Renter question

[PROD49]

Basically my utility bill for a 1500 sq house seems insane (or maybe some answers from you guys will help me see it isn’t). July and August were averaged at 300$.

Ac is 72 at night, roughly 8-9pm till 5-6am, and then on 78 the rest of the day. And from about 11am till 7-8pm the AC is almost running non stop just to keep the house at that 78 mark and very often it’s 79-80 where the thermostat is in the hallway with the kitchen being 3-4 degrees warmer from thermometers. A good 4-6 weeks of complaining yielded nothing until 2weeks ago the landlord installed a solar vent which did nada and ~8 days ago vented the top of the roof hoping to circulate the attic better. So far I’m still on pace for 260-270$ and that’s with 5-8 degree cooler temps on average from last month so I’m conflicted on results actually helping even though it isn’t much.

My question is how much of a leg do I have to stand on negotiating in this situation because the unit itself seems to be the culprit which I’ve mentioned numerous times. I’m simply tired of paying 300$ a month for a AC unit to not cool the house and us be uncomfortable the whole time.

Also, some inspector guy came by and looked all over the house and posted a note on our door from the city of Houston saying the house failed a few zone inspections and he’s done nothing about that. Could this provide a opportunity to break the lease?

I bought a ranch this year which had an older 1,800 sq ft home in it. We let my FIL live in while he built his place. My electric bill for that house ran consistently $350 a month through the summer. As a comparison my 3yr old 4k sq. ft home in Austin cracked $200 once and that is with a family of four.

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[Bigt338]

I have a 1200 sqft home. Last summer we were at about $300 plus a month for electricity. This spring we got new windows and insulated the attic. Bill has dropped to under $180 every month. So yes it may not be to far out of line depending on home conditions

[150class]

Appreciate all the input guys!

Will be looking into all the suggestions and hopefully can take care of it!

[Mayhem]

My money is on the AC unit itself, either the condenser or evaporator and not the insulation or the windows.

[WItoTX]

Appreciate all the input guys!

Will be looking into all the suggestions and hopefully can take care of it!

What are you paying per KwH?

[150class]

What are you paying per KwH?

Looks like .103 cents according to the bill.

[nursejenn]

Looks like .103 cents according to the bill.

Look at your energy facts label because I bet its .103 plus fees... that's too high. You can find lower.

[Mike Murphey]

Take it upon yourself to do some leg work. Go look at the duct work of the AC unit...in the attic, make sure there are no holes or opening in the duct work. If so get some duct tape and close the holes off...see how much attic insulation is up there....3" or 12" or somewhere between. Look at your AC unit and find out how old it is....it could be on its last leg or maybe a charge of Freon....take the results that you find to your landlord and compromise on solutions.....