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Things you just don't get

Piobaire

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I really enjoy blasting my AC with the sunroof open.
 

why

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Energy isn't just a subsidized dollar amount at the bottom of a letter. Sounds psychotic to most Americans when I say things like this, but to me I don't see the point in wasting energy and money by doing stupid stuff like eating a lot of food, sitting indoors, and then exercising (often inside on electrical equipment in air conditioning) to compensate -- and it's not like this isn't the norm.
 

otc

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It's totally different in NYC.


Alright, I adjusted my math to some NYC rates and it brought the 24/7 cooling price to $80. Maybe I would need a bigger AC if I were on the sunny side of a high rise (but that might also be better insulated than my 100 year old building)...but be careful about going too big or they won't dehumidify well. Also, I suppose if I lived in NYC, my apartment would be smaller, so that might counteract the size on the AC.

Max output for mid 70's temps should really be something like less than 50% of the time...the HVAC guys seem to aim for an AC that has to run for 20 minutes (but I can't tell how long they intend it to take between cycles). So even then you are looking at up to $40 for a month where you literally have to run the AC for the entire month (no cool days, no nights where you can open the window instead, etc.). $40 is in the range where it would matter to the budgets of some people...but again, that is only for a month where you literally don't turn the unit off.
 

why

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I think every other why post deals with hating on Americans.


And the ones in between are usually I stating why that is so.

If this were a forum that had a majority of people of the opposite mindset, what do you think posts contrary to the norm would be?

Anyway, relevant to the AC thing, don't you find that absurd? I think I've seen it that way since I was a teenager.
 
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patrickBOOTH

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Alright, I adjusted my math to some NYC rates and it brought the 24/7 cooling price to $80. Maybe I would need a bigger AC if I were on the sunny side of a high rise (but that might also be better insulated than my 100 year old building)...but be careful about going too big or they won't dehumidify well. Also, I suppose if I lived in NYC, my apartment would be smaller, so that might counteract the size on the AC.

Max output for mid 70's temps should really be something like less than 50% of the time...the HVAC guys seem to aim for an AC that has to run for 20 minutes (but I can't tell how long they intend it to take between cycles). So even then you are looking at up to $40 for a month where you literally have to run the AC for the entire month (no cool days, no nights where you can open the window instead, etc.). $40 is in the range where it would matter to the budgets of some people...but again, that is only for a month where you literally don't turn the unit off.


Incorrect, you're using an average for the year, it is scaled differently in July-August. You will pay a lot more than that. It is somewhere around $30 per month, just to be a customer. You might also only be looking at supply cost, not T&D.

And the ones in between are usually I stating why that is so.

If this were a forum that had a majority of people of the opposite mindset, what do you think posts contrary to the norm would be?

Anyway, relevant to the AC thing, don't you find that absurd? I think I've seen it that way since I was a teenager.


Your reasons are based on blanket generalizations about people. If you don't like the generalization you attribute it to Americans.
 
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Harold falcon

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Energy isn't just a subsidized dollar amount at the bottom of a letter. Sounds psychotic to most Americans when I say things like this, but to me I don't see the point in wasting energy and money by doing stupid stuff like eating a lot of food, sitting indoors, and then exercising (often inside on electrical equipment in air conditioning) to compensate -- and it's not like this isn't the norm.


This is terrible even by your standards.
 

why

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Your reasons are based on blanket generalizations about people. If you don't like the generalization you attribute it to Americans.


You couldn't be any more incorrect, especially in this case.
 

Piobaire

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Incorrect, you're using an average for the year, it is scaled differently in July-August. You will pay a lot more than that. It is somewhere around $30 per month, just to be a customer. You might also only be looking at supply cost, not T&D.
Your reasons are based on blanket generalizations about people. If you don't like the generalization you attribute it to Americans.


And the opposite. If he likes the generalization it must categorically exclude Americans with high probability it will apply to Europeans.
 

brokencycle

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I really enjoy blasting my AC with the sunroof open.


May or may not be an accurate depiction:
1327567
 

otc

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Incorrect, you're using an average for the year, it is scaled differently in July-August. You will pay a lot more than that. It is somewhere around $30 per month, just to be a customer. You might also only be looking at supply cost, not T&D.
Your reasons are based on blanket generalizations about people. If you don't like the generalization you attribute it to Americans.


I don't really care about the $30 a month to be a customer--that's a fixed cost that doesn't change if you use AC or not.

I pulled what I thought was an All-in number of 20c per kwh for zip code 10011. Prices vary depending on which supply provider you choose (post-deregulation), but even raising the marginal rate to 25c only brings you to $50 or less for a month of 24/7 AC use to mid 70's temps.

If you have electric heat, that is still a fraction of the heating costs (even if the rates swing down). I can't plug my wattage meter into my heaters, but I figure they each use at least double what my AC unit uses, and I have 4x as many heaters...and I think they spend more time running than the AC.
If you have building-wide steam heat included in your rent...this doesn't really matter. But a lot of cheapo places move to electric heaters since the landlord can pass off the price on the tenant (while billing "control your own temps" as a benefit) and they generally have almost zero ongoing maintenance expense (in the 4.5 years in my current place, the heaters haven't ever complained...in my former similar age building with steam radiators, there were was boiler or radiator maintenance multiple times each winter). Since this discussion was mostly about people being too poor or cheap to afford AC...I find it likely they would be living in buildings with cheapass landlords.
 

razl

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Here in FL in August, I pay about an extra $80-$100 to keep the same AC level (about ~74, though my system schedule scales back a bit during the day). And it's worth every, single, freakin', penny.

Speaking of which, I've recently been getting quarterly letters from OUC, my utility company, that shows me my "efficiency rating" in comparison to my neighbors. Their "efficiency" rating appears to be a misnomer though since all it really shows is how much my total bill is compared to my neighbors irregardless of square footage or anything else. So, my $150 bill versus someone else's $100 bill means I'm "50% less efficient". Of course it's all graphed out in pretty greens and blues, but I'm generally shown in orange or red. That's because mine is a 110 year old house and about 30-40% more square footage than the rest of my near-neighbors (who are mostly in historic houses of smaller, bungalow type sizes). Yep, I've got the bigger house, so I'm less efficient, less "green", and more - I guess - the wasteful, earth killing, polluting bad guy.

An interesting tidbit though, since we prefer it cool we almost never run the heater during the Florida (cough) "winter" (cough) whereas our neighbors are bumping the heat constantly. We're considered "Highly Efficient!" (in bright, friendly green!) in those months.

The Energy Nazis cometh...
 
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Gibonius

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My water bill always say that I'm using way more water than average, despite only having two people in the house and never watering my lawn. I'm not sure who these "average" people are, but they must not bathe much.
 

Gibonius

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And the opposite. If he likes the generalization it must categorically exclude Americans with high probability it will apply to Europeans.



We just need to combine Fang and why for some sort of titan of arbitrary American hatred.
 

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