$870 Electric Bill With a 1-Year-Old AC: What a Bad Installation Costs
A new 5-ton AC, but the house can't get below 76° and 61% humidity, hit 90° inside in a heat wave, and the electric bill is $870 a month.
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About This Video
This 2,400 sq ft Florida home got a brand-new 5-ton AC system just a year ago. On an 82° day, with the unit running nonstop, the house can't get below 76° and 61% humidity. During the summer heat wave it hit 90° inside with 80% humidity, and the electric bill is $870 a month with nothing unusual running.
A bigger unit doesn't fix comfort or humidity. A system that's oversized and installed incorrectly runs up the bill while leaving the house hot and damp. This is the kind of home we're called to after a new system didn't solve the problem.
The fix starts with designing the system for the house: the right size, the right equipment and a correct installation, so it controls temperature and humidity together.
Video Transcript
George: Can we bring up your electric bill real quick on your phone? That's the electric bill right there: $869. You see the kilowatt usage there. So the problem we're having here: a 5-ton unit, still running, and we have 76° and 61% humidity in the house, and you can't get better than that, right?
Homeowner: Right.
George: Today is September 28th, it's 82 degrees outside, and we can't get better than 76 and 61% humidity in the house. The unit was changed a year ago?
Homeowner: Yes.
George: Tell me all the problems you've had with this system.
Homeowner: We had problems with the humidity being very high, and other problems. We're just looking to get the humidity taken care of.
George: And when the days are hotter, how does the house get? When we had the heat wave, you had 90° in the house with a 5-ton unit, and your house is about 2,400 square feet. A 5-ton unit, one year old, and you were at 90° in the house with 80% humidity. And this month, we're at 82 outside, can't get cooler than 76, and your electric bill is $870, about 4,475 kilowatt-hours a month. And right now all the lights are off, only the TV is on. You're not using anything crazy.
Homeowner: No.
George: We're going to solve these problems for you. It's a beautiful home.
