Paphos Life

It seems like there is no break in the hot temperatures.. Here in Polemi in the hills above Paphos it is already 31c in the shade before 10 am.. The forecast is for the temperature in the shade to reach 35c By 12 noon and to stay there for most of the afternoon..

PHEW.. Keep in the shade if you can.. I feel sure we will have the aircon on this afternoon

My air-con is running every day from 9.30 AM as soon my PV system produces more than my normal loads are, in order not to waste the electricity and EAC is the profiteer....

My weather station already showed 33c at 8.30 AM.... with 20% humidity.

Max

cyprusmax47 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:03 am My air-con is running every day from 9.30 AM as soon my PV system produces more than my normal loads are, in order not to waste the electricity and EAC is the profiteer....

My weather station already showed 33c at 8.30 AM.... with 20% humidity.

Max

If I need the air con, it goes on whether or not my PV is producing enough! Surprisingly, these hot summer days are not very good at producing electricity. In Spring it was producing over 20kWh. Yesterday just 15. I'm wondering is the panels need a wash when they've cooled down?

mike strand2 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:24 am

cyprusmax47 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:03 am My air-con is running every day from 9.30 AM as soon my PV system produces more than my normal loads are, in order not to waste the electricity and EAC is the profiteer....

Max

If I need the air con, it goes on whether or not my PV is producing enough! Surprisingly, these hot summer days are not very good at producing electricity. In Spring it was producing over 20kWh. Yesterday just 15. I'm wondering is the panels need a wash when they've cooled down?

In hotter conditions there is a large voltage drop as the modules getting sometimes more than 50c. This reduces the result of electricity one produces.
Clean modules are always leading to a better result. When they are in the shade, a little rinse with the garden hose does the job.

Max

I would say that EAC, charging 0.0428 per unit, including VAT as a Network charge, is not EAC profittering. That is just for any electric we use that is from the grid and goes through our meter. For us, it is a fairer system than the old flat rate charge of over €50 per bill. As we are running the aircon in the bedroom at night, and in living areas in the evening when it goes dark, we are using more through our meter at the moment than by solar power. Between 14 and 18 units through the meter and 10 units of solar power. It is 30c in the house at the moment without any aircon on, and when I do switch it on, when having our lunch, the temp will go down to 27c, which is comfortable. We have only had one day when we have consumed more then we have produced. In the bedrooms we have the aircon set at 26c and the fan on minimum setting, which we find comfortable.
I remember going into Greenair on a very hot summer's day. We were talking to Christos about new aircon units and he asked us to guess what temperature the aircon units in his office were set at. We guessed 20c and were surprised the hear they were set at 27c and it was a pleasant temperature compared to outside.
The beauty of solar power and our system is that we do not have to worry about the cost of putting the aircon on.
Keep cool everyone and do not be afraid of putting your aircon on if you are feeling hot, particularly if, like me, you have health issues. I swam early this morning, before the UV index rose and will go in the pool again this evening. I even managed a bike ride down to Mandria a couple of evenings ago.

Yes, very good post John. It is sensible for all 'oldies' like many of us are, to be careful to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated, to keep out of the sun at times when it Is hottest, to exercise early or later in the day and to keep as cool as possible in the heat. Like you I switch on my aircon, set at 26c when I need it and at night I have aircon and also sometimes the ceiling fan too.
OK, I am resigned to having a high electricity bill for now. But what price ones health?
Dee

My aircons are set at 29°C during the day, down to 28 or, rarely, 27°C in the evening. Electricity consumption very low once the set temp is reached.

I haven't needed aircon today, had the double glazed windows which have additional insulation on tilt, and the ceiling fan on high. Plus my veranda is covered So the sun only comes in late in the day.
This in Chloraka where the outside shade temperature was 37c this afternoon.

Dee

Phew, we still have the air con on and it went on around 12 noon. Due to go off soon though and it is set at 26c

We all have individual temperature preferences, plus it makes a difference the orientation of your living space; though not really relevant at night. I'm fortunate to have two windows in my bedroom that are closed & shuttered during the day and opened when the sun sets. I have a multi-speed overhead fan set to direct air upwards. I set the ac on for one hour on the 'sleep mode' & that gives me an ideal temp during sleep. In the living room the ac goes on around 11:30 set at 28C, assisted by 2 wall mounted fans, as I have a high ceiling.

Perhaps someone can tell me of the benefits of 'sleep mode' on an air con.. When I have a siesta in the afternoon in the bedroom i sometimes just set the aircon to switch off in 30 minutes..

Before we had solar panels and our new units we used to use sleep mode. It raised the running temperature by approx 1 degree c each hour. If one of us woke up hot, we could reset it and it would go through the same cycle again. Now we just supercool the bedroom using Jet mode and then set the aircon at 25c or 26c on minimum fan. We get a comfortable nights sleep with just a thin sheet on the bed. We have recently bought Marks and Sparks Comfortably Cool bedding online and find it does help keep you cool. We brought the pillows over from the UK and were impressed with them so have bought sheets and a comfortably cool mattress protector online. (mattress protector not available at the moment)