Moving to Dallas Texas - Free Advice Welcome! (1 Viewer)

[Psychopav]

Also, how come nobody warned me about the cost of electricity in the summer? Holy ####!! My first electric bill (July - August) was over $600. Turning the thermostats to 75 now and hoping it makes a dent (and the wife is already crying about that).

75 is pretty cold. Most people go 80 here during the day. We set to 82 from 1-7pm or so and run ceiling fans and keep the blinds drawn. Never seen one above 250 and we run two AC systems.

Here in memphis it's not TOO much different temp-wise than the Dallas area... I keep our house at 76-78 during the day while we're gone and it drops to 72 an hour before I get home... then 70 around bedtime.

I can't imagine 82... that would suck. I can't really sleep well when it's 76+

Well if you run your AC and the inside is more than 20 degrees off from outside it's basically just pumping money out of your wallet.

You're kidding right? so in Phx when it hits 115 for 3 months straight you can't get you home below 95. You have no idea what you are talking about.

True datProblem to I'd that my wife and kids are home during the day. I can't bump the thermostat to 80. She almost took my head off for the 75 today.

2 ac's and we did end up with a pretty big house (btwn 3600 and 3700 sq ft).

Nut sure about the misting, I've never heard of that. Also deals on the Windows are shot, I suppose that could be a part of it.

Anyone have any experience with dollar panels here? With all the sun it seems like they would be a great fit.

 

[Psychopav]

Don't move to Dallas. Plastic town that wants to be LA but stuck in an Atlanta/OKC hybrid :rubbish:

Way off base from what we've seen so far. I'm very happy with it so far and this coming from a VERY provincial native of Chicagoland. Seems like a great blend of northern efficiency and southern hospitality.

 

[culdeus]

Here in memphis it's not TOO much different temp-wise than the Dallas area... I keep our house at 76-78 during the day while we're gone and it drops to 72 an hour before I get home... then 70 around bedtime.

I can't imagine 82... that would suck. I can't really sleep well when it's 76+

Well if you run your AC and the inside is more than 20 degrees off from outside it's basically just pumping money out of your wallet.

The Old 20-degree drop rule doesn't apply if your home is properly insulated and you're not opening/closing doors all day. The true 20 drop rule should be air temp at the in/out points of the system.

My house will hold mid to lower 70's when temps are in the 105 range without too much issue... definitely not a case where the AC unit is running at 100% duty. Bill is usually around ~$200 in peak of summer for a ~2k sqft home.

I guess I could see that being an issue if your system isn't sized properly for your home.

Guy has a 600 elec bill. Something is wrong.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

75 degress is freezing. How does your wife stand it? I keep the AC set at 78.

 

[culdeus]

Also, how come nobody warned me about the cost of electricity in the summer? Holy ####!! My first electric bill (July - August) was over $600. Turning the thermostats to 75 now and hoping it makes a dent (and the wife is already crying about that).

75 is pretty cold. Most people go 80 here during the day. We set to 82 from 1-7pm or so and run ceiling fans and keep the blinds drawn. Never seen one above 250 and we run two AC systems.

Here in memphis it's not TOO much different temp-wise than the Dallas area... I keep our house at 76-78 during the day while we're gone and it drops to 72 an hour before I get home... then 70 around bedtime.

I can't imagine 82... that would suck. I can't really sleep well when it's 76+

Well if you run your AC and the inside is more than 20 degrees off from outside it's basically just pumping money out of your wallet.

You're kidding right? so in Phx when it hits 115 for 3 months straight you can't get you home below 95. You have no idea what you are talking about.

Houses in Phoneix are built very differently than here and the humidity levels are quite different.

 

[culdeus]

Also, how come nobody warned me about the cost of electricity in the summer? Holy ####!! My first electric bill (July - August) was over $600. Turning the thermostats to 75 now and hoping it makes a dent (and the wife is already crying about that).

75 is pretty cold. Most people go 80 here during the day. We set to 82 from 1-7pm or so and run ceiling fans and keep the blinds drawn. Never seen one above 250 and we run two AC systems.

Here in memphis it's not TOO much different temp-wise than the Dallas area... I keep our house at 76-78 during the day while we're gone and it drops to 72 an hour before I get home... then 70 around bedtime.

I can't imagine 82... that would suck. I can't really sleep well when it's 76+

Well if you run your AC and the inside is more than 20 degrees off from outside it's basically just pumping money out of your wallet.

You're kidding right? so in Phx when it hits 115 for 3 months straight you can't get you home below 95. You have no idea what you are talking about.

True datProblem to I'd that my wife and kids are home during the day. I can't bump the thermostat to 80. She almost took my head off for the 75 today.

2 ac's and we did end up with a pretty big house (btwn 3600 and 3700 sq ft).

Nut sure about the misting, I've never heard of that. Also deals on the Windows are shot, I suppose that could be a part of it.

Anyone have any experience with dollar panels here? With all the sun it seems like they would be a great fit.

The misting is some solution where you spray water at it or something to get the evaporation effect of water.. Seems like a crock of #### to me, but some people swear by it.

 

[Statcruncher]

Here's my experience with solar screens.

Edited to add: that was 7 years ago and they still look/work well.

 

[Bogart]

So what suburbs in the north part of Fort Worth that have easier access not just to downtown, but also to Grapevine (visiting friends/relatives) are desirable?

Keller (its school district includes parts of north FW, Watauga, etc)

Southlake

Colleyville / Grapevine

Trophy Club / Roanoke (Northwest ISD) - this might be a stretch for your work commute

also some nice areas in the Hurst/Euless/Beford (HEB) and Birdville school districts.

This is pretty spot on.

And while FWISD is still pretty ####ed up, the school districts of those areas are top notch.

I'm partial to Fort Worth over Dallas as the downtown area is already much better than Dallas and getting better. My goal within the next 5 years is to move out of my house in East Fort Worth and move downtown, but that's because I don't have to worry about schools for my kids. If I did, I would be back in Keller or the BirdvilleISD area.

 

[gump]

Anyone hung out at Dek on Dragon yet?

 

[Phil Elliott]

Also, how come nobody warned me about the cost of electricity in the summer? Holy ####!! My first electric bill (July - August) was over $600. Turning the thermostats to 75 now and hoping it makes a dent (and the wife is already crying about that).

75 is pretty cold. Most people go 80 here during the day. We set to 82 from 1-7pm or so and run ceiling fans and keep the blinds drawn. Never seen one above 250 and we run two AC systems.

Here in memphis it's not TOO much different temp-wise than the Dallas area... I keep our house at 76-78 during the day while we're gone and it drops to 72 an hour before I get home... then 70 around bedtime.

I can't imagine 82... that would suck. I can't really sleep well when it's 76+

Well if you run your AC and the inside is more than 20 degrees off from outside it's basically just pumping money out of your wallet.

You're kidding right? so in Phx when it hits 115 for 3 months straight you can't get you home below 95. You have no idea what you are talking about.

True datProblem to I'd that my wife and kids are home during the day. I can't bump the thermostat to 80. She almost took my head off for the 75 today.

2 ac's and we did end up with a pretty big house (btwn 3600 and 3700 sq ft).

Nut sure about the misting, I've never heard of that. Also deals on the Windows are shot, I suppose that could be a part of it.

Anyone have any experience with dollar panels here? With all the sun it seems like they would be a great fit.

We are in Austin and have had solar panels for about 18 months. Its probably a 4-6 year payoff to break even. 28 panels for 6.76 kW DC. Maximum production is about 42kWh per day and our top daily usage is about 70 kWh in summer. Provides $75 to $110 in energy each month. The solar provides 59% of our total energy. In some months we end up with a small surplus of energy produced and get a credit on next months bill. Energy companies have different types of rebate programs for solar and I believe you can still take a 30% credit on your federal tax return (see your tax advisor). One thing to consider are the hail storms you get in the metroplex. We just had our roof replaced due to hail damage in the Spring. The insurance will pay for the panels to be removed (2 hours) and reinstalled (5 hours). Insurance covers them since they are attached to your home, but you will may want to increase your total home coverage by the cost of the system in case of a total home loss. In Texas the cost of solar panels cannot be added to the appraised value of your home (you need to file an annual exemption of course) but they do add to the value of your home due to the reduced energy bills (see your local real estate broker for formula). The panels have a hail certification (something like a 1" hail stone travelling at 50 mph hitting panel at 90 degree angle). Due to the panels usually being installed on a roof with a slope, their is "usually" seldom hail damage. You will want to check out the local experiences. The system itself it totally maintenance free. Minor but important detail is they usually are parallel to your roof line so you need a Southern, Western, South Eastern exposure to the sun. Here's an article about Elon Musk wanting to provide solar installations in DFW area for less than grid pricing https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/solar-power-rooftop-solar-panels-dallas-san-antonio so maybe there are some deals/incentives to be had. Feel free to pm if you have any interest. Another thing to consider is the solar sheeting over the windows (especially southern/western exposure). 3M makes a good product. You may be able to get some rebates on that also.

 

[Psychopav]

Thanks Phil. I clearly have some research work to do around feasibility in my town. I appreciate the info!