When are you using your air con throughout the day and year?

[Resa]

Instead of spending 500.000 Thb to get our land connected to the power grid we consider a solar setup. The self sufficiency aspect appeals to us as well.

We plan to move to our land in Chiang Mai next year and it would be great to hear from you when you run your ac during the day, on what temperature and how this changes througout the year.

[worgeordie]

I don't have any A/c at our house,personally I don't like it, been British I was never used to A/cs until

I started traveling, Americans on the other hand do not seem able to live without it, been brought up

with it I suppose.

All we do is leave as many windows open as possible,sleep with open windows, around the house we have

lots of trees and plants ,also a few small ponds, all that keeps the house at a livable temperature 99%

of the time, couple of weeks maximum do we wish it was a bit cooler, but no real problem.

We just use fans, ceiling and floor fans, just put one on in the room we are in, good enough, we also

have solar water heater for the hot water.

Good luck with your venture, first thing to do is plant trees they will save you money in the long term.

regards Worgeordie

[Resa]

Thanks, that sounds good. Im rather tired of using the ac all the time here in Bangkok so I look forward to using it as little as possible up in Chiang Mai.

[Naam]

Thanks, that sounds good. Im rather tired of using the ac all the time here in Bangkok so I look forward to using it as little as possible up in Chiang Mai.

you shouldn't have any problems running your aircon as little as possible. with your planned solar setup you'll run it most probably not at all.

[Resa]

No need to talk about our solar setup. This thread is about air con usage.

[SantiSuk]

Build your house with the floor at least a metre higher than the ground level and make sure that there are windows and doors of a good size on all four sides of the house so that through drafts can be maximised. Build verandahs or wide roof overhangs right around the house and yes judicious use of trees helps a lot. I thought it was daft and just aggrandisement when my wife insisted I change the house design plans to raise it 1.5 metres high (not on stilts - it just has a semi-basement, albeit only accessible form the outside and uninhabited except by creepy-crawlies). But, she was spot-on. When I'm in the house doing some work or leisure that involves sitting down I tend to sit at a table in one of those through drafts. I rarely put the aircon on until late afternoon (I need to build some flyscreens to insert in doorways that up till now must be closed against mozzies at about 5:30pm - another project for the future).

Aircon is rarely on for more than 3 or 4 hours and it is usually the Thai members of our household that switch it on! Maybe 5 days of the year in February it will be hot enough to keep the aircon on all night but we usually set it on a one hour sleep timer for other hot nights in the hot season months of Jan to Apr and rely on the bedrooom floor fans thereafter. I have got used to sleeping on top of the bed wearing only lightweight shorts.

When the pre-rainstorm winds blow I throw all the doors and windows open - knocks the internal temperature down by up to 10 degrees and half of that lasts the evening. After a few years here you will find you can tolerate an aircon setting of 28 degrees quite happily (except for nookie - I don't function properly when physical effort is involved above 25 degrees, but that's already far too much information).

Have a floor fan for every room except bathrooms. Ceiling fans are only useful in bedrooms and small rooms and floor fans are much more flexible in any event. I find that my injudicious use of them makes me drink at least 3 litres of water a day though. Oh - and have good heavy curtains (or shutters I guess) which you keep closed when you can feel direct sunlight searing through the glass.

I need to retro-fit my house now with more ceiling extractors and electric vents for the roof void. I notice that the existing two bathroom ceiling extractors (buy larger than you would need just for a bathroom) are great machines for pulling cooler air through the house from an aircon unit in a distant room for a few minutes (or form an open door/window for a longer time period when the outside temperature drops in late afternoon. They would be even more effective with the hot roof air being sucked out through roof vents. Like many falangs here the house was built with one eye on the potential for a worst-case scenario so if I had my time all over again now I would be paying much more attention to, and money for, all aspects of eco-design. The through drafts, raised floor level and strategically placed ceiling fans were just serendipitous.

Edited August 6, 2013 by SantiSuk

[stoneyboy]

I don't have any A/c at our house,personally I don't like it, been British I was never used to A/cs until

I started traveling, Americans on the other hand do not seem able to live without it, been brought up

with it I suppose.

All we do is leave as many windows open as possible,sleep with open windows, around the house we have

lots of trees and plants ,also a few small ponds, all that keeps the house at a livable temperature 99%

of the time, couple of weeks maximum do we wish it was a bit cooler, but no real problem.

We just use fans, ceiling and floor fans, just put one on in the room we are in, good enough, we also

have solar water heater for the hot water.

Good luck with your venture, first thing to do is plant trees they will save you money in the long term.

regards Worgeordie

Being British it should surely work the other way,you should crave the cool air,I mean I always slept with the window open in the UK all year round even with snow on the ground.

[elektrified]

I never had an A/C in many years of living in the USA (did have a swamp cooler for a while but seldom used it). I think it is more likely for people form Florida, Louisiana, etc. where it is more humid to have had A/C, but not for people from other parts of the country. But I could not imagine living here without A/C! It is just too hot and humid. We don't use A/C this time of year, but from March through June or early July we use it often, especially this past hot season where we ran it close to 16-18 hours per day. It was very hot this last hot season. It is cheap to run A/C here. Our bill this last hot season was never more than 2400-2500 Baht per month, running A/C 16-18 hours per day, sometime 2 units simultaneously.

[Suradit69]

I never had an A/C in many years of living in the USA (did have a swamp cooler for a while but seldom used it). I think it is more likely for people form Florida, Louisiana, etc. where it is more humid to have had A/C, but not for people from other parts of the country. But I could not imagine living here without A/C! It is just too hot and humid. We don't use A/C this time of year, but from March through June or early July we use it often, especially this past hot season where we ran it close to 16-18 hours per day. It was very hot this last hot season. It is cheap to run A/C here. Our bill this last hot season was never more than 2400-2500 Baht per month, running A/C 16-18 hours per day, sometime 2 units simultaneously.

I thought of this recently when, on two occasions, I met someone in the lift at our condo who complained about the heat (in Pattaya).

One said he "had to" run the a/c 24/7 and his electric bill was horrendous, several times the 2500 you quoted. I guess it depends on what you're used to, but I find it to be fairly cool this time of the year, especially at night. I don't use the a/c more than 5 times a year and that's usually only a few nights in April and May when the heat and humidity make sleep uncomfortable. I can't remember ever being in Chiang Mai when I felt air conditioning was really needed.

Glad I can avoid the considerable additional cost, plus I don't like closing all the windows and balcony doors and sealing myself off from the sea breeze, birds chirping and (subdued) street sounds.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Suradit69

[Resa]

Excellent suggestions Santisuk. Thank you.

We plan to live on the first floor only anyway and will elevate the house with pilings. The one ac unit we plan to install will be just for the smaller sized bedroom.

We are on a slight slope on top of a hill and have a constant breeze almost all year around (according to the neighbors and every time we have been there). The good view is also towards the north so in terms of energy effciency at least the environment is in our favor.

Right now in Bkk we sleep with the air con on 27 and that is mostly because of reducing the outside noise that we would have in the morning if we would sleep with windows open.

[northernjohn]

We ran it all of March. To keep all the windows and doors open would just have made breathing hard as the smoke and smog can get pretty bad here in Chiang Mai, I recall one year seeing them talking about it on CNN. Also you do not have to live in the city at that time of the year to experience it. If out in it to much my eyes will get sore.

Money is nice but my health is more important. Make good and sure you get good screens if you are planning on leaving the windows open 24 7. A friend of mine told me up in Pie they had over 300 cases of dengue fever in the hospital with reports of Malaria in the hill tribes. Yesterday here in Chiang Mai I saw a truck that said Malaria control on the side of it.

[Naam]

No need to talk about our solar setup. This thread is about air con usage.

make up your mind!

Resa

Instead of spending 500.000 Thb to get our land connected to the power grid we consider a solar setup.

[Resa]

@northernjohn: Yes we plan on getting good screens for all windows and doors. March will be our traveling month so I think most of the time we will be gone when the heavy smoke comes in.

@naam: I provided background information why I want to talk about air con usage. If you would pay attention to the context of what is written you would understand that.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Build your house with the floor at least a metre higher than the ground level

Why is that beneficial?

[circusman]

Our a/c is on almost everyday. 27 or 28 C. In the bedrooms at night. It gets bloody hot in Chiang Mai. I feel 3,000 baht for electricity a month is well worth it.

[Andrew83]

I design photovoltaic solar systems (battery and grid-tie) here in Thailand.

I just did some very rough calculations and without a generator you'd be looking at approx. THB150-180k to run a smallish AC unit for 4 hours a day.

60% of that is the battery cost, which last about 5-8 years. If you want a proper quote let me know

Edited August 7, 2013 by Andrew83

[TravelerEastWest]

We live in the center of Chiang Mai and run AC all year almost 24 hours set at 25 except for the coldest part of the winter.

If you are in the countryside with a very well built house you could cut back quite a bit I'm sure.

Electricity is not that expensive so unless you really don't like AC or are on a tight budget why not use AC?

Chiang Mai can get quite hot although not as humid as Bangkok.

[Joe Mamma]

If you are building, i would use the roof reflective treatment beneath the tiles and get tiles with UV/heat resistant and invest in an AC with a DC inverter or a solar panel for the AC compressor.

Then you can figure how your houses variables are acclimated to the seasons nuances. A large swamp cooler with a duct outlet to a window is very good for those in between days.

[masuk]

Build your house with the floor at least a metre higher than the ground level

Why is that beneficial?

I would think the cooler air under the house might help as well, but no doubt being a little higher catches more breeze than it would at ground level.

In northern Australia, many of the homes are built in "Queenslander" Style, with the first floor a minimum of 8ft up. The resulting basement is often used as a car port and laundry. Before ceiling insulation and roof ventilation became popular, many families would move downstairs to sleep, as the rooms up top were like ovens.

[MESmith]

Build a 2 storey house. In the hot season, the upstairs will be hot during the day, cool downstairs. Night time, open windows to let in the cool air. Exhaust fan in bedroom ceilings to expel hot air, suck in cool air. Works well unless outside air is smoke / smog

If you're relying on solar power, AC probably wont be an option.

Opening windows during the daytime in hot season may create a breeze, but it'll be like sitting in front of a hair dryer. Open windows in morning to let cool air in, close all windows when it's hot out.

Edited August 7, 2013 by MESmith

[SantiSuk]

Build a 2 storey house. In the hot season, the upstairs will be hot during the day, cool downstairs. Night time, open windows to let in the cool air. Exhaust fan in bedroom ceilings to expel hot air, suck in cool air. Works well unless outside air is smoke / smog

If you're relying on solar power, AC probably wont be an option.

Opening windows during the daytime in hot season may create a breeze, but it'll be like sitting in front of a hair dryer. Open windows in morning to let cool air in, close all windows when it's hot out.

Yes that's the proper strategy for the height of Summer, but in Isaan at least I find that the open-it-up approach works well pretty much all day for 10 months of the year. We are a lot drier here in Sourhern Issaan than the humidity faced in the Central areas though.

It also helps to get up early and throw everything open as soon as you are sure there are no mozzies around - usually 6:30 am but not before works well here (farming hours almost - the best time of day for doing stuff around the outside anyway. It's amazing how much heat a house retains overnight and the early morning blast, often at the low 20s here for 8 months of the year gives you a good start.

[carib102]

I guess most of the replies are from people who live in the north. Here in Bangkok we run the a/c in the living space 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night most days June-Feb. We run it almost constantly from March through June. The bedroom a/c is run from 1 hour before bed through the morning all year round. Living area a/c is set at 22, bedroom a/c is set at 18. I am originally from PA and my wife is Thai. Electric runs about 4000 per month June-Feb and 5500 March through June. It's not always the heat either, its the humidity. For example, tonight I turned off the a/c and opened the balcony doors and within 2 minutes it was soupy in the condo...and this is August. April would be unbearable within 2 minutes. That being said, when we visit the in-laws in Tak it is much cooler (I have occasionally wished for a sweatshirt), so in Chiang Mai I imagine your a/c use would be much less.

[Naam]

@northernjohn: Yes we plan on getting good screens for all windows and doors. March will be our traveling month so I think most of the time we will be gone when the heavy smoke comes in.

@naam: I provided background information why I want to talk about air con usage. If you would pay attention to the context of what is written you would understand that.

and based on that background information i stated a fact (aircon usage in context with photovoltaic electricity generation).

but if you think it would help if i told you about my aircon usage you are welcome to read my posting (day before yesterday) which is self-explanatory. here's the link:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/656816-how-much-do-u-spend-for-a-good-life-in-thailand/page-6#entry6685021

[Emdog]

Just a slight dig at Americans in this thread. C'mon guys, get with it! I am USA guy, from Oregon with great climate, not humid. But I only use air con in April. Can't stand the wall in freezers known as theaters, and can't be in malls for long. Do use fans all the time. I say "get used to the heat. If I can do it, you can". Not that I am a health freak, but think it is better not to have. I am not sure if my air con even works. And yes, it is not a question of money for me.

[MESmith]

I guess most of the replies are from people who live in the north.

It is the Chiang Mai forum

[harryfrompattaya]

So many rich people being cheap with Electric

[ALFREDO]

I don't have any A/c at our house,personally I don't like it, been British I was never used to A/cs until

I started traveling, Americans on the other hand do not seem able to live without it, been brought up

with it I suppose.

All we do is leave as many windows open as possible,sleep with open windows, around the house we have

lots of trees and plants ,also a few small ponds, all that keeps the house at a livable temperature 99%

of the time, couple of weeks maximum do we wish it was a bit cooler, but no real problem.

We just use fans, ceiling and floor fans, just put one on in the room we are in, good enough, we also

have solar water heater for the hot water.

Good luck with your venture, first thing to do is plant trees they will save you money in the long term.

regards Worgeordie

No insects, no mosquitoes, sometime after rain,next day, ephemera-mayflies at every lit object?

I have a small Aircon in my small sleeping room and she runs whenever I find it appropriate!

The bill in hotter month, 1.800.- Baht. In cool month, 700.- Baht.

[ALFREDO]

Maybe 5 days of the year in February it will be hot enough to keep the aircon on all night but we usually set it on a one hour sleep timer for other hot nights in the hot season months of Jan to Apr and rely on the bedrooom floor fans thereafter.

Right, in Februar, I use sometimes my electric heater in the night and in the morning ! For some hours. Udon Thani that is!

Can be electric heating nights and mornings in Jan - beginning March.

Thailand has really a diverse climate!

[Resa]

Thanks a lot for the great information!

If you are building, i would use the roof reflective treatment beneath the tiles and get tiles with UV/heat resistant and invest in an AC with a DC inverter or a solar panel for the AC compressor.

Then you can figure how your houses variables are acclimated to the seasons nuances. A large swamp cooler with a duct outlet to a window is very good for those in between days.

What kind of roofing would you suggest? Is white colorbond a good option?

[Khunangkaro]

Every visiter agrees that our house, 39KM East of Amnat Charoen, is very cool without air-conditioning.

I designed as much flow in AND flow OUT as follows.

Redwood house downstairs all open, have kitchen with large sitting and also room for parking truck and motorbikes. Cool wind comes from large green garden, but with heavy rainstorm rain wets the floor. In future must make overhang around downstairs to keep rain out and have carport as well.

Upstairs have windows all around sliding up/down. Roofed balcony/veranda at North & East. Walk inside at East through folding doors 2.40M wide. Panelled ceiling goes up with the roof that has large air slots at the ridge North and South, which give maximum outflow of even the slightest warmer inside air. Overhanging roof tiled with light colored C-Pack on alumni foil.

Sometimes use floor fan.

Electricity bill 400-450฿/month.

Attach pictures does not work with me?? Sorry.

Can ask me to mail pictures.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Khunangkaro