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The good and the bad

May 18th, 2017 at 12:14 pm

First, the bad.

I must have told myself three times to write myself a sticky note and put it on my thermostat. The note would read: Do not turn on central air without taking outdoor cover off.

You know what happened, right? Yesterday was the first of 3 very hot and humid days, up to 95 today. Before leaving for work I set the thermostat to kick on when indoor temps reached 80 degrees. This was the very first time I'd be using it since having it installed in April.

I forgot to take the cover off.

I'm not sure when the AC would have kicked on yesterday, but maybe about 1 pm. All windows were shut and blinds drawn. So it was running, on and off for about 5 hours, until I came home from work and suddenly "remembered."

The hottest it ever gets indoors without AC is about 84 degrees.

It was noticeably cooler (tho not by a lot) and drier when I came home yesterday. So it had been on and running.

I went online to look for info on whether I damaged my AC. Some people said forget it, if you run it with the cover on, it's fried, while others said there's an automatic emergency shut-off switch that prevents it from overheating, but if that kicks on it won't run again until you manually reset it.

Well, my AC is running fine. I'm not sure why it would NOT have overheated. The cover that was on it does not cover the entire unit. The bottom 6 or 8 inches are left exposed even with the cover on, to prevent condensation from building up and rusting parts all winter long.

Maybe that helped? Maybe it helped that I set the AC to run at a relatively high temperature and it didn't need to run as much as I thought?

Maybe there's an automatic shut-off switch that doesn't need a manual reset? I don't know but I am SO SO SO thankful my idiocy does not "appear" to have damaged my new unit.

I'm happy with how it's operating though I must say the upstairs is, as usual, warmer than the downstairs. I'm not sure at what temp I should leave it on while I'm at work.

The cats make do and lay low in hot conditions, but my main concern when I'm not here is protecting my mother's art from humidity. I think I have it set at 75 now and it feels okay upstairs, but I'm wondering how many $$ that's going to add to my electric bill. Which is a good reason to re-check current electric rates. I usually lock in for a year when possible, but you can switch suppliers if you find one at a lower price without penalty, if that's the kind of plan you signed up for (and I always do). So rates could have fallen since I last signed up.

I will be very interested, and a little fearful, to see how running the AC affects my monthly bill.

In other news, I'm trying to organize my work and home schedule moving forward and asked my new manager to clarify how long I'd be working for. He said the next project will probably start in a few weeks and may overlap the existing project I'm working on now. So it sounds like no break in between. They hired a 2nd writer to help.

The deadline for the 2nd project is Sept. 1 but he's not sure at this point if I'd be working non-stop or if there would be little breaks/intervals throughout (which I'm rather hoping for, so I can play catch up on personal stuff, but not if that would reduce my overall income from this job).

Thinking about it now, I guess the deadline is the deadline. So I may just need to buckle down without breaks if I want to maximize my income because if I don't do it, the other writer will probably pick up the slack and draw from my hours.

But the good news is that instead of grossing just $8800 for 1 month's work, I am looking at earning over $35,000 for 4 months' work!

I have a doc appointment end of this month so will only work a half day that day. I am going back to my neurologist about my toes on right foot. They became numb 3 years ago shortly after I pulled my hamstring and that never disappeared. I saw 3 podiatrists, who did x-rays, and the neurologist, who tested and found my nerve conduction was normal.

Now my toes feel more stiff than numb and I'd like to rule out MS, Lyme and arthritis. I don't think it's the 1st 2, really, but not sure about arthritis. I just know the toes are very stiff and hard to flex and I might say the ankle is a bit stiff too, compared to the left foot. And I also can't walk barefoot anymore or that foot becomes very sore very quickly.

8 Responses to “The good and the bad”

  1. CB in the City Says:
    1495115586

    That's an amazing income for four months! Stiffness certainly sounds like arthritis to me.

  2. kashi Says:
    1495115643

    I'm glad the job is going well! My coworker fell ill after she turned on the air conditioner without taking off the cover and went to bed (nausea, dizziness, etc). Glad you and the kitties are ok!

  3. Dido Says:
    1495143379

    I'm glad your A/C is still working despite the mishap, and glad that you have the opportunity to earn so much money in such a short time. I hope the new doctor has an answer for you on the stiff/numb toes.

  4. Carol Says:
    1495145767

    When you get a chance would you tell us ( me) more about switching electricity suppliers and what to look out for when you do switch? Thanks.
    So glad the a.c. is okay!

  5. PatientSaver Says:
    1495191928

    HI, Carol.

    This is the state website I use when shopping for electricity suppliers: https://www.energizect.com/compare-energy-suppliers

    It makes it super easy to compare rates. However, you can't go simply by who is offering the cheapest per kilowatt rate because some suppliers charge an enrollment fee and/or a cancellation fee if you cancel before the stated term of 4 months, a year or whatever is up.

    If you find one you like you can sign up online or over the phone.

    In CT, there are 2 main providers: Eversource and United Illuminating. I'm with Eversource. So when I sign up or switch electrical providers, I still get my bill from Eversource and it will show on the bill that I am buying electricity from XYZ Company. But Eversource is still responsible for other aspects of the service provided to me, like maintaining the grid, etc; only the source of the electricity I buy comes from the other company. Does that make sense?

    I think most companies are banking on the fact that the majority of consumers don't have the time or discipline to constantly monitor fluctuations in electricity rates. That's why they offer special deals with a low per kilowatt rate for 3 months only, . After that, if you're not paying close attention, your rates will rise. They also offer extra low variable rates, but just like with a variable mortgage, your rate could jump all over the place.

    I just mark on my desk calendar to check for rates when the initial term is going to expire. I used to shop for my mother's electricity, too, when she was alive.

    Aren't you in NJ, and can you shop for electricity there as well? They deregulated years ago in CT because historically, CT has had the highest electricity rates in the nation, and this was an effort to bring prices down. There are many dozens of companies out there vying for your business but I don't think prices have fallen all that much.

    My preference is to lock into a fixed rate for a longer period, like a year, with no cancellation or enrollment fees.

  6. Carol Says:
    1495201068

    Thank you! I'm in NH and I keep getting these offers, but I was leary. So now I can check it out with more info.

  7. PatientSaver Says:
    1495231266

    See if your state has a website consolidating all the offers...it makes it much easier.

  8. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1495307068

    Glad your A/C is working still!

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