Finally got my electric bill for last month. This month is of particular interest to me because I am running mostly on my room air conditioner rather than central cooling.
To recap, I spend most of my time at home in basically one room, and it seems like a waste to cool an entire house that includes the dining room, living room, kitchen, two other bedrooms, and two other bathrooms that I am not using. (Except the kitchen, but you know what I mean.)
Plus, the central AC has been on the fritz. It's good thing that I know an HVAC guy whom I have a good rapport with. He did patch it up, but he also said that, ultimately, that unit needs to be replaced, or it's going to keep failing. Hence my decision to go with a room AC.
So, how much did last month's electric bill cost me? $42.85!
That's actually pretty amazing compared to last year, which was $71.13, and the year before, which was $60.83!
This is despite the fact that my electric usage has increased because I am also running a new, power-hungry PC and speakers now.
So, was the room AC a good investment in the end? I guess it depends on how you look at it. If this was to replace a working central AC, my quick napkin calculation shows that it would take roughly 5 years before I can break even from the upfront cost of the buying the room air conditioner.
However, because the central AC unit is failing, and replacing that would cost roughly $3000, I think this really is the best investment for me.
And that's far better than the alternatives that I may have um entertained....
Electric summer
June 12th, 2009 at 04:49 pm
June 12th, 2009 at 05:08 pm 1244826519
June 12th, 2009 at 05:44 pm 1244828697
June 12th, 2009 at 06:20 pm 1244830822
Glad the room A/C is working out for you!
June 12th, 2009 at 06:23 pm 1244830992
It's not like I've tried to stick a pillow in there....
Well, it was only a throw pillow, and I submit that it doesn't technically qualify.
June 13th, 2009 at 06:28 am 1244874501
http://www.wptv.com/content/financialsurvival/survivingthesqueeze/story/Delray-Beach-man-lives-in-77sqft-closet/SJAvaTujWEeUIEcuGE7Zdw.cspx
June 13th, 2009 at 01:20 pm 1244899204
June 13th, 2009 at 10:00 pm 1244930426
No, that's not me, but I must say, that is very interesting indeed. I can't believe he's getting rent for only $150 a month! I'm very curious as to how he managed to get that offer, because, for $150 a month, I'd GLADLY move into a closet myself!
Plus, I assume he also has access to a bathroom? Because, well, normal closets don't come with one.
June 14th, 2009 at 01:40 am 1244943600
I think he shares the bathroom with others.
June 24th, 2009 at 05:17 pm 1245863835
One thing you need to consider in your calculations on the worth of going with the window AC unit is that every year central AC units seem to get more and more efficient with not much (or any) increase in price. So the more you wait, the better the eventual unit you get should be. Plus the biggest benefit for me is when the central AC goes on the fritz, the repair costs are terrible. For a window AC unit, just go buy another one, it will be better than the one you replace, and cost less than repairing the central AC (wasteful I know, but the economics work in this direction).