WWYD about AC?
We have two units listed. One is a small studio that sleeps 2. The other a 1bdrm that sleeps 3. Both are in the second building/house on our property. We live in the other.
Neither have heating, only the studio has air conditioning, a window unit. We live in Hawaii. In the winters here the lows at night are low to mid 60’s and the highs are in upper 70s, low 80s. Both units have large windows on all 4 walls, a nearly constant breeze, and ceiling and floor fans. Not having AC or heating is pretty much the standard here.
We put in a wall AC in the studio for those who are looking for one. I am not sure how much it adds to the frequency or rates of booking. The 1bdrm without AC books far more often. The rate is higher because it’s bigger.
Here is the issue. Many people (most in fact) that rent the studio have the air conditioning run all day and night. They will be gone all day but run the AC. The lows will be 60-65 all night and run the AC all night. That unit uses more electricity than both the 1bdrm and our 3bdrm space combined. At 0.42/kwh (day, night) and 0.64/kwh (evening) that adds up to a lot.
We are about to install solar (with batteries)
We are considering several options:
- Leave the AC and eat the costs.
- Put a rule/sign asking to turn off AC when gone and at night below 68 (most nights all night)
- Remove the AC altogether.
- Remove the AC and add a dehumidifier (we don’t have that in either other place). For some people it’s not the heat that’s the issue, it’s the humidity
If we do 3 or 4, we might lose some bookings, but might be made up for by lower electricity costs. Or might not even make a difference in bookings. The 1bdrm without AC is nearly always fully booked.
I’m leaning towards 3, my husband is leaning towards 2. 2 seems annoying and unenforceable to me. 3 would remove the expectation and any rules completely.