Help! Need some insight...

[2angelsinheaven]

We live in a older house we rent it's around 1,600 sq. feet or so. Our average electric bill is between $100-$150 in the hotter months. We have a fourth bedroom/den that is connected to the dining room with a glass slider, the room itself is enclosed (walls, windows, etc), but there is no insulation or air vent in there, other than the walls touching the house. We just got another dog so I'd love to be able to let them play out there while the slider is open (would put baby gate between the kitchen/den) so that they can be in the air conditioning while we are not home. We'd also like to use this room sometimes as a guest room maybe... how much do you think this might add to our electric bill? I know it's a shot in the dark probably, any ideas though? We thought about a window unit but our windows just aren't made for that.

 

[gallaj0]

how about a portable a/c? they have a hose that goes out the back for the hot air, you just hang it in the window, fit something around it to keep the hot air out, and you're all set.

I've tried cooling different areas of a house with one big AC in another part of the house, and using fans to move it around, but it was pretty expensive; the real problem is that the one AC runs just about all the time, and that was up here in Mass. With our electic costs, it was crazy to keep trying it, and I can only imagine what the wear and tear on the ac was.

 

[Patch'sD]

It depends on the amount of AC you now have. Is it central or window units. I guessin window units. I think 5000 BTU's will do about 160 Sq ft. I have two window units for about 20,000 BTU's cooling about 900 Sq ft. for four rooms. I would say it would cost you about an extra $ 20 per month to cool that one room if it under 200 sq ft.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

We have a new central AC, we have three large vents facing towards that room (our kitchen is vaulted), the vents start right before the vault and face the 4th bedroom, but it does not have a vent of it's own....