Is WDW cutting back on the AC to save money?

[TheDailyMoo]

I hate Chapek and the Disney leadership but I can't blame this one on them either. Have not been in Florida recently but I know it's off the charts hot and like others have said it doesn't make sense to raise the AC temps. They wouldn't shut off anyway in that kind of heat and even if they did, they would come right back on again and it takes way more energy and wear and tear on AC units to start and stop rather than keep running non stop. Aging compressors and equipment are probably the bigger issues. Now maybe they aren't starting the machines sooner in the morning? That COULD be an issue? You need a good head start in super hot weather when you need a building cooled. That's the only penny-pinching I could see happening.

However, no excuse for fans not running/less fans. They cost almost nothing and actually do make a difference.

 

[brockash]

We've been noticing this for a while now; sometimes it's warmer than other times...I suspect they are testing and weighing the savings

We agree...we've noticed for the past several trips.

 

[DLgal]

I hate Chapek and the Disney leadership but I can't blame this one on them either. Have not been in Florida recently but I know it's off the charts hot and like others have said it doesn't make sense to raise the AC temps. They wouldn't shut off anyway in that kind of heat and even if they did, they would come right back on again and it takes way more energy and wear and tear on AC units to start and stop rather than keep running non stop. Aging compressors and equipment are probably the bigger issues. Now maybe they aren't starting the machines sooner in the morning? That COULD be an issue? You need a good head start in super hot weather when you need a building cooled. That's the only penny-pinching I could see happening.

However, no excuse for fans not running/less fans. They cost almost nothing and actually do make a difference.

Industrial strength air conditioning units don't work the same way your home unit does. They are FAR more powerful and can bring the inside of a building down to bone chilling temperatures very easily, regardless of the outside air temperature.

 

[hildarumpole]

. Now maybe they aren't starting the machines sooner in the morning? That COULD be an issue? You need a good head start in super hot weather when you need a building cooled. That's the only penny-pinching I could see happening.

However, no excuse for fans not running/less fans. They cost almost nothing and actually do make a difference.

During the hot months in FL (most of the year), AC units are switched on 24/7, automatically cycling to maintain set temp/humidity levels. Shutting it down every night would cause the units to work much harder, wasting more energy once turned back on in the morning, because the heat and humidity doesn't sleep.

 

[Disneylover99]

We went every August from 2010-2019. We were always freezing in ride lines, restaurants, stores for the first 4 or 5 years. From about 2015 on, we noticed it was definitely warmer in all public spaces. In some places, there was a definite need for more air conditioning.

 

[Sparkly]

I think it's a matter of perception, because people have been complaining about this for years. IMO, the air con is freezing, but I'm not used to everything being air conditioned.

 

[Jetku]

We went every August from 2010-2019. We were always freezing in ride lines, restaurants, stores for the first 4 or 5 years. From about 2015 on, we noticed it was definitely warmer in all public spaces. In some places, there was a definite need for more air conditioning.

Came here to say something similar! We definitely noticed this change several years ago. We also always go in August and I loved how cold all indoor locations always were… but several years ago, suddenly going inside and/or on rides wasn’t much of a reprieve, other than being out of the sun.

 

[DisneyMama811]

For every person complaining it's too warm, one is complaining it's too cold. Especially international travelers. Most other countries don't keep their room temps as low as Americans tend to. Disney has to consider this also.

Even with the above, the parks are so busy, it's likely doors are opening and closing more often as well, causing more air to get out. Besides, if to help address fuel costs and inflation they changed the setting a degree or two, is that really a crisis? It's a better option than most.

this goes for outside temps as well, locals say "oh Florida is cold in January like 50/60" to a Canadian 50/60 in January is a very warm spring day haha

 

[Disneylover99]

Came here to say something similar! We definitely noticed this change several years ago. We also always go in August and I loved how cold all indoor locations always were… but several years ago, suddenly going inside and/or on rides wasn’t much of a reprieve, other than being out of the sun.

Right? Cold for years, then suddenly not. It wasn’t a gradual thing.

 

[Jennasis]

It was practically snowing in our SSR room in May.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

OK doing some research I found out that the parks seem to run mainly off of centralized energy plants located near the parks. These are chilled water systems which feed the chilled water to most of the large buildings. Whereas an individual building may have its' own condenser unit or a few, instead this plant or plants send the chilled water all throughout the parks. MK seems to run them through the utilidor system. I'm assuming the other parks have the piping built in underground. I'm also quite sure some buildings may also supplement with smaller individual systems. But this is also why we aren't hearing the condenser fans running all over the place spewing out hot air. Which then begs the question is the temp being raised since it's being chilled and pumped from a centralized location? I came across this:

Chiller plants are often a significant portion of a building’s energy usage. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 15% of the energy used in commercial buildings is for cooling.

When you consider that chillers are often one of the largest consumers of energy inside a building, their performance can have a huge impact on operational costs. For this reason, the efficiency of a chiller plant is often closely monitored for potential improvement.

Optimizing a chiller plant is a complex task that involves gathering data and making calculations. These calculations determine how to best operate the chiller plant equipment.

For instance, during the cool night hours, it may be more efficient to raise the chilled water supply temperature setpoint of the chiller. Raising the chilled water supply temperature setpoint will allow the chiller to not work as hard.

So in effect after doing a bit of research, as well as hearing anecdotal evidence that supports the theory, I have come around to the idea that yes they indeed are saving money by not blasting the AC. However this also seems to be from years ago when Iger was running the show so again not entirely convinced this is yet another Cheapek special. Altho he might've been left alone with the thermostat and raised it another degree or two.

 

[Gary2T]

At BLT this week one could put AC all the way down to 64. Beautiful!
At PVB, it would go no lower than 68. Not so beautiful, but we like it cold when it's 95° outside, dangit!! Pool temperature at Poly was "barely refreshing". Pass the tub of ice cubes, please!

Thermostat used in many of the Disney resorts. Method to go below 68....

Some of the newer rooms have different models. A Google search can provide the secret button combo for most thermostats.

 

[juxtapose]

A/C uses a ton of a building's energy. Every state and power system is different but in general the power grid in the USA is overworked in the summer. Not sure who provides their power but it's not unheard of for large buildings, college campuses, or I imagine places like WDW to work with the power companies to lower demand in the heat of the day to help reduce power losses and power shedding (where the power company has to turn of certain locations power when the load is too high). I'm in Colorado but large companies can do this because they are generally the first to get power cut because of their high usage when demand is too high, which they do not want. The easiest way to lower demand in the heat of the day is to raise the temperature of the buildings.

 

[DLgal]

A/C uses a ton of a building's energy. Every state and power system is different but in general the power grid in the USA is overworked in the summer. Not sure who provides their power but it's not unheard of for large buildings, college campuses, or I imagine places like WDW to work with the power companies to lower demand in the heat of the day to help reduce power losses and power shedding (where the power company has to turn of certain locations power when the load is too high). I'm in Colorado but large companies can do this because they are generally the first to get power cut because of their high usage when demand is too high, which they do not want. The easiest way to lower demand in the heat of the day is to raise the temperature of the buildings.

WDW provides their own power.

 

[jcemom]

Not specific to Disney, but there have been times when I've been so downright cold and wished for a jacket/sweater indoors even though it's 90+ outside. I don't know what Disney sets their thermostat to, but some places seem to believe it should be 70 no matter what the outside temperature is doing. On a scorching day, 75 indoors would still be welcome and refreshing.

I almost always carry a lightweight sweater with me. Sometimes I absolutely freeze when I go indoors. One time I couldn't even eat my breakfast at 'Ohana because my teeth were chattering. They packed it for me to take away.

 

[tseitel]

We definitely noticed the indoor attractions were downright warm on our last trip Oct ‘21. The stores and restaurants were still cool, but some rides were actually uncomfortable and stuffy
My entire family was commenting on it, and I’m usually cold.

 

[JiminyCricketNJ]

We definitely noticed the indoor attractions were downright warm on our last trip Oct ‘21. The stores and restaurants were still cool, but some rides were actually uncomfortable and stuffy
My entire family was commenting on it, and I’m usually cold.

Some rides last week, particularly in Epcot (Soarin, Test Track loading area) felt very stuffy and uncomfortable. The bus from Animal Kingdom to BLT was very hot as well and that's unexpected - we love to freeze on the bus after a hot park day!

 

[juxtapose]

WDW provides their own power.

They do provide some of it with a couple small power plants and solar, but that also purchase power from the power grid. It's basically unheard of for a large organization to not connect to the general power grid to purchase power, especially on hot days when the demand is higher.

 

[DLgal]

They do provide some of it with a couple small power plants and solar, but that also purchase power from the power grid. It's basically unheard of for a large organization to not connect to the general power grid to purchase power, especially on hot days when the demand is higher.

The amount they produce through just solar is enough to power 2 of the theme parks at WDW.

I'm guessing they use a pretty small amount of power from municipal sources.

 

[New Mouse]

1. Yes, room thermostats have been backed-off.
2. This happened SEVERAL years ago.
. . . in 2011, I remember lots of complaints
. . . people would leave the room for the day
. . . they crank the thermostat to lowest setting
. . . when they return, room is ice-cold
. . . the A/C runs all day and runs up a huge electric bill
. . . the A/C breaks down more often

NOTE:
a. As a concierge, we had complaints of hot rooms
b. We explained the reason for inability to lower temps
c. This saved energy use and A/C repairs
d. Guests complained, but walked away understanding
e. They even tried auto-off "smart" thermostats
. . . with lack of room movement, A/C would shut down
. . . people got smart
. . . they taped a balloon in front of the thermostat
. . . the breeze kept the balloon moving
. . . the thermostat saw "movement" and would keep running
. . . this worked during the day and the wee hours

Why shouldn't they use the service they paid for? It's odd when hotels are like yeah we are gonna charge you hundreds of dollars and you get x y and z....but you don't actually get x y and z.