I'm running a dehumidifier in my house too. 82 degrees is tolerable under a ceiling fan, but 74 degrees is real nice. It is amazing the amount of water that I am pulling from my house every day -- I have to dump the reservoir twice a day.

And takin a pic of u'r thermostat during de winter wit de A.C. Don't count either

Modded A/C's are a lot better than factory A/C's cause the production run A/C's use crappy parts. With my modified Trane I cna get my living room down to 44*

You TX boys must be paying a lot higher Energy rates than us AR and LA guys. I remember a similar thread from last year about this time and you guys were reporting some outrageous energy bills. I have never had a electric bill over $250 and probably only had 2 or 3 over $175 in the 7 years I have owned my house. I set my thermostat at 72* when we are home and bump it to 78* when we go to work for the day. I have never had a gas bill over $100 in the winter time and $50 in the summer.

if you hold down the alt key & type 248 on the # keypad you will get the degree symbol!

Thanks Coondik! I always wondered about that but never asked.

tell me more about how the dehumidifier helps

My house and AC unit is 26 years old. I've also added on to the house makin' the unit work that much harder. If I set it on 72, it never stops runnin.

Tho't bout upgradin the AC since they are so much more efficient, but never tho't bout the dehumidifier route.
Gotta look into this. Anybody got any more specifics??

Ive got some super duper super secret formulated freon

Capt. Jon what dehumidifier are you using

Doug Rye gurantees if you build a house to his specs you wont ever have a utilty bill over like $45.00-$70.00 yearly monthly average for a house under 4000K feet.

http://www.dougrye.com

with Geothermal you also can get free hot water from them, but they are about $30K investment, the new 20 seer stuff is pretty efficient these days so it may be a toss up but add the free hot water and I guess tis a better deal.

If I was building a new house I would for sure get the thermal roof barrier decking, really reallykeeps the heat off your house. Wont add but maybe $500-1000 to a new 2500K size house cost. Huge long term savings though.
http://www.gp.com/BUILD/product.aspx?pid=1398

is there any specific location you should put the dehumidifier? close to the AC intake?

thx,
rod

78°
Just wanted to do the little degree thingy.

Yep that why I bought a listeroid and made a generator runs on waste cooking oil/ motor oil and smells like fried fish when its running at a mind boggling 650 rpm. 15kw of free energy!

AC units are most efficient when they are running for a long period of time. Its the kicking on and off that cost you some major kilowatts!

Anyone running a K&N filter on their modded unit?

I've got a Comfort Aire brand dehumidifier. It is a stand alone unit that just plugs into the wall.

Drawbacks --
1) It makes noise - like a loud, old refrigerator. Not unbearable, but it is noticeable
2) I have to dump the reservoir twice a day - morning & evening. Not a huge deal because that means that it's working. It has an option to run a drain hose, but I'm not willing to drill a hole in my floor just to drain it.

In the winter, I don't run it at all.

forgive me lord for i have sinned... but i would sign up both of those girls!!!!

jus10inla u are kinda like a buddy i had in school. cull wasn't in his vocabulary either

so what's the best placement for one of these dehumidifiers?

Hey coondik would you happen to know what size unit I would need for a house with 1400 square ft. My a/c has been doin the same as all of you guys. It runs all the time and finally gets cool at midnight. Im lookin to replace everything inside/ouside unit and the duck work. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good brand and Installer. I would like to get one that is a little more than what I need but Im not sure what ton i need?
Info plz....

I have 1475 square feet and have a 3 ton unit. I thought someone told me around 1 ton per 500 feet but I'm not an air condionter F.E.

my a/c guy told me if you get to big a unit that actually aint good. I wont cycle the air, thus not takin out all the dust and allergens....

I love my new house.


68* and my bill is about $140/ mo in the summer and 64* in the winter and its about $85/ mo


1800 sf house






Something else that will help is tinting the windows with a good high heat rejection film. I did that in June of last year and in July when it was hotter my bill was still less than June.

Look for a ceramic film and a high IR rejection for best results.