Lockdown in vegas, electricity and airconditioning (1 Viewer)

Sambukan

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I know it is maybe a weird question, but i was wondering if anyone knows something about it:
Do the hotels and casinos in vegas keep the airconditioning running while being closed? Is it important for the "maintenance" of the casino?
Iam just wondering about how much energy and in the end money is "wasted" on that subject. I was always very impressed/shocked how vegas could aircondition almost a whole open air street by opening all casino/restaurant doors...
 
They will almost certainly have some semblance of AC running, particularly in the summer months, although it's likely to be limited and/or set at a higher temperature. As the desert heats up it can cost more to cool the building from 100+ degrees down to 73 vs just keeping the AC running at, say, 84 or something like that. Even if unoccupied, they're also going to have other vendors in there - carpet cleaners, exterminators, and other such service providers - who won't be able/authorized to work if the AC is completely off.
 
Ok thought so too. Was also wondering wether the heat without being cooled from the inside could even damage the exposed hotels/casinos. But it is still weird to think there is an almost empty "city" being cooled down in the desert...
 
If you don't run the environmental controls in a building, you will have a host of problems with water, mold, smells, etc. This sort of error would be a terrible mistake. The pocket change you save in utilities would be nothing close to the remediation requirements to reopen the hotel.

You might just as well plan on a gutting / remodel from day one because that is the likely outcome -=- DrStrange
 
Ok thought so too. Was also wondering wether the heat without being cooled from the inside could even damage the exposed hotels/casinos. But it is still weird to think there is an almost empty "city" being cooled down in the desert...
More important than how much AC or electricity being used is how much water *isn't* being consumed. Every drop saved right now is gold.

It won't be all that long before Nevada has to institute some serious water restrictions, including Las Vegas, if they want to survive. That's a conversation all to its own, though.
 
I thought the OP was worried about the fate of the chips (in vulture mode) :D
At any rate, central air-conditioning can be responsible for spreading respiratory contagious viruses, but I don't see how they could mitigate that upon re-opening, whenever.
 
If you don't run the environmental controls in a building, you will have a host of problems with water, mold, smells, etc. This sort of error would be a terrible mistake. The pocket change you save in utilities would be nothing close to the remediation requirements to reopen the hotel.

You might just as well plan on a gutting / remodel from day one because that is the likely outcome -=- DrStrange
More important than how much AC or electricity being used is how much water *isn't* being consumed. Every drop saved right now is gold.

It won't be all that long before Nevada has to institute some serious water restrictions, including Las Vegas, if they want to survive. That's a conversation all to its own, though.
Yes i remember the different water standings at lake mead. Good point
 
If you don't run the environmental controls in a building, you will have a host of problems with water, mold, smells, etc. This sort of error would be a terrible mistake. The pocket change you save in utilities would be nothing close to the remediation requirements to reopen the hotel.

You might just as well plan on a gutting / remodel from day one because that is the likely outcome -=- DrStrange
Interesting thanks for the reply, i kinda expected that the heat would cause damage to the buildings.
 
I thought the OP was worried about the fate of the chips (in vulture mode) :D
At any rate, central air-conditioning can be responsible for spreading respiratory contagious viruses, but I don't see how they could mitigate that upon re-opening, whenever.
Completely forgot about the chips in danger :ROFL: :ROFLMAO: shame on me:)
 
Long after the chips will have been abandoned for poker use, this community will be still using them for decoration (healthiest case) or for breakfast, lunch or dinner.:)
 
Actual shot of Vegas right now:

cf8e3e5681ed15b920d4e14beed36397.jpg


;)
 
In a similar note...what happens to the electric grid when we’re all home running the a/c all summer (during this quarantine)? Is it possible to overload our respective supplies?
 
In a similar note...what happens to the electric grid when we’re all home running the a/c all summer (during this quarantine)? Is it possible to overload our respective supplies?
You think this is that big of a difference than usual? Are you turning your ac off when you are out of the house? Most buildings here in switzerland dont have ac at all..
 
Yes, if not in house A/C is turned up as to save a little money. I assumed most people do this - like when they’re at work.
 
I imagine some of it will be offset by commercial buildings setting the temperature higher and shifting the load from those buildings to homes. Definitely something that the utilities should be looking at though. It would be a good time to offer incentives for rooftop solar since peak solar production aligns closely with peak demand times. My solar panels cover 75-80% of my demand, and I'm trying to get that closer to 100%. We got new windows and doors, and I'm planning to add a whole house fan soon to cut my air conditioning usage, plus more insulation.
 
I looked at solar twice, just can’t seem to make the math work.
It all depends on your location and your utility. I got in at a good time when the utility was paying a lot per kWhr that I put back in the grid and there were some federal rebates in place. The math can really vary. Plus we get a ton of sun in Denver, so production is high. Hopefully it becomes more widespread though.
 
Air conditioning will probably account for 60%+ of the energy bill for the site - safe to assume its off. We have turned it off in 4/4 gaming venues we have closed.
 
In a similar note...what happens to the electric grid when we’re all home running the a/c all summer (during this quarantine)? Is it possible to overload our respective supplies?

There will be enough of a lull in the pandemic during the summer months for people to be back to work by then. The question is how bad will the second wave be in the fall and winter.
 
I work in a control center for an energy company in the US in their real-time operations group. So far during this whole shutdown, energy use has decreased. Businesses, factories, the industrial sector, etc. generally use more energy than people at home. The decreased energy demand has decreased energy prices. There are plenty of power plants that are sitting idle/offline right now due to those low energy prices, so there is plenty of generation capacity ready to come online once there is demand for it. I wouldn't be worried about the grid not being able to supply energy to people at home :)
 
I work in a control center for an energy company in the US in their real-time operations group. So far during this whole shutdown, energy use has decreased. Businesses, factories, the industrial sector, etc. generally use more energy than people at home. The decreased energy demand has decreased energy prices. There are plenty of power plants that are sitting idle/offline right now due to those low energy prices, so there is plenty of generation capacity ready to come online once there is demand for it. I wouldn't be worried about the grid not being able to supply energy to people at home :)
Thanks for the interesting insight!
 
Plus we get a ton of sun in Denver, so production is high. Hopefully it becomes more widespread though.

Our system made ~50 KWh yesterday for example. :tup:
I had ours built to produce ~115%+ of our usage, so last year we made +4000 KWh which paid for 2.5 months of our full "utility" bill from the city, which is Electric/Trash/Recycling/Compost/Water/Sewage combined......roughly $270. :)
 
Our system made ~50 KWh yesterday for example. :tup:
I had ours built to produce ~115%+ of our usage, so last year we made +4000 KWh which paid for 2.5 months of our full "utility" bill from the city, which is Electric/Trash/Recycling/Compost/Water/Sewage combined......roughly $270. :)
$270/month, so 2.5 months was $675? Or you made $270 for the year?

Either way, this is why the math doesn't work... Its similar to when hybrids came out... They were an extra $3000, which would not be recouped in fuel savings for like 6 years.

If hybrids and solar power is the future, government subsidies are needed to get it over the hump.
 
$270/month, so 2.5 months was $675? Or you made $270 for the year?

Either way, this is why the math doesn't work... Its similar to when hybrids came out... They were an extra $3000, which would not be recouped in fuel savings for like 6 years.

If hybrids and solar power is the future, government subsidies are needed to get it over the hump.
It's definitely a long-term investment. You aren't going to get your money back in a couple years. I added my panels 7 years ago, and the projections were that it would take 10 years for the panels to pay for themselves and it's a 20-year lease, so I'll get about 10 years of free electricity. Pretty good deal if you plan to stay in your house for a long time, so I went for it. Like I said though, that was early and the numbers have changed a lot since then, so YMMV. Panels keep getting cheaper, so that helps the bottom line, and it's becoming competitive without subsidies.

A friend of mine works for a utility and helps manage their planning, forecasting, rebate incentives, etc. Building a new plant is expensive and takes time, so there are situations where it can make sense for the utility to throw out some money to the customers to put solar panels on to cut down on peak loads and put off having to build another plant. There are so many factors though, like the low cost of natural gas right now has really changed the industry.

Denver and the Front Range is great for solar though - we get more sunny days than San Diego as they like to say!
 
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My house doesn’t have AC, most here don’t. We do have a CO-OP, and they have several large solar arrays here, so that’s good, unfortunately they have taken an aggressive stance against home owner solar. They are required to buy surplus, but they hate it and are constantly looking for ways to get away from it.
I understand their viewpoint, buying it from the homeowner at state fixed prices means they pay peak costs always!, but they can buy it on the open market for about a third or less the state price. Plus homeowners always jack their shit up with homemade repairs and the possibility of back feeding lines they thought were dead is real (it’s happened here) - homeowner again bypassing stuff.
 
$270/month, so 2.5 months was $675? Or you made $270 for the year?
Either way, this is why the math doesn't work... Its similar to when hybrids came out... They were an extra $3000, which would not be recouped in fuel savings for like 6 years.
If hybrids and solar power is the future, government subsidies are needed to get it over the hump.

No, it's a long term goal, and you don't get into it for the money......that $270 is the surplus, which paid our ~$100/month bill (that includes the $0 electric total each month) over the Jan/Feb and half of March.
I'm charting the savings in a file, and after roughly a year, it's saved us $1000, and the total cost of the system (after rebates was ~$18,000)....
We're in it for the environmental impact more than the fiscal......
 
@WedgeRock, you might be surprised at how much the math has changed in recent years. Total system payback periods in California can be as quick as 3-5 years, with expected lifespans of 25-30yrs with almost no maintenance. Places like CA, CO, and AZ are home runs for getting a system installed. Most other places payback periods are closer to 7-13 years, and that makes less sense, at least right now strictly from an economic standpoint.

Good news is every part of the system continues to get cheaper and more efficient. Panels are now $0.50/watt when they used to be $4/watt, and they last longer and produce more power. More companies are installing them than ever before. I think in 20 years homes will come standard with a solar roof, it won't make sense not to do it. More government support would help, but instead of helping they are cutting the EPA apart. :banghead: Maybe next election cycle?
 
If I lived in a place with more sun like CA, AZ, or CO I would be going solar in a heartbeat. It isn't just the financial payback but also the ability to have some independence when it comes to power supply. Even if your solar only covers 60% of your power needs that is still great and you could go a long time without any power from the city.
 

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