Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and i were just talking about this. He says you can only expect the air conditioner to be 20 degrees below what it is outside. our house is often at 78 during the day.

He's right. HVAC installers have what's called the "design temperature," which is the hottest outdoor temperature the unit is expected to maintain indoor comfort for. Design temperature for Washington, DC is 92F.

I don’t know if this is correct. All ACs are designed for 95 outside temp. All of them

Anonymous wrote:My husband and i were just talking about this. He says you can only expect the air conditioner to be 20 degrees below what it is outside. our house is often at 78 during the day.

He's right. HVAC installers have what's called the "design temperature," which is the hottest outdoor temperature the unit is expected to maintain indoor comfort for. Design temperature for Washington, DC is 92F.

Anonymous wrote:Especially if you have an older home? Our house hits 80 every day in this damn heat.

Tell us more what’s going on. 80 upstairs or downstairs? What is ac set for? Attic well insulated?

Sounds like you need your unit serviced. Our 20+ yo system has no issues.

75 year old home, 3 year old hvac.House is set to 77/day (starting at 6am), 72/night (starting at 7:30pm)

Honestly most days it doesn't need to come on until about 4pm. So yes, it "keeps up" totally fine.

Anonymous wrote:My husband and i were just talking about this. He says you can only expect the air conditioner to be 20 degrees below what it is outside. our house is often at 78 during the day.

air intake vs out should be ~15degree difference.

Anonymous wrote:My husband and i were just talking about this. He says you can only expect the air conditioner to be 20 degrees below what it is outside. our house is often at 78 during the day.

Our main level is always what we set it at, 72. Upper level afternoon is 76 and basement 65 or so. You probably have an old unit.

My husband and i were just talking about this. He says you can only expect the air conditioner to be 20 degrees below what it is outside. our house is often at 78 during the day.

It’s good enough for sleeping but our kitchen is like 83 right now. 76 in living room. I open up when it gets dark.

Anonymous wrote:1st floor is fine, second floor not so much.

same. house is 1938 and the a/c was retrofitted sometime after that (1950s?)
We have a couple of window units upstairs for the rooms who don't get much air, the rest of the house is fine.
New AC unit in 2020.

1st floor is fine, second floor not so much.

Yes, no problem at all. 1250 sqft home + basement. We keep it at 75 and it doesn't click on a ton. Basement stays frigid.

We have 3400 sqft, temp set to 72, and there are certain rooms that are always a bit warm. Our master bedroom and bath get the most sun, so they’re definitely warmer. And the lower level is significantly cooler. I need a sweater when I’m downstairs.

30 yo house with original AC unit set for 78 day and night. normal operation here. 78 with fan is not too bad for us

Especially if you have an older home? Our house hits 80 every day in this damn heat.