FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) With the heat index tipping 110 degrees, people are rushing to buy their own personal fans and air conditioners. Home Depot has such a high demand in the Pee Dee, they had to get some shipped from other stores. Shoppers, though, are a little skeptical on which one saves more on energy bills, fans or air conditioning units?
Home Depot Associate Marque Lindvedt is working up a sweat helping Pee Dee residents beat the heat.
"Of all days, I get the call from the wife, 'eh, the air conditioning quit'," sighs Darlington resident Robert Kirby.
Some residents are coming in to pack up and roll out with a new weapon to battle the blaze.
"There have been a lot of people coming to get fans, lots of fans we're transferring in from other depots to sell," explains Lindvedt.
The heat is no joke as temperature gaze the mid 90s and the heat index crosses 110 degrees.
"I had a customer tell me just yesterday that he had to feed his chickens crushed ice because otherwise they're laying hard-boiled eggs; hat's how hot it's been," Lindvedt laughs.
Other residents aren't laughing about the extreme temperatures.
"I know I can't instantly get my heat fixed because every heat and air conditioning man's working 24 hours right now," claims Kirby.
The Florence Home Depot is working around the clock to help meet the needs of its residents. So what's really the most efficient, fans or air conditioners?
"If you run your normal HVAC system, you'll see your electric bill spike and go up to $100 or even $150 or more each month but the annual cooling costs for air conditioners is between $60 and $200 a year," explains Lindvedt.
Fans definitely help save energy and lower electric bills.
Lindvedt says, "They're really for a single room and you'll find that if you're sitting somewhere near it it's a lot better than cooling the entire house."
But Home Depot Associates say that a combination of the two may be the most efficient for your home.
"I think it's a good idea to use an air conditioner minimally to keep the temperature down to 79, 78 and what that'll do is pull the moisture out of the air so when you are using just a regular fan it'll be much more comfortable," says Lindvedt.
Just in case you rely heavily on the AC unit, experts say it's important to have a backup cooling method just in case your home AC goes out.
"Don't do like I did. Go ahead and start shopping around and get one that's more efficient," suggests Kirby.
If your home is using built-in HVAC units experts say you can still save a little simply by turning your unit up to 78 degrees. Some units have a time that can start the airflow about 30 minutes before you get home so that it'll be cool by the time you arrive.
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