Renter question

[150class]

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?

[DFWPI]

Lot of factors could be doing it. What shape are the windows in?

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[AgHntr10]

Sounds like it just isn’t insulated well or at all. I’m not sure what recourse you have unless the landlord guaranteed a lower electricity bill which I have never heard of.

[150class]

Lot of factors could be doing it. What shape are the windows in?

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Ignorance on windows lacks my ability to answer that sir. Been doing apartments the last few years so first house and not much experience.

That being said the kitchen/living room only has the doors to the backyard and 2 smaller 3’x3’ windows total for the whole area. Would that be enough to explain the big temp difference?

[double bogey]

Could be and probably is several things. No reason to think the landlord spent money on any one part.

efficiency of existing ac system
quality of insulation, walls and attic
quality of windows
building envelope quality


any one of these can cause high utility bills

[CabezaBlanca]

A friend of mine battled the same thing. He installed window units and his electric bill dropped by over half.

[SmTx]

Ignorance on windows lacks my ability to answer that sir. Been doing apartments the last few years so first house and not much experience.

Average utility bill was always one of my first questions when looking at a rent house.

It could make what seems like a deal get expensive real quick.

I don't see the landlord working with you at all.

[mikemorvan]

Probably are several factors. I don't know that you have much recourse unless the landlord decides to help out / negotiate. I don't think the landlord is under any obligation. Good luck.

[Stuck]

If it is an older house home there’s not much that can be done without the land lord spending a bunch of money. Older homes just were not built energy efficient as they are today.

[Texas8point]

I bet it’s the attic insulation


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[RatherBhuntin]

What is the temp of the air coming out of the vents? If it's running constantly ac may be low on coolant. Should be around 55 degrees at vents

[Native Texan]

How many KW Hours are you using and at what price per each?

[bowhuntntxn]

As a renter, high utility bills are generally not grounds for breaking a lease. Landlords have to provide basic services, not top of the line. I say check your ac unit inside and out and make sure it is clean and not clogged up. Also swinging from 78 to 72 is a pretty big one so go from 78 to 75 or so and get a fan.

The zone stuff isn't a deal breaker because he will get fined if he doesn't make the repairs. And if he is ok with paying the fines then you can't really do anything about it, or fix it yourself.

Hope it gets better for you but it doesn't look like you will be blue to get out of the lease IMO.

[Kingfisher789]

Have some ac guy on here run by and tell you what’s wrong..then move.

[NannySlayer]

Make sure you’re changing your filter regularly. I had a similar issue until I realized my filter was black as night. AC fella came and checked the temp coming from the vents after that and narrowed it down to being an insulation issue not a system issue. I added a window unit to my kitchen that I only use when I’m home and it dropped about $50 off my bill.


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