so how much has your A/C electric bill increased this month... Gasp, mine doubled...

[hlthe2b]

And, I have a well insulated residence, keep the shades dark during mid-day, thermostat no higher than 78 and supplement with efficient ceiling fans. I use almost no lights and my bulbs are low wattage high efficiency.

So, I guess it could have been worse, but.... damn! July and August will be at least as costly at this rate. But, maybe without the fire-related smoke, I can open windows at night.

[seabeyond]

1. sigh.... lol, i havent looked. it is auto draw

and i prefer not to see. now i am gonna have to look.

thanks hlthe2b

mine skyrockets in the summer. gas goes down. water way up.

winter, it is the gas that is ridiculous and water and electric low

[Siwsan]

2. Mine pretty much doubled, too

And I only used the AC when the weather became unbearable, and had it set at 80!

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. It's that, or roast.

Same as heat in the winter - use it or freeze.

[hlthe2b]

4. Sure... but I really thought I'd taken enough conserving steps for it to be a lot less.

My late father would have been amazed at how careful I was to turn things off--use power strips that turn everything off at once, and to keep the "cool" to a reasonable level.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. I can certainly understand that.

But given the choice, (comfort or roast) the AC is really the only way to go.

[longship]

6. Air Conditioning? Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

There are some people who are very poor, and who live in areas where certain modern luxuries, like air conditioning, broadband internet, cable TV, city plumbing and sewers, etc. are not available.

I am not trying to bust anybody's chops here. I am merely hopefully bringing DUers back to ground about the diversity of culture and social order.

Many of us cannot afford what many consider essentials. So while you all wring your hands about your AC bills, I will sit sweltering in the heat. In winter I worry about buying enough fuel oil for my furnace so I don't freeze to death. And don't get me started about my property tax arrears.

I am very sorry if I have offended.

I hope I have put things here in the US into some perspective. The only safety net I have is about a grand a month from social security. No medical -- I'm 64 -- nothing else.

So please enjoy your AC and think of those without such a luxury.

[hlthe2b]

7. No one on this thread fails to recognize... Nor do you know what the fiscal status might be.

for anyone here.... Nor whether or not the poster(s) in question might be unemployed. Nor whether or not the residence in question might be a high rise which, without A/C becomes a death box when temps exceed 100 degrees.

So, let's leave off the sanctimony. Equating those trying to conserve electricity, to be "green" and to likewise spare their own finances as somehow being oblivious to the far worse fortune of most of the third world is simply wrong. Not merely rude, but wrong.

[longship]

8. Sorry. It's the second damned AC thread today.

Thankfully it's cool here today.

I only thought that by providing contrast to a thread on saving bucks on AC, some DUers would realize how people, including some DUers, are suffering during these times.

I did not intend to be sanctimonious any more than, I am sure, you intended your response to be supercilious.

Cheers, mate.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. All my bills go down in the summer,

especially the gas bill, which is about one-quarter what it is in the dead of winter. The electric bill goes down, too, because it's light here all the time. Water is a flat rate, no limit.

We have no A/C.