I lament how much easier it is to warm an apartment than to cool it

[tzhu07]

I live in a studio condo that has no central AC, but does have an electric base heater. But even without the built-in heater, I could just go on Amazon and get a quality space heater for sub $100 to heat up my ~500sqft studio.

But to cool it down during the summer, all my options are mediocre at best.

First off, just pulling down all the shades makes everything dark and depressing. Running fans does very little and is noisy. Running a portable AC unit is very loud (can't ever sleep with it on), inefficient, and never quite does a good enough job. Window units are banned.

Bottom line: Don't ever live in a place without AC, even in temperate climate zones.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I live in a studio condo that has no central AC, but does have an electric base heater. But even without the built-in heater, I could just go on Amazon and get a quality space heater for sub $100 to heat up my ~500sqft studio.

But to cool it down during the summer, all my options are mediocre at best.

First off, just pulling down all the shades makes everything dark and depressing. Running fans does very little and is noisy. Running a portable AC unit is very loud (can't ever sleep with it on), inefficient, and never quite does a good enough job. Window units are banned.

Bottom line: Don't ever live in a place without AC, even in temperate climate zones.

Most of the world has no AC. Basically we just have to put up with it. As for when it’s cold, we tend to just wear more clothes and keep the heating as low as we can.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

Yeah, Our central ac blower motor died in the middle of our heat wave on the weekend. Part has to be ordered. So I'm still without Central air. I bought some portable AC to tie us over. I hate summer. I hate it, hate it, hate it.

 

[velocityg4]

Yeah, Our central ac blower motor died in the middle of our heat wave on the weekend. Part has to be ordered. So I'm still without Central air. I bought some portable AC to tie us over. I hate summer. I hate it, hate it, hate it.

If you have a Grainger warehouse in the area. You can usually find a compatible blower motor. You just have to know the specs.

 

[icanhazmac]

If you have a Grainger warehouse in the area. You can usually find a compatible blower motor. You just have to know the specs.

THIS! Have done it a couple of times for myself/fiends/family.

 

[Nermal]

Most of the world has no AC. Basically we just have to put up with it. As for when it’s cold, we tend to just wear more clothes and keep the heating as low as we can.

I got a heat pump a few months ago and I wonder how I ever did without it! It's a pity my power bill's gone up by $20 or so though (it's winter here so I'm heating; hopefully it'll be cheaper in the summer).

 

[snash22]

I got a heat pump a few months ago and I wonder how I ever did without it! It's a pity my power bill's gone up by $20 or so though (it's winter here so I'm heating; hopefully it'll be cheaper in the summer).

You got a heat pump and your electric bill went UP? That’s not right. Make sure you are not using emergency/auxilliary heating.

 

[Nermal]

You got a heat pump and your electric bill went UP? That’s not right. Make sure you are not using emergency/auxilliary heating.

I think you may have made an assumption that I've replaced e.g. an electric heater (I actually replaced a fireplace, which had ended up right in the way after removing a wall).

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

If it cools down at night, a window fan can really help, especially before you go to bed.

 

[snash22]

I think you may have made an assumption that I've replaced e.g. an electric heater (I actually replaced a fireplace, which had ended up right in the way after removing a wall).

It was a fair assumption. Enjoy the heat pump.

 

[Gregg2]

There are lots of portable air conditioning devices available that do not have to be mounted in an exterior wall or window. I'm not sure how quiet they are, or how much attention they demand, or how much they cost to buy and operate. I just know that they exist.

 

[Nhwhazup]

Yeah, Our central ac blower motor died in the middle of our heat wave on the weekend. Part has to be ordered. So I'm still without Central air. I bought some portable AC to tie us over. I hate summer. I hate it, hate it, hate it.

I’m the same. I like to walk everyday and spend time outside. Hate when it’s in the 90’s and humid. We live in NH so no crazy 100 plus temps but still like the other 3 seasons better. Would rather put on my Icebugs and walk in the winter.

 

[compwiz1202]

There are lots of portable air conditioning devices available that do not have to be mounted in an exterior wall or window. I'm not sure how quiet they are, or how much attention they demand, or how much they cost to buy and operate. I just know that they exist.

They are insanely expensive to buy vs wall ones, but I don't know what the difference in efficiency is. And i think you have to keep dumping the water.

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

Portable AC units are also very loud because the entire unit must be kept inside, as opposed to a window unit, where the loudest part (compressor and exhaust fan) are sticking outside the house. They can still be noisy, but not as noisy as a portable unit.

 

[antibolo]

I mean it's basic thermodynamics. Heat is literally just waste energy so all you need is a device that consumes energy to do absolutely nothing, but when you want to substract heat, it has to be moved somewhere else.

Also, this is a very privileged take. AC is a luxury that the majority of the world does not have. You'll live.

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah, Our central ac blower motor died in the middle of our heat wave on the weekend. Part has to be ordered. So I'm still without Central air. I bought some portable AC to tie us over. I hate summer. I hate it, hate it, hate it.

Our central A/C died in July 2020. The A/C repair companies want $6000-8000 for a new unit. The first summer was miserable, the hottest summer on record for Phoenix, AZ (until this year). 2021 was better and by 2022 I had it dialed in with window units and portable A/C.

2023 changed the dynamic and it's freaking nuts.

 

[eyoungren]

If it cools down at night, a window fan can really help, especially before you go to bed.

I live in Phoenix AZ. As of today we are on our 25th day straight of 110º plus heat. We have already shattered our overnight low record last week of 97º (that's how far down it cooled off).

 

[eyoungren]

They are insanely expensive to buy vs wall ones, but I don't know what the difference in efficiency is. And i think you have to keep dumping the water.

Portable A/C units you do have to let water out. Fortunately, I live in Phoenix so humidity is low. We also have one unit that because of how much it costs takes care of that automatically. The low humidity means I can empty the one unit that requires emptying at the end of summer.

Window units you don't have to worry about.

 

[eyoungren]

So, for our 1600sq foot two story home with broken central A/C…

In the front room/kitchen we have two portable A/C units. Both running together, on days higher than 110º, manage to keep things at 80º to 84º by the hottest part of the day. Under 110º, we manage 72º to 80º. The hallways and bathrooms are not cooled. I have to use portable A/C in these two rooms because the windows (where the exhaust for the A/C units go) are visible from the street. At the time I got these units we had an overactive HOA manager who liked to issue warnings.

Upstairs, is the master bedroom and the kids bedrooms. My daughter has a portable A/C unit because her room has a window visible from the street. HOA again. But my son's room and the master both have wall mounted units. Everyone is comfortable, but the hallway in between can hit over 100º. We bought these door sleeve things that slide under our bedroom doors and seal the rooms and that helps immensely. Also, these rooms are appropriate to the A/C so none of these units are struggling.

My projected electric bill for the month of August is $525 so far.

 

[RokinAmerica]

Move to northern Wisconsin or Minnesota along Lake Superior and you will lament how much easier it is to cool an apartment than worm one.

 

[Aston441]

Move to northern Wisconsin or Minnesota along Lake Superior and you will lament how much easier it is to cool an apartment than worm one.

Especially after mice eat the heat pump, and it takes two weeks to get a new circuit board.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I live in a studio condo that has no central AC, but does have an electric base heater. But even without the built-in heater, I could just go on Amazon and get a quality space heater for sub $100 to heat up my ~500sqft studio.

There is a fundamental difference here. Making heat with an electric baseboard heater or a cheapo space heater is exceptionally easy. It's basically just electricity through a resistor. For every 1W of electricity you make 1W of heat. It's a very simple and easy design, and thus very cheap to buy. But it's inefficient relative to other options and thus very expensive to operate.

The refrigeration cycle is how ac and heat pumps work. They move and concentrate heat from one place to another. In the winter, they move heat from the outside (outside is big, so even if its cold out there is a lot of heat to have) into the inside (inside is small, a small amount of heat goes a long way). In the summer, they move heat from the inside (inside is small, small amount of heat removed goes a long way) to the outside (outside is big, so even if its already hot out there is always room for a bit more heat). In good conditions, you move 4W of heat into a room by using only 1W of electricity. So it's WAY more efficient than electric heat, but it's more complex. You need compressors, condensers, heat exchangers, and some pretty hazardous chemicals. So it costs way more to buy and install and a/c or heat pump, but it is relatively inexpensive to operate