I have a small storage shed in my back yard - it's ~100 sq ft. I want to move some items out there (drum set and other heat sensitive things) and am considering putting a window unit in.

This hOme 5000 BTU Window Mounted Air Conditioner
Frigidaire FFRE0633S1 6,000 BTU 115V says it has an estimated yearly cost of $41 $44 to run it. I live in south central Texas. The temps have been in the high 90's/low 100's, with a heat index at a high of 106 the past week or so.

I'm trying to keep the temperature in the low-mid 80's - what's a realistic monthly cost to run to expect out of this? An extra $10, up to $20 per month?

And correct me if this unit can't handle a storage shed - there's only 1 window, so there isn't any other ventilation. No insulation either.


Thanks

if you can wait a few weeks you will see some YUGE discounts at the big box stores as they move away from A/C season. I would get a brand name not whatever that thing is. You can get a good 5000 or even 10000BTU unit for a similar price at Lowes.
No idea about the cost to run, never pay much attention to that. A small window unit should not be a big deal.


and a 10 x 10 shed should be easy to cool down with any small unit. Might want to look into some easily installed insulation even if you just put it on the west facing wall and the roof.

Good point on the sales, I'll keep that in mind.

I would definitely get some insulation in there. Very simple and will end up paying for itself in a hurry.

On a 10,000 btu set on 60 degrees, my bill went up between $60-$80 per month that was in a 200 sq ft garage. Also I've ran a 10,000 btu on an old non insulated farm house attempting to cool 2 rooms and in the summer it added about $80-$100 to the bill. In the farm house it ran nonstop except would cut off from about 3 am to 6 am. This was summertime usage in BCS based on Bryan utility rates

Always read the yellow tags. They tell you what the costs are and how they calculated it.

It is for 8 hours a day. For 3 months, at $0.12 a kW/h.

So 720 hours a year. So if you are running it in Texas, I would assume it would be about 7 months a year. Maybe more, depending on what you want to control (temp or humidity).

~egon

Aggietaco said:

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Work on air sealing and insulating that shed, otherwise it's like trying to cool 100 square feet of your back yard.

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That.

The yellow tag info is really only good for comparing one unit to another, not predicting your real costs. There are a great deal of variables in where and how it is installed.

agree with sealing and insulating... two or three tubes of caulk, a couple rolls of batting, and treo sticks of staples will go a long way. Might need some twine to ruin across the rafters to keep that in place.

Climate control is as much humidity control as temperature. Also for good stuff, its about bugs and rodents as well.

Thanks everyone, very helpful.

JP76 said:

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On a 10,000 btu set on 60 degrees, my bill went up between $60-$80 per month that was in a 200 sq ft garage. Also I've ran a 10,000 btu on an old non insulated farm house attempting to cool 2 rooms and in the summer it added about $80-$100 to the bill. In the farm house it ran nonstop except would cut off from about 3 am to 6 am. This was summertime usage in BCS based on Bryan utility rates

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Out of curiosity, why are you keeping a garage at 60 in the summer?

Make sure you use an insulated foam around the opening to seal it, and also get insulated side panels for it. They actually help a lot.

Essentially, if I can get a good deal on a used ac window unit that is made to handle more than the sq footage I need, are there any downsides to that? As in a unit rated for 300sq ft on a 100sq ft shed?

In a home, it wouldn't run enough to keep humidity down. In an uninsulated shed, I'm not sure that's much of a concern.

And a unit designed to cool 100 feet of home would very likely not be enough to cool 100 feet of uninsulated shed.

I plan on adding insulation to the walls and roof. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't put what I'm storing in there at risk by getting to big of a unit.

The risk on oversized equipment is not operating long enough to remove humidity from the air. You might have to keep things cooler than you had planned to have the unit pull moisture or you could supplement with a dehumidifier.