My area has had record high heat for the month of Aug. The temp dropped a few days ago and now it's quite pleasent. But for a about two full weeks it was really hot and the ac just runs and runs. With tempertures over 100 for most of that time period. Now that we've had a few nice days it's nice not to hear the ac running. We get a call from a resident that their ac isn't shutting off. So we went there to see what was going on. Front door opens, we enter, it's like the beer freezer in the house! THe temostate is set at 67 degrees. It's like 77 outside. and it's 68 degrees in the house. So we kick it up a few degrees and the ac turns off. So no problem with the ac unit itself. THen we are told her last electric bill was $1000... So i asked to see the bill and she says it's on her phone, she doesn't get paper bill. Then preceeds to tell us that she was on budget billing at $110 a month, but this month it adjusted for all that was owed and she believes there is something wrong with the ac unit??? Could it be life style? could it be life skills? so we gave the hears what you need to know about ac conditioners and electric rates increasing and budget billing. I know it hurts to get that big bill but you weren't pay the actual usage all year. I'm just always amazed at people's concept of situtions and solutions.

I own a luxury 1934 Building in L.A. City. 20 years ago I bought out two of my partners and began a major remodeling project. I had blown insulation installed in the exterior walls--thru the stucco, then plugged, textured stucco fill and paint touch up. I also upgraded the Main and Sub-panels. From a 60/60 amp main to a 200/200 amp main for each unit.

Why because I installed a central air/heating system though out each unit.

But before I spent my Half Million in upgrades and remodeling, I had conducted a 30 year experiment on the Heating and air conditioning costs per tenants use, year over year.

One lower unit, no attic ceiling heat, used to run a single a/c window unit in the front of their 2250 square foot apartment. Then I added a vertical unit to the master suit's bathroom window, right next to the second door going to the Master Bedroom. This way the tenants could close the bathroom hallway door and the hallway door to the bedroom, but leaving the connecting door from the bathroom to the master bedroom. This 12,000 BTU Hi efficient air conditioner easily cooled the bathroom and connecting master bedroom.

Then in the second bedroom I also installed a 10,000 BTU vertical a/c unit in that bedroom.

So before the central system, the tenants could run a Front A/C to cool the dinning room and Kitchen. A second a/c in the second bedroom. And a unit to cool the master bedroom/bathroom.

In truth they only ran the dinning room a/c and the Master bedroom a/c. The cost to run those 2 window a/c units for 9 hours per day--all month was $270/month.

After they got a new 4.5 ton heating and a/c unit, dual speed for economy. When they ran that unit for only 6 hours a day. Their monthly cost was $486 a month. About double.

But after a few months of trial. They would run the window units at night, keeping their unit cooler, with the thermostat. So when the heat outside at 11am got unbearable, they'd turn off the window units and turn on the central a/c for awhile. Using both systems carefully, they got their costs down to around $350 per month, something they could live with.

Every year for the past 25 years, at least one tenant per summer has incorrectly accused their AC of not operating correctly in hot weather and some have demanded we pay the difference between what they think their bill "should" be and what it actually is...

We do rent to a fair number of young tenants who haven't a clue how AC works - or heat either - so we end up explaining the basic concepts fairly often. But sometimes it's older folks too.

This year we used a blanket announcement to everyone about the 20-degree rule, and received back a few replies saying "THANKS we did not understand this at all." So it was worth our time and tells us that we need to create an information/instruction document that is included in our lease packet, and that we need to do an announcement every summer too.

One issue that has caught us a few times before we realized just how ...uninformed...some people are is the FAN setting. Tenant said their unit was blowing hot air...turns out the fan was set to ON not AUTO and was blowing warmish air when the condenser wasn't running. Paid for at least one service call on that. Now we know to ask.

My daughter has her AC set to 67 degrees. Almost hurt when you walked in from the high heat.

She understands what is happening and that it costs her more. I think she gets the fact that she is putting more wear and tear on the brand new unit.