I didn't really go into my situation; However, I agree that you can make a fortune in AC down here.

My unit DOES run all the time, as my home has terrible insulation. For me, bigger IS better because the smaller unit just wasn't cutting it. At all.

As for now, I have all the vents in half the house closed off, a bigger drop installed in my computer room so our computers don't overheat, and vents only open into the enclosed area of the house that contains the return. The thermostat is set low enough that the unit runs constantly. It helps that the thermostat is in the part of the house that's closed off. I merely set it to a few degrees below its ambient temperature and run the A/C.

I am familiar with many of the concepts you describe. I had a TECO representative come in and do a thorough analysis of my current AC System and needs (It was a Mammoth 2.5 ton Water-To-Air unit, which, while relatively efficient by itself, becomes an energy hog when you're on a well pumping water to a system that has been gink-rigged to open-flow water at full pressure all the time it's running, meaning that the energy consumption of the 1200 watt well pump also running constantly to supply the A/C has to be factored into the efficiency of the A/C system)...even with all that mess, it had a SEER rating of 8.

I now have a straight-cool system with a SEER rating of 12 that is finally actually keeping my computer room cool enough so we don't fry our AMD's.

Window units, while a wonderful idea, are out, as we have casement windows in this house, with separate panes of glass 11" x 14.5" in the casements. What we HAVE considered, however, is a portable unit that vents into the attic that would technically live in the Computer Room (Our "Lifeboat" of our house in a storm) that could be run off of the generator.

Believe you me, we have indeed considered that. However, we just dropped a bunch of money for a decent A/C unit. It will be probably at least a year before we can afford to do anything else equipment-wise.

My next step will be to blow in some insulation so the cooling system will run even more efficiently.

Much for the reasons you describe, 85 degrees and humid is a heck of a lot more miserable than 100 degrees and dry.

But I've got my temperature maintenance system adapted to where it does what it's supposed to do and I'm happy with it. I realize that it makes professionals wince and roll their eyes but I've learned to adapt.

And I requested the 3 ton upgrade, knowing full well my conditions and needs. I wasn't sold a bill of goods. At first, the A/C guy recommended against it until he came in and observed exactly what I just described, then he helped me get exactly what I want.

He used to maintain the old water-to-air monstrosity I used to have; Let me tell you how happy he was to rip that thing out and put in something decent.

Come on down to Florida and teach me how to be an A/C tech. I could use the education AND the money!

Panz