AC efficiency in regular weather

[MN Renovator]

Originally Posted by AC_Hacker

I know that mountain goats move into higher, cooler elevations in the summer months (where it is cooler), and move down into the lower, warmer elevations in the winter months (where it is warmer).

So why don't you just move out of the top two floors in the summer (where it is too hot) and move into the bottom two floors (where it is cooler)?

Surely, mountain goats couldn't as smart as you are...

* * *

Also, if you sprayed a closed cell foam layer on the basement walls, and prevented the high-humidity air from coming in contact with the cold basement walls, wouldn't you stop your condensation problem forever?

-AC

That's what I do. In the winter I'm upstairs where the heat hangs out and in the summer I'm on the 2nd floor where it's comfy. The house still needs to be cooled though, the most efficient cooling happens when you cool the hottest air and then the heat of the lower levels migrates up to replace it. If I don't cool the house eventually it's over 90 degrees upstairs and 80 degrees downstairs and around that point is where the dew point is far higher than where I feel comfortable. For effective dew point control I fire up the A/C at the coldest point of the night(not 55 degrees, that freezes the coil and air flow stops, not good 60 seems safe as long as the temperature in the house is high enough) until the upstairs is just under 80 degrees or whenever the A/C has run 2 hours, whichever is longer unless the 2 hours brings me below 75 degrees upstairs because then the downstairs is 70 degrees and the dew point is lower than I need it to be and it feels very chilly and a little dry. I don't mind the dry part though but dry brings extra chill when I'm not lounging around not wearing a shirt, so I avoid wasting the energy through overcooling.

Oddly enough in early winter, there is enough heat stored in the slab until towards the end of December to where the slab is warmer than the basement ceiling and the upstairs is also colder but it's not a very finished basement and I don't feel like sleeping close to the furnace, it's just enough noise to interrupt sleep when it fires up.

[joewoods]

That is kind of a good adjustment you do and that can also help you well in saving energy!!