Centralized AC in Calgary

[taemo]

just wanted to hear everyone's opinion on getting a centralized AC unit in Calgary?
Is it a yes or no?

Our friends are recommending it but TBH I don't really see any value on it as it will probably be used for only 1-2 months max.

Plus the electricity bill will most likely increase during its usage but how much more?

['93 SR-V]

I always thought I didn’t need one in Calgary, my wife disagreed, and consequently we now have AC! But now that we have it I’m hooked. You’re probably bang on saying you’ll only use it a couple months out of the year but for those couple months it’s great to have… everybody else is sweating their asses off trying to sleep at night when it’s been 30 degrees out for three days and you’re comfortable. The amount of electricity used will depend on the house, efficiency of the unit and just how cool you want your house obviously.

We have an 1800 square foot house with a 2.5 ton 14.5 SEER unit and probably pay about $40 a month extra in power over the summer months. Energy efficiency ranges from 13-21ish SEER I believe, the units get a lot more expensive as they get more efficient and for the amount of time you run one up here the added cost isn’t likely to pay itself off in power savings over the life of the unit so keep that in mind. I would have purchased a 13 SEER unit myself if it wasn’t for the fact that the 14.5 SEER was quitter as well as a little more efficient.

[ExtraSlow]

Some hoses stay warmer than others. I live in a "semi-detached' AKA duplex, so I have a lot fewer windows than some, consequently, my house cools off very slowly.
I love the AC I have here. Depending on how you set it, you may find you are using it a lot more than two months of the year. Ours runs from may till September, obviously it runs more in August, but having it on for an hour in the evening can be a big factor in how comfortable we are.

For me, in this house, it's a "must have".

[revelations]

We get away with a bedroom only unit - we dont need the entire house chilled. Sleeping is when the heat is an issue.

[rage2]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Some hoses stay warmer than others. I live in a "semi-detached' AKA duplex, so I have a lot fewer windows than some, consequently, my house cools off very slowly.
I love the AC I have here. Depending on how you set it, you may find you are using it a lot more than two months of the year. Ours runs from may till September, obviously it runs more in August, but having it on for an hour in the evening can be a big factor in how comfortable we are.

For me, in this house, it's a "must have".
Agreed on the must have. Having more windows is way worse. I have something like 15 windows in the living room and it's a massive greenhouse. I had to size up an A/C unit twice the size recommended for the sq footage because of that room.

[turbotrip]

We've had central A/C for a while now and typically only NEED to use it about 10 times a year. However I feel it is necessary for those few days, and would never go back to not having it again.

[revelations]

Originally posted by rage2

Agreed on the must have. Having more windows is way worse. I have something like 15 windows in the living room and it's a massive greenhouse. I had to size up an A/C unit twice the size recommended for the sq footage because of that room.

Tint that shit. I did it for my condo and its a HUGE diff ... got the removable vinyl tint as well.

[redline]

Would not have a house without it... I love it.

[superflychief]

We've had it installed in 2 houses now. I love it and we actually use it for a lot more then 2 mths. We have the house set to 21.5 all winter. When April rolls around and it climbs to 22 in the house, we fire up the AC. We actually used it about a week or so ago when it was fairly warm outside. So we use it on and off some 6-7mths of the year.

[Kloubek]

It is certainly convenient, but you pay a lot for that convenience.

In our house, we have a small window-mounted A/C in the bedroom for those really hot nights. We used it perhaps 8-10 times this year; probably less, and we were reasonably comfortable throughout the summer. Based on that, I couldn't possibly justify the expense of installing central air.

So I guess it comes down to this:
1) Are you loaded?
2) Are you a pussy and have to have the temperature exactly right all the time?

If yes to either 1 or 2, then get it. Otherwise, weigh the expense.

[benyl]

1) Not loaded
2) Not a pussy.

We have 14 BFW (Big fucking windows) that all face south west.

Before AC, our house was 37C upstairs with the windows open and the fans going when only 30C outside. Yes, that is with the shade drawn all day.

The Solar load on our house requires us to have AC or we would die from heat exhaustion. haha

[taemo]

thanks everyone from the comments.
Our living room and kitchen room will also be facing south with lots of windows as well so I'm a little concerned that it might get a little hot.
our bedroom is also facing south with only 2 windows.

at this point we are just thinking of installing a small AC unit in the bedroom during summer, that or I told her that we will sleep in the basement if it's too hot :rofl:

[cet]

Originally posted by benyl
1) Not loaded
2) Not a pussy.

We have 14 BFW (Big fucking windows) that all face south west.

Before AC, our house was 37C upstairs with the windows open and the fans going when only 30C outside. Yes, that is with the shade drawn all day.

The Solar load on our house requires us to have AC or we would die from heat exhaustion. haha

Our house is similar, but with less windows. We have 8 windows that face south. There were a few times last summer where my daughter's room reached 38C and only cooled to 35C by morning. This is also with keeping the shades drawin in the day and opening the windows to try and cool everything once the sun is off the back of the house.

We are going to put in AC before next summer.

[G]

Originally posted by Kloubek
It is certainly convenient, but you pay a lot for that convenience.

In our house, we have a small window-mounted A/C in the bedroom for those really hot nights. We used it perhaps 8-10 times this year; probably less, and we were reasonably comfortable throughout the summer. Based on that, I couldn't possibly justify the expense of installing central air.

So I guess it comes down to this:
1) Are you loaded?
2) Are you a pussy and have to have the temperature exactly right all the time?

If yes to either 1 or 2, then get it. Otherwise, weigh the expense.

1) Not Loaded
2) I'm a pussy for my kids

Never use to be able to justify until this past summer. Son's bedroom gets pretty toasty and he does not sleep well in the heat, his pillow was soaked in sweat. But the what really made me pull the trigger was having a 9 month pregnant wife in July and the subsequent new born. $4k isn't a lot of money for the level of comfortness you get in return for x amount of years.

[Kloubek]

^ And honestly, I hadn't considered extenuating circumstances like kids or a pregnant wife. (You think that having a newborn, kids would be foremost in my mind right now)

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Kloubek
^ And honestly, I hadn't considered extenuating circumstances like kids or a pregnant wife. (You think that having a newborn, kids would be foremost in my mind right now)

Or pets. My sis got AC for her pup because they have to lock him up in bonus room to avoid triggering the alarms.

I could care less. I can always hide in the basement when it gets too hot. Although some guy quote me a 5ton unit for $3K which had me thinking if I didn't already blew $25K on the roof this summer.

[G]

Originally posted by Kloubek
^ And honestly, I hadn't considered extenuating circumstances like kids or a pregnant wife. (You think that having a newborn, kids would be foremost in my mind right now)

No worries..over time you will get brainwashed to think about your kids and wife before yourself...hahahhaa :banghead:

[ZenOps]

This year never really got above 30C.

If you just use LED lights for your refrigerator (so that it does not consume excessive amounts of energy to recool) and have a furnace and/or hot water tank that does not have a 24/7 pilot light...

Then I think AC is pretty much not needed. Just keep your windows closed from 10am to 7pm on the hottest days, and then run a bathroom fan for an extra hour in the morning and night for the two weeks that actually might warrant it.

[benyl]

Originally posted by G


No worries..over time you will get brainwashed to think about your kids and wife before yourself...hahahhaa :banghead:

Yes and buy a large house you might not need with windows that face south west so you can buy AC. don't forget you have to landscape it.

and when you look at said landscaping, all you see is the CBS you could have bought with what you spent. HAHAHAHHAHA FML.

[CapnCrunch]

It really depends on the house. My old one was a wall of windows facing south and I absolutely needed one.

My new one is a bungalow and I used a fan maybe 2 nights last year.

[max_boost]

A lot of things you don't need but it's nice to have.

I love my central a/c. If you can afford it, do it, kind of like :winter: You may only need it for a couple months of the year but why the heck not.

[Maxx Mazda]

Originally posted by benyl
We have 14 BFW (Big fucking windows) that all face south west.


Is that the "technical term"??

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by ZenOps
This year never really got above 30C.

If you just use LED lights for your refrigerator (so that it does not consume excessive amounts of energy to recool) and have a furnace and/or hot water tank that does not have a 24/7 pilot light...

Then I think AC is pretty much not needed. Just keep your windows closed from 10am to 7pm on the hottest days, and then run a bathroom fan for an extra hour in the morning and night for the two weeks that actually might warrant it.

:nut: LED lights in your refrigerator, I hope you meant. The light is off when the door is closed and opening the door is what wastes energy, not the light inside. Also a standing pilot has absolutely zero effect on heat load in a house unless the flue pipe is rotted off. I do agree it never got really hot this summer, but I have a sensor hanging in my attic rafters and it reaches 50*C regularly during the summer. A power venter in the attic is actually a very good alternative to A/C and would use a fraction of the power.

[ZenOps]

Originally posted by Darell_n


:nut: LED lights in your refrigerator, I hope you meant. The light is off when the door is closed and opening the door is what wastes energy, not the light inside. Also a standing pilot has absolutely zero effect on heat load in a house unless the flue pipe is rotted off. I do agree it never got really hot this summer, but I have a sensor hanging in my attic rafters and it reaches 50*C regularly during the summer. A power venter in the attic is actually a very good alternative to A/C and would use a fraction of the power.

Gas for your car usually assumes its put inside. Money for your kids also assumes you stuff it in their pockets and not their mouth ;)

A 40 watt lightbulb even for the few minutes you might be looking through a fridge or freezer makes a difference as it has to use 3x as much electricity to run the compressor to cool it back down, that 40 watt bulb is actually creating 160 watts of heat when the door is open. I got my LED light for $2, well worth it.

The heat does not 100% go up the flue, it still has to go around a block and through several dozen feet of venting. Most older style pilots have a flame that will ever so slightly heat the block (it has to be in the general area of the block anyhow) It definitely creates more heat than leaving a burning candle out 24/7, I'm not even sure if you can still get the old style continual pilot light for a furnace anymore. A hot water tank pilot light will always heat the coils, which is wasteful in the summer.

Probably makes no more than a half a degree to a degree of difference, but thats just about all you need. Do all the cooking on the BBQ, and non-heated drying for the dishwasher (skip the heating cycle) and you can pretty much forget the AC in Calgary.

If you need cheap windowshades for the summer, Dollarama sells "emergency blankets" which look almost like aluminum foil, and reflects nearly 100% of light and heat, for a whopping $1.25 I just clip them onto my regular windowcurtain in the summer (Don't use them if you have kids or pets, as they can be a choking hazard, like a shower curtain)

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by ZenOps



A 40 watt lightbulb even for the few minutes you might be looking through a fridge or freezer makes a difference as it has to use 3x as much electricity to run the compressor to cool it back down, that 40 watt bulb is actually creating 160 watts of heat when the door is open. I got my LED light for $2, well worth it.

Really, how do you come up with this sh*t? A 40w bulb will produce around 140 Btu after 1 full hour. I try not to leave the door open that long.

[Maxt]

Originally posted by Darell_n


Really, how do you come up with this sh*t? A 40w bulb will produce around 140 Btu after 1 full hour. I try not to leave the door open that long.
The only thing he left out is friction from deep pile carpet...:nut: