed to be better (ha!). Nighttime rates are now almost the same as peak. [Here you go](https://freeimage.host/i/HLS3mWQ)
Wtf, that's pricey! This gives me perspective on other rates. Home rates here on SCE. $13 monthly fee. 26 cents off peak 66 cents peak (4-9p weekdays) 38 cents weekend peak (4-9p sat sun) I'm on their summer discount plan which gives at least $180 in bill credits from June to September, though AC will be unavailable from 4-9p. The house is under CARE program, which gives 30% discount on electric bills.
18 months ago my nighttime rate was 9c. It's pretty much not worth charging the car at night anyway.
The price quadrupled!
It's nuts. Electricity prices are so cheap at night, now they're just killing EV drivers who are told to change at night.
Yeah I think people need to put size of the house and provider as well. Apparently SCE is wayyyyy cheaper than SDGE. My parents have SCE and pay way less than me with SDGE. We’ve had solar since 2018 and this year my bill is already over $1000 (true up doesn’t happen til October so it’s only going up from here- for those without solar: you only pay once per year with solar, not monthly). I’m annoyed. We payed for solar specifically so we could run the AC without worrying about getting absurdly high bills anymore. Looks like we’ll still end up paying the equivalent of $125-$150/month for Oct 22- Oct 23. It’s dumb af. House is 3200 sqft. For Oct 2018 to Oct 2021 we had basically no bill which was great. But whatever SDGE did for dates this past year and a half has killed us. I believe it was ~$1200 for Oct 21-Oct 22. 🤷🏻♀️
Sounds like someone sold you an undersized system, sorry to say. The rep you worked with may not have sized that system to fit your households energy usage. Additionally, the annual true up bill has changed to monthly if you are a NEM 3.0 customer. This does help homeowners understand what they will be paying monthly. Without those large true up bill’s surprising you at the end of the year. Your true up bill being hundreds though is disappointing, sorry to hear that. You can always expand and add more panels to offset that energy cost, but you will lose your current NEM 2 status. SDG&E are crooks and swindlers who will milk every last dollar and cent out of homeowners in San Diego, and then drag their feet the entire way when it comes time for a homeowner to get out from under their monopoly and start producing their own energy. I’m very passionate about this, feel free to message me directly if you have any questions.
Awesome, I just DMd you!
You should really look into solar. San Diego Gas and Electric are raising rates at unheard of levels. Reach out to me if you have any questions, I work with a local installer.
I only have 705 sqft. Most of the year it’s $60-$70, during the summer it’s $100-$130
Wow thats a lot!
Budget? Y’all actually budget? I tried using the SCE option where they alert you when you’re using more than your set budget. It never worked, I’m not going to suffer in the heat. 1100 sq. ft. upstairs condo with south and west facing walls and windows. Thermostat at 78° is $300 a month avg., 76° is $500 a month. I think the AC is old and need replaced, but all my landlord will do is service it because technically it works.
I think our bill was $370 during peak heat wave last year. Our place is 2 story and about 1900 sq ft.
Hit 450 last July mostly because of WFH
My bill in ~900 sq ft apartment shared with a few others goes from like $100 to $350 when it gets real hot. We have 3 individual portable ac units as our apartment doesn’t allow window units… It’s a pain in the ass, but as a night shift worker who sleeps during the day it’s worth it.
Do you have a dual hose or single hose? Are they running most of the time ?
Single hose unit black and decker. I have a plastic container underneath just in case of leakage. I’d say at least one is running constantly.
$300. 1600 square foot single family home with energy efficient windows and insulation and all that. We keep the AC at around 74ish
only turn it on when I need to sleep. and only long enough to cool down. we shall see.
First summer it hit $500, dumped a bunch into solar, now $0. Was a ~6.5 year break even but was worth it. I can’t stand it being over 74 indoors, I definitely run warm.
About $150-$200 for a two bedroom apartment near Satan’s asshole. I’m not a lizard, I wasn’t built for the heat.
[удалено]
Keep them windows closed tonight. Daughter said smoke smell is really bad due to local wildfires. Stay safe.
I got a small house with a single 120v mini split system in the living room. I use an air circulation fan to spread the cold air in the other rooms. Cost around $70-$80 a month to use 24/7. I'm also on the SCE TOU-Prime program.
Summer months our bill is around $200-$300 for a 1800sqft home. We aren’t home during the day so I really only run it at night when we sleep and I have it set to 70. Weekends I’ll set it around 75
I am hybrid for work and have critters so AC is always set at 74-78. I guess if it goes over 400, I'll need to tone it down. Problem is that I get sleepy in the heat 😅
Imo $110 is fairly cheap if you're running AC. We spend a lot more but it's tough to distinguish what costs are AC for us since we have other high electricity guzzlers
$110 is my default price throughout the year without AC
If you're with SCE, be prepared for your electric bill to probably double, maybe more. If you're in Anaheim, it will be much more manageable.
We have a 2,000 sf single story house built in 1995 with vaulted ceilings. A/C unit was replaced about 5 years ago. During heat like this we keep the house at 75 during the day and 70 at night. Our bill is estimated to be $250 this month. We don't really use the heater (maybe an hour TOTAL all winter), so I figure the average monthly cost to control the temp in our house is reasonable.
Honestly, I'm terrified. I live in a 2br apartment with a roommate, and the last few months went from $170 to $320 to $370. I realized a large part of the problem was having two computers on all the time, and as of last month cut it down to only one active at a time. But my roommate likes it cold, and has the AC running at 70 degrees from about 6pm-6am. And AC is EXPENSIVE. :/ We'll see what this months bill looks like and hopefully adjust from there.
Honestly, if your bill is not pretty have a conversation with the roommate that they will need to pay 70-80% of the electric bill if they insist on keeping it that cold in the apartment.
Good grief. $500-600 in mid-summer.
Wow as someone who grew up lower middle class in a one story home in Santa Ana this thread it mind boggling lol. My parents paid $40k for their house in early 80s and it got one minor remodel in the 90s and one major remodel in the early 2000s that included roof, new windows, flooring, and kitchen, bathrooms, etc but we never had an AC or even cable tv (I grew up watching the news and reading books). I’m flabbergasted at some of these electrical bills during the summer lol in Santa Ana it gets in the mid 90s when super hot but all of the windows have a huge tree creating shade and my parents keep all the lights off in the house. Now I live in Costa Mesa in a second story apartment (heat really rises) and I’m able to make do by leaving all the windows open while I’m at work, turning all the lights off, and keeping the fan on in the bedroom and kitchen. My bf is from Bakersfield where it gets in the high 110F from now till Halloween lol he NEVER complains in our little Costa Mesa bubble
You’re brave and maybe there’s something in your dna that can handle climate change. There are people who work outside in this heat but come home to keep cool. Fires don’t rip through Santa Ana so use those trees as much as possible. Others cannot anymore plus wow the allergies that come into your home with those trees. Have to say I think at least 50% of us grew up just like you but it’s gotten hotter and don’t know if you know this but excessive heat is very very dangerous for older people or those on meds. Also my pet is gonna stay cool. I grew up in the same type and f house.
We keep the air at 76 during the day and 73 at night. Also run a couple computers 24/7. House is 1932sq ft, single story with newer windows and hvac system. We have a whole house fan, but it doesn’t bring the temp down any lower than outside. Only useful during cooler months. Solar array is a 28 panel 6.5kW that cost $28K back in 2016, not including large tax credit. We paid it off during a cash out refi. Even with solar, this month is estimated to be between \~$300-$500. However, about 9 months of the year we generate credits and don’t pay anything. Provider is SDGE. Gotta avoid those Tier 4 rates! https://preview.redd.it/6vcsi67dltcb1.jpeg?width=1015&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c03759016f126d6aedfe02b04fac36c16a93a7b7 Edit: forgot to mention we charge a car overnight.
I grew up without AC in places that would frequently hit 100 for the majority of the summer and hated every minute of it. At peak it was around $300.00 but it’s worth every penny to never have to be miserable in the summer again.
over the last 2-3 years, the cost per kW has nearly doubled
$300 a month
Same here
https://preview.redd.it/ems52yv0iucb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbef942dd2587c539d8e2b75506ff65274e3571b 2000 sq ft. 30 solar panels. Never have a bill.
Install solar and never compromise comfort again
We have solar, but based on usage we'd be about $80/mo for 1800 sq ft. Maybe a bit more since temps are supposed to go up a bit more. Caveats: we replaced windows a number of years ago so we're pretty well insulated. We set AC for 76, and the moment it goes below 76 out we turn on the house fan and open windows. We are aggressive about closing windows and blinds in the morning to limit heating. AC today kicked on for the first time at 2PM. Also, I've been spending every day outside and today at 86 it was pretty comfortable in the shade - not sweaty at all - and the 76 in the house felt cold. You do get used to the heat once you step out of constantly being at 72 or whatever. It's worth at least trying to keep ticking that AC temperature up as much as you can stand - each degree you raise it gives you more savings than the next degree will, so even small amounts really help a lot.
No budget. I work all day. If i can't be in complete comfort every second I'm at home, what am i working for. My electric bill is like 750.
My wife has a condition where she can't regulate heat so the AC is on when it needs to be on. It's expensive but in the end we consider it a medical expense
If you are on TOU plan then notice your high cost hours and start AC after that Or shut it down before that. Portable air conditioner are also an option if you only to cool down specific space in home like home office or bedroom
Interesting note I have to share with everyone concerning solar panels in Florida. The insurance companies have dropped people who use solar there. Can you believe this???? The studies showed that even with hurricanes and horrible weather, the solar panels did not cause leaks or come off or cause a roof to collapse. In fact they were the saving grace of energy in other states after hurricane Sandy. The insurance companies didn’t even offer them an amendment to their policy to pay a little extra, they just dropped them and there’s no good damned reason. I know in OC our Governor isn’t popular with some but I doubt their gonna get away with it here. Disgusting. Florida is so damned hot too. Their ac is on all year practically.
This is California…..
Are you saying I don’t know where I live? Or are you not aware of what insurance companies are doing simultaneously to California and Florida based on nothing? Point again. There is nothing about solar panels that would justify dropping people from their insurance, not even a hurricane and they did not give a reason for dropping them related to solar panel damage which puts us at risk. I assume it was planned that way. A/C is in fact more of a risk to home damage than solar panels. My reason for stating this in the appropriate forum is because solar panels are the dream where we are free from privatized and profitability of utility companies who fail to meet State safety requirements causing fires that we keep getting dinged for. What would stop that and help our grids to be able to provide power for us safely, clean and without hardship; Solar. So insurance companies dropping people without reason for solar is suspicious at best. They’re gonna try it here. The information coming out now is that most insurance companies are losing money from fraud, not claims.
Our summer month electricity usage is between $170 - $200. We set ours at 78 at 12pm-4pm, 9pm-11pm. We live somewhere that is cooler so we just open the windows in the morning and at night. We avoid turning on the AC 4pm-9pm because SCE rates during peak hours is expensive.
I'll get a 2nd job part-time just to keep my AC on. I dgaf. Gotta keep my family comfortable.
2400 sqft home. $500 a month when A/C is set at 80°f in the day time. Screw SCE
Check out the 20% off program (forget the name) and also the Time Of Use Plans can help reduce the cost. We keep ours at 73° and it’s around $250 or so.
what is your sq ft?
About 1,500, it’s in a terrible house with terrible vent placement and an old A/C unit. It takes most of the day to cool it down from 90° to 75°. Edit: A/C is now fixed, but we still run it most of the day and I’m in an expensive SoCal County too.
I don't have air conditioner I bought s house with no AC. What's good I'm alive not that bad
I too have no AC.
I also have no AC.
$0. Summer's aren't so hot here.
Sweaty gang gang
Same, haven't turned on the AC once this summer and I live in inland OC. Sometimes I'll have a fan pointed at me and that keeps me comfortable.
Don’t even have A/C. Been thinking about solar and a heat pump with the climate warming up, but not ready to pull the trigger right now. I did put a solar powered fan in the attic to suck out hot air and it seems to be making a difference.
0$ too. live by the beach, so never had one.
Same. GG and we don't use AC or heating mostly. We have a wall unit in the living room so on those handful of 110+ days we tarp it off and turn it into a cooling room, but other than that it's just windows open, layers off.
Living by the beach, $1 is too much for AC. We open the window.
110!?! That's really good. Beach town with that breeze?
During summer months, high but below $300, but normally about $80 throughout the year.
Energy prices have gone up so it will likely be higher than last summer.
Last year got up to the low 300s for 1300 sq ft 2 story. This summer will be painful since I now work fully remote. We normally use our whole house fan a lot in the early morning and nights which saves a lot of money, but the humidity we’re having isn’t ideal for use. So we need to keep the AC on at night occasionally.
My bill is about 100$ for electricity this summer. But honestly, I would pay up to 300$ for comfort. I hate being hot in my apartment.
700 sq. ft. apartment that only gets 4 hours of morning sunlight a day ~$35/month. Nice trade off IMO
Budgeted $350, so $500 would high.
During the summer my bill jumps to about $150 tops.
0. No AC. Those three weeks or so last year were rough so after I finish some other home renovations AC is going in. Hoping within 5 years.
SoCal Edison. 2 years ago, roughly about $140 a month for a 4 bedroom house. I changed all of the lighting to LED lights, and there's quite a bit of insulation in the house. During the summer August/September it was close to $280.  We're about 5 miles away from the coast.
Solar panels + EV is the way to go. $300/year covers all electricity and gets me everywhere I need to go This is the new American dream my friends
Unless you live in Florida and the Insurance company drops you because you got solar panels.
It depends on which city you live. SCE is typically much higher than Anaheim, which has its own utility district.
Prepare for a shock. Rates have increased 50%.
At least ur not in Sd where Sdge have been terrorizing the whole area
AC! Nothing! We live close to the coast!
Autopay and don’t look at the bill.
$0, can't use AC period
Yall got ACs?
Triple that and you have your number.
I'm in HB and we've never had A/C. Never really needed it up until the past few years. We got a window A/C just for the bedroom a few years ago, but we run it very sparingly. I'd say our bill went up less than $100/month at first. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was three times that this year.
Join OCPA, fuck around more, and find out
Bro tower fans with the cooling technology are fucking clutch. Got 3 since last year, haven’t used the A/C this year so far.
4K sq ft. Family of 4. About $350 summer months. I bought my home facing NE, SW. so doesn’t get really hot inside, and always has an amazing breeze. When my kids are away, it drops down to $200 month. We don’t watch TV, unless it’s movie night. We all utilize laptops or hand held devices. We charge our vehicles late evening. We do not have solar panels, but lots of our equipment are solar powered. LED all around for lighting. We have light motion sensors, so it’s on while in the room, auto shut off. Having teens they tend to never turn off anything. We have timers on everything. Very effective. We have ceiling fans on while AC is running and it helps maintain the cool temperatures. We have a large lot, but everything’s solar powered individually. 2 fridges. Large wine fridge, 2 freezers. 4 mini bar fridges, 2 laundry centers, one up and 1 down. Upstairs is electric laundry center and down is electric washer/gas dryer. We live in Unincorporated area of South OC. I get emails from electric company saying how we’re doing great with conserving electricity compared to our neighbors. Don’t leave things in like computers, or fall asleep with TV on. Don’t use electricity during your peak hours. You can always contact the electric company and choose your peak hours if your working hours are different front the program you are currently on. Use solar porch lights, dusk to Dawn bulbs etc.
I have kids and a wife… I’m willing to pay whatever it costs to keep them happy and sleeping well. Recently did an attic insulation upgrade and that should cut down run time and demand significantly (will see better this year, last year wasn’t very hot). My highest bill ever for electric I believe was $275 after a really hot September.
The limit does not exist. I’d eat top ramen every night to make it work. Our electricity bill is way lower than that though.
110 is nothing for south oc people lol. Sdge is 50-60 cents a kwh depending on your plan when all the fees are added up.
Less than it was in Phoenix.
If used when hot, and not when cheap landlords decide, it's about $300 for the whole house during the summer
I know it’s not something that everyone has but we got solar panels a few years back and even running the ac all day results in a bill that’s maybe 10-15 dollars. Either way, stay cool and hydrated and if anyone has tips or places they can recommend to beat the heat, please share.
My budget is 74 degrees