< Continued from page 2 My highest electricity usage usage is typically over $300 in August, but less than $125 in May. we live in the desert. With more than 5 months of high temperatures, some people considering moving here might be concerned about how much it costs to cool a typical home. The problem is, there is no typical home! Our houses are different sizes, different ages, made of different materials, some of us have many people in the home, some of us have pools.... I asked my readers to share what they pay for electricity. I asked them to include: Here are the responses I received. Submissions are now closed, but I include these in case they are helpful or instructive. I have not edited the responses in any way, nor has any of the information been verified.2300 St Ft Vaulted CeilingWe have 13 SEER AC units (2) and we paid 370 in July. Aug we were able to get on Easy-3 electric plan, lowering it $60/mo. 2300 St Ft 2004 Home, sun shades and sun screens.—Guest South MountainCoolcatWell I own a 3000 sq ft brick home on the east side of Tucson it has 2each 3 1/2 ton AC units.

Since the HVAC tech out here are ripoff artist I use separate window unit to cool the home to about 74 even this August we paid just $390 total out baseline winter is just $ 70 so we pay just $320 for all the nice cool 74 F air. We use 7 window nits that are all precooled via evaporative cooling pads and we average over 16 to 17 SEER on the wiindie units. Google evaporative cooled condenser and PG&E you will see just how well precooling reduce used the energy AC unit need—Guest TomcatDiminishing Efficiency of A/C unit(s)Regarding "For no obvious reason, our electric usage in kilowatt hours has increased significantly over similar time periods in previous years." I believe that central a/c units become less efficient as they age thereby requiring them to run longer to provide the same cooling efficiency. I know this to be true for central gas forced air heating. When a new unit is installed it is at its peak efficiency/lowest electricity cost and gradually deteriorates as it ages.

Maybe if any readers are HVAC Engineers they could weigh in.—Guest TomTavoid AC as much as possiblepaid around $225 in August 213. We do not use overhead AC but jump in the pool (18 ft Intex baby pool 8 ft in diameter) and walk around the house in swimsuits, stay well all summer. no heat from vents in car$135 for June AC—Guest pooldwellerCosts Are VariableIn Tucson, we spend less than our neighbors and friends in the area because we choose to manage our electric use primarily on cooling. 5 ton air conditioner dimensionsWe don't hold back on cooking, washing or computer equipment, just use fans instead of the A/C 90% of the time. covers for wall air conditioning unitsOur last bill from mid May to mid June was $95. Previous 3 months were $78-$88.

Granted we live in a 2005 nicely built 1700 sq ft single story 3 bdrm home. We use ceiling fans and keep the thermostat between 81-83 allowing temperatures between 81-85. And we come from the Midwest. We also turn off lights when leaving rooms. Our computer equipment uses SSD hard drives. We embrace the heat and enjoy it.—TuacaTomtoo muchI am spoiled with low electricity in Northern California for 9 months out of the Paying 300.00 a month in Scottsdale seems like flushing money, Wish there was not a summer in Scottsdale. Such a negative, but love the desert. When the economy is bad you do want to rethink your decisions to move to Scottsdale.—Guest glenAPSI'm in Phoenix, in 1/2 of a block duplex (it's not a legal duplex, but it does have its own electric service). Square footage is approx 1250 sf; no pool or spa or other major appliance. It does have a washer and dryer and dishwasher; the heat/AC is a heat pump unit on the roof, and the dryer is electric; the water heater and the stove are gas, which the landlady pays out of the rent.

I have box fans in the house. One runs all day in the principal day use room; another in the bedroom is aimed at me all night. Circulating the air helps make the temperature seem much lower. I live here alone most of the time, but in the summer, 2 of my grand-kids are here for 6 weeks. As shown in response title, I have APS. I keep my thermostat around 67 in the winter, and 82 in the summer. My total electric bill for 2011 was $1076; the highest in August was $203, and the lowest in April was $37. My bill-averaging monthly payment is $83, which actually would not cover the annual total, but they had it set much higher until recently, and I still have a big surplus balance from before they reduced the payment.—nastijElectric BillHigh was $564.53 lowest $85.82 I have a pool and a 3800 sq ft home. I have large windows and young trees so no real shade.—Guest JeanElectricityWe moved from a colder climate last so for our first summer in Phoenix we kept the a/c at 76°. We live in a 3000 sq ft wood frame stucco, two story house.

Being home all day with little kids, our highest bill was just over $500.—Guest KatyTwo people...1500sfAvg bill for past two year is $83. High was 227 and low was 36.64. Have only had one month over $100 outside the typical Jul-Sept—Guest Jim PElectricityMy house is a 2200 square foot blocked frame single story with 16-18 foot vaulted ceilings, lots of large windows and a pool. Everything is electric except for the water heater. I live with my husband and 3 children, 2 of which are boys that are always going in and out. I live in Peoria and have APS. The majority of my windows are west and south facing so I gets tons of sunshine! I had the windows tinted last summer and I think it helped a lot. I keep my house at 80-82 during the summer months and 78 at night. My highest bill last year was $425 and lowest was $120.—Guest Amanda.MElectricI live in a 1,000 sq ft apartment, all one floor and older with brick and single payne windows and carpet. I live with one other person and 2 cats.