Ohh I definitely know we are all fucked, but I'll take some more good years in the meantime.
Meh you can't run from global warming. Eventually it's going to cause famines in the US turning your state into a shithole like mine is.
Not quite as hot, but similar temps in CA where we get high 90's to low 100's. We have 2 central units that draws about 4.5kW each. We have our Nest thermostats set to 74 during the day and 76 at night. I also work from home with a couple of desktops running 24/7. Our usage on the last month's bill is 859kWh over 29 days. Our highest ever was from last summer when we were in the 100's frequently and end up with just below 1,500kWh.Just one central unit. I do most of my work from home and have a bit of computer equipment running 24/7.
Also, did you miss the part where we have had no rain and 101+ temps for the last 30 days?
We'll either pay for reliable baseload generation or intermittent power.
The difference between Texas and California is night time temps. It will still be 100 degrees at midnight in Texas. Most of Texas set records for consecutive hours above 80 degrees earlier this month. When you are hitting 106 to 110 for weeks on end and the temps at midnight are still cracking upper 90s to even 100 and the over night lows(usually occurring around 5am) being 80ish it quickly adds up.Not quite as hot, but similar temps in CA where we get high 90's to low 100's. We have 2 central units that draws about 4.5kW each. We have our Nest thermostats set to 74 during the day and 76 at night. I also work from home with a couple of desktops running 24/7. Our usage on the last month's bill is 859kWh over 29 days. Our highest ever was from last summer when we were in the 100's frequently and end up with just below 1,500kWh.
In San Antonio it never gets cool at night in the summer because as soon as those high pressure ridges dissipate after sundown the hot land creates a strong gulf breeze that kicks our dewpoints into the mid to high 70s, occasionally even the low to mid 80s, amazingly quickly and all that moisture catches and holds so much of the heat being radiated from the ground at night.The difference between Texas and California is night time temps. It will still be 100 degrees at midnight in Texas. Most of Texas set records for consecutive hours above 80 degrees earlier this month. When you are hitting 106 to 110 for weeks on end and the temps at midnight are still cracking upper 90s to even 100 and the over night lows(usually occurring around 5am) being 80ish it quickly adds up.
Humidity makes a big difference in cooling loads, as well. AC efficiency really starts dropping after ~105 as well.Not quite as hot, but similar temps in CA where we get high 90's to low 100's. We have 2 central units that draws about 4.5kW each. We have our Nest thermostats set to 74 during the day and 76 at night. I also work from home with a couple of desktops running 24/7. Our usage on the last month's bill is 859kWh over 29 days. Our highest ever was from last summer when we were in the 100's frequently and end up with just below 1,500kWh.
Yeah...no thanks. It's 9 pm, temperature is ~58F, humidity is 96%, dew point is at 57. (Per accuweather)In San Antonio it never gets cool at night in the summer because as soon as those high pressure ridges dissipate after sundown the hot land creates a strong gulf breeze that kicks our dewpoints into the mid to high 70s, occasionally even the low to mid 80s, amazingly quickly and all that moisture catches and holds so much of the heat being radiated from the ground at night.
I work from home too. Ugh when it was 109 in my neighborhood a week or so ago my house got to 87 by 7:00PM with the AC blasting. Just makes me want to eat sandwiches, Whataburger, or Costco food court every day for dinner and cereal for lunch so I don't have to turn on the damn stove or the oven in this ridiculous summer.Humidity makes a big difference in cooling loads, as well. AC efficiency really starts dropping after ~105 as well.
I work from home too, but we let our house slowly heat up to 82 through the day and then the AC drops to 75 at 3:30. Generally the house never gets all the way to 82, even this week when it got up to 108 outside.
I work from home too. Ugh when it was 109 in my neighborhood a week or so ago my house got to 87 by 7:00PM with the AC blasting. Just makes me want to eat sandwiches, Whataburger, or Costco food court every day for dinner and cereal for lunch so I don't have to turn on the damn stove or the oven in this ridiculous summer.
When it's only 100 or 101 I can keep the house at 78 ok and just supplement with a box fan as needed but once it gets 104+ (or 98+ with high humidity, eg dewpoint > 70) my AC struggles like hell.
You should look into adding some more insulation into your house. Attic insulation is the easiest. Do you have double pane windows?I work from home too. Ugh when it was 109 in my neighborhood a week or so ago my house got to 87 by 7:00PM with the AC blasting. Just makes me want to eat sandwiches, Whataburger, or Costco food court every day for dinner and cereal for lunch so I don't have to turn on the damn stove or the oven in this ridiculous summer.
When it's only 100 or 101 I can keep the house at 78 ok and just supplement with a box fan as needed but once it gets 104+ (or 98+ with high humidity, eg dewpoint > 70) my AC struggles like hell.
With the above, try considering isolating the part of the house you're actually trying to cool. If not reasonable/possible, along with upgrading insulation consider getting a heat pump for the spaces you really need to cool down, or spaces farther from the a/c or on the western or southern side of the house.I work from home too. Ugh when it was 109 in my neighborhood a week or so ago my house got to 87 by 7:00PM with the AC blasting. Just makes me want to eat sandwiches, Whataburger, or Costco food court every day for dinner and cereal for lunch so I don't have to turn on the damn stove or the oven in this ridiculous summer.
When it's only 100 or 101 I can keep the house at 78 ok and just supplement with a box fan as needed but once it gets 104+ (or 98+ with high humidity, eg dewpoint > 70) my AC struggles like hell.
But... but... but... your governor says it's a hoax.Speaking of how shitty Texas weather is, today San Antonio tied its all time record with 59 days of 100+ so far in 2023. And this is our next two weeks forecast:
Last year we had the horrible summer that started with 100 degree temps in early May (and we got to 58 days of 100+), whereas this year we have the summer that in addition to quantity of 100+ days has had a fourfold jump in 105+ days vs any other year ever recorded here and is seeming like it will never fucking end.
We used to let our house heat up through the day and then cool it down in the afternoon, but found virtually no energy savings versus just keeping the thermostats at 74 through the day. When we let the house heat up, our AC would run a few hours straight just to cool it back down. When we have the AC running through the day, it will run anywhere between 20-30mins every 2hrs to keep the house temp at 74. We installed an energy monitoring device at the main panel to keep track of all our energy usages. We do see slightly more energy usage having the AC run through the day, but it costs less overall because a bulk of that usage is during off peak hours.Humidity makes a big difference in cooling loads, as well. AC efficiency really starts dropping after ~105 as well.
I work from home too, but we let our house slowly heat up to 82 through the day and then the AC drops to 75 at 3:30. Generally the house never gets all the way to 82, even this week when it got up to 108 outside.
Yeah, if you are on a time of use plan you'll likely lose money even if you save a little energy. With time of use you can actually save money by prechilling. Some companies will actually store a massive amount of chilled water over night to run the AC during the day.We used to let our house heat up through the day and then cool it down in the afternoon, but found virtually no energy savings versus just keeping the thermostats at 74 through the day. When we let the house heat up, our AC would run a few hours straight just to cool it back down. When we have the AC running through the day, it will run anywhere between 20-30mins every 2hrs to keep the house temp at 74. We installed an energy monitoring device at the main panel to keep track of all our energy usages. We do see slightly more energy usage having the AC run through the day, but it costs less overall because a bulk of that usage is during off peak hours.
Lots of solar generation, good sunny day. 11 GW generation from Solar right now.San Antonio is 105 at 2PM
Houston is 106 at 2PM
Austin is 106 at 2PM
Waco is 104 at 2PM
How the fuck is the grid going to hold up today?
If it's 105-106 now though gotta wonder if it's going to still be 105+ at 7PM. We were really tight yesterday near 8PM but that was with population centers in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi in the high 90s by that time of day, although DFW area was around 105 then. If this day ends up 108-110 in San Antonio in the hottest part of the day at 5-6PM it'll probably be like 103 at 8PM and then I'm not trusting ERCOT's demand forecast at all.Lots of solar generation, good sunny day. 11 GW generation from Solar right now.
Until about 6pm, when that solar energy drops off a cliff. Then things get a bit tight until demand drops off later at night ~ just hope all the natural gas peaker units that claim they are available come online, and/or wind picks up a bit (usually does at night, but a bit after the solar drops off)
The bigger the difference in outside and inside temperature the more heat gain or loss because heat transfer through the walls is linearly proportional to the difference in temperature. You also end up wring out my latent heat (water vapor) running it all day. The AC is also more efficient with a lower difference in inside and outside temperature.I always understood it was better to let the heat or air saturate you walls by leaving the thermostat stay within only a few degrees of your target day or night.
Demand should be lower on weekends too, kind of crazy if you all run out of capacity on weekend. You'll be screwed this coming week.If it's 105-106 now though gotta wonder if it's going to still be 105+ at 7PM. We were really tight yesterday near 8PM but that was with population centers in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi in the high 90s by that time of day, although DFW area was around 105 then. If this day ends up 108-110 in San Antonio in the hottest part of the day at 5-6PM it'll probably be like 103 at 8PM and then I'm not trusting ERCOT's demand forecast at all.
Nah temps are forecast to be reasonably cool (eg low 100s) next week.Demand should be lower on weekends too, kind of crazy if you all run out of capacity on weekend. You'll be screwed this coming week.