Air Con energy savers

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Our energy bills are ridiculous, so I have 3 Ecosense4000 (hard wired) units to fit in our bedrooms on next visit (September) I'll post back the outcome but we have previously used green-i energy savers with good results in the living areas. They time out after 2 hours with a pull cord reset so no good for bedrooms overnight but pretty effective for days out & general 'forgetfulness'
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Sun Lover
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Post by Sun Lover »

Have just seen these wifi plug controls for air con or anything without need of a hub.

its on the Leroy merlin .es site and is called enchufe wifi NEO, does anyone think they are what we are all looking for?
less that 50 euros each
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

Sun Lover wrote: its on the Leroy merlin .es site and is called enchufe wifi NEO, does anyone think they are what we are all looking for?
less that 50 euros each
*Casscat toddles off to navigate the Leroy Merlin site*
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Google NEO Wifi Power Switch (SW5101)

Power rating is 1800W but still trying to see if it's WiFi only or can be controlled externally. They even have them on Amazon.

Review here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EG_ahwJnOo
Sun Lover
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Post by Sun Lover »

My Spanish isn't great but looks like it can be controlled via smartfone and wifi

Controlar sus aparatos eléctricos desde su smartphone (requiere conexión a internet)
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

You need to have a plug on your appliance to plug into it. My air con units are hard wired :? The YouTube video really describes it more in terms of controlling lighting etc. for security purposes.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

COYS wrote:Our energy bills are ridiculous, so I have 3 Ecosense4000 (hard wired) units to fit in our bedrooms on next visit (September) I'll post back the outcome but we have previously used green-i energy savers with good results in the living areas. They time out after 2 hours with a pull cord reset so no good for bedrooms overnight but pretty effective for days out & general 'forgetfulness'
Well, they work OK as far as I can tell. Easy to wire as long as you're competent but takes a fair bit of trial/error to get the desired position/range etc. We were sleeping in very warm conditions that required nighttime air con & didn't experience any breaks in run time. They did, however switch off 15 minutes after bedrooms were empty.
In retrospect I wish I'd opted for the +version that can be programmed to a min/max temp as despite all our paraphernalia advising efficient cooling, when we arrived, every unit was set to 16c & probably running 24/7. A totally pointless, noisy & unhealthy way to cool your environment when it's 35c every day.
In short, if we can take the stupidity/inconsiderate option out of the equation, we will & though this may not be the definitive answer it seems to do what it it claims. My only reservation obviously is a mid season breakdown disabling the units but I suppose that could happen anyway without these wired in.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
nuneatonmark
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Post by nuneatonmark »

Has anyone looked at NEST? It seems to fit the bill for our Florida condo and would have three main functions I would be interested in 1. Can manage it remotely via wifi 2. Can lock high/low temperature settings limits 3. Is promoted as a 'learning' thermostat with a PIR sensor.
Nuneaton Mark
COYS
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Post by COYS »

nuneatonmark wrote:Has anyone looked at NEST? It seems to fit the bill for our Florida condo and would have three main functions I would be interested in 1. Can manage it remotely via wifi 2. Can lock high/low temperature settings limits 3. Is promoted as a 'learning' thermostat with a PIR sensor.
Wouldn't NEST work only with a single central thermostat as opposed to controlling individual air con units? (we have 4)
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
costa-brava
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Post by costa-brava »

I'm all in favour of cutting costs but looking at our latest electricity bills there is only about one third that's controllable and the other two thirds are fixed costs. So to get, let's say 25%) reduction in A/C usage will only give about 10% saving in one element of your bill. Perhaps a bottom line saving of 2 or 3%. Is it worth it? I know that the 2/3 fixed cost doesn't apply to everybody but it does for sure in our bills.
The system in Spain is that you contract according to your total requirements, so there is a contracted monthly cost plus equipment/line rental then the usage goes on top. And then of course VAT. So even if you switch everything off, you still get a whopping bill.
Homes that have A/C tend to be in the category where the contracted supply is high enough to support several modern appliances so your controls on the A/C will give minimal savings.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

My yearly electricity is around 2000 Euros. In July/August the bill this year was 822 Euros. I figure about 50% of my yearly bill is due to AC, so lets say 1000 Euros. If I can stop guests running all 5 AC units all day when they are not in the house, then I should be able to save at least 10% of the AC costs.

Therefore buying some 25 Euros AC controllers will pay for themselves in 1 season.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Our bills are metered, so different from your neck of the woods costabravarent. There is a nominal council tax element but in terms of consumption the largest element is AC by far & so much of it is unnecessarily wasted & though I'm no eco-warrior such wastage should be avoided where possible in todays world.
In a relatively short season (4 months) our bills regularly trump Kevs before factoring wear/tear & trying to get a high season breakdown service or re-gas.
Almost none of our visitors have any idea how to use the AC efficiently & either don't read or ignore the guides provided & most have zero concern for environmental responsibility, waste, cost etc.
Therefore, investing a relatively minor amount on removing the 'switch on & leave on' option seems wise enough.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
costa-brava
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Post by costa-brava »

WOW! I thought mine was bad at €205 for June/July! And that's 3 bedrooms with A/C, all electric kitchen and a jacuzzi on the roof. You say your bills are metered COYS but I don't understand what you mean. All facilities are metered, water, gas and light.
What do you have, a ten room mansion?
Just by coincidence I have received this email today.
https://dub115.mail.live.com/?tid=cmgfR ... id=flinbox
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

costabravarent wrote: Just by coincidence I have received this email today.
https://dub115.mail.live.com/?tid=cmgfR ... id=flinbox
Links to a webmail Inbox don't work. Well not unless you give us the username and password :P
COYS
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Post by COYS »

costabravarent wrote:WOW! I thought mine was bad at €205 for June/July! And that's 3 bedrooms with A/C, all electric kitchen and a jacuzzi on the roof. You say your bills are metered COYS but I don't understand what you mean. All facilities are metered, water, gas and light.
What do you have, a ten room mansion?
I just meant that there aren't any contract charges so we are only paying for metered consumption & a relatively minor local tax. Energy is both expensive & erratic - power cuts are common when demand is high.
No ten room mansions either I'm afraid. Just the 3 bedrooms, solar powered hot water, LED lighting etc so we do what we can in terms of 'green' energy. Didn't stop us running up a bi-monthly bill of 843 euro last reading & we still have August/September to come!
Like Kev I'd guess that at least half or more goes on AC & so much of that is total waste. We've learned the hard way that if it can be left running non stop - it will be, regardless of whether rooms are occupied, or people are out for the day/night.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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