The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: ShoulderThingThatGoesUp on June 12, 2015, 11:13:04 AM
-
Getting to 94 degrees here today. I'm working in my home office, with the desk placed in the north-facing bay window for air flow and the ceiling fan I installed on. I know I'll use it eventually this summer, but sticking it out today when I can hear all the humming outside feels good.
-
When I replaced my circa 1986 electric heat pump with a gas furnace I omitted installing AC. 94 F the other day - house didn't get above 76! I use fans in the morning to pump cold air in and then seal it in through the day.
-
Awesome! Our air is off, but it's only getting to 84 during the day and it drops to 55 each night, so the cool air stays in.
-
Highs are in the 105-110 range this week, so going without is not an option, however I'm mainly doing the same thing as last year. My utility company charges a peak rate from 1pm to 8pm on weekdays and a far cheaper rate at all other times. I picked up a $25 programmable thermostat and set is to only kick in at 83 degrees M-F 1pm-8pm. At other times it's either 80 or 78 degrees to balance comfort and cost savings. Overnight lows are usually 75-80 degrees, so there's no benefit to opening a window at this time of year.
OTOH, my car's air conditioning has been broken since the end of September last year, so I've been going without A/C in my car ever since then. Thankfully I generally only have to do short drives and also have tinted glass.
-
Feeling like a wuss. <Walks downstairs to shut the air off feeling like a complainypants.>
-
Air conditioning is very rare here in the PNW, so I am always without.
-
Air conditioning is very rare here in the PNW, so I am always without.
+1
-
Air conditioning is very rare here in the PNW, so I am always without.
+1
+2
-
Over 90 here, 85 inside, just fine. :)
-
Few places in this part of Europe have A/C, including our house. But I grew up in the Northeastern US and know how to manage advanced window opening and chimney effect techniques to keep the house cool.
-
Live in the southeast myself. Wife and I have not turned on the a/c once. the house was at 90 last night at 7pm. Over the course from spring to summer though seems like our bodies have adjusted to the temp and it is not too bad.
The first couple of days of the temp in the house being in the high 80s was rough but after about a week our bodies have seemed to adjust and now it feels quite normal. We just keep a fan running in whichever room we are in and keep the windows open in the house for air circulation. Have noticed though that when I go into work I am freezing with the a/c on 72. But, yard work and running outside has gotten much easier as the heat does not seem to affect me as much sense my body has gotten use to the heat.
Just an experiment the wife and I wanted to try this summer. See if we can make it all the way through September without turning on the a/c and to see how well our bodies adapt to the rising heat. So far so good. Just takes about a week to adjust whenever the heat spikes around 5 degrees in the house.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
No my room gets down to the 70's with a box fan well before bed time. So assuming that it is an 80 degree room is wrong. You're more than welcome to your take on it. But I'm not "NUTS" for living the way I live, and I'm (maybe?) just as normal as you.
-
One day is child's play.
I went to the University of Florida for 3 years before I enrolled in professional school. I went the entire 3 years without air conditioning. 3 years!
-
For me it's more of a mold avoidance issue than a temperature issue. This house is earth sheltered and doesn't get hot, even here in the sweat belt. But the indoor humidity approaches 90% in 24 hours without AC (or using the dehumidifier). Not surprising since that's the outdoor humidity.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
No my room gets down to the 70's with a box fan well before bed time. So assuming that it is an 80 degree room is wrong. You're more than welcome to your take on it. But I'm not "NUTS" for living the way I live, and I'm (maybe?) just as normal as you.
+1
FWIW, here in Central Texas summer temps can get over 100F routinely. And it is quite humid. 72F would be much too cold for me to sleep comfortably in the summer. I don't go swimming if it's *only* 80 degrees outside. I camp at the beach when nighttime temps are still above 72.
When there are heatwave in more northern areas, people die at temps that I would be comfortable. I dont think those people weren't normal, nor do I think they were nuts. They weren't acclimated to temps that I live in.
The flip side of this is I dont handle cold very well, so working in a commercial building where the thermostat is set to 76 makes me feel cold...I keep a blanket at my desk. I have a coworker from a northern state who is sponging herself with water in the same room.
I consider this normal and it is for me. I would consider someone as being NUTS if they decided that their particular climate preferences were the only normal and would make equal sense for everyone in all climates.
-
It hit 87 here today and the AC kicked in for the first time. Both DW and I thought the other wanted it so it took 30 minutes before we both started asking questions and turned it off.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
All in the mind set. Why is being hot and sweaty and allowing your sweat glands to actually perform their duties unacceptable? Instead of letting technology to do all the work I allow my body to actually use its abilities to cope with heat and cold. During the winter we set our heat at 65 to experiment with the cold. Again was rough for a week or so but just piled on the blankets and eventually our bodies adapted.
We just find it interesting to see how our bodies adapt to temperatures instead of setting the a/c monitor to do all the work for our bodies. We are lucky enough to do such experiments since we do have the luxury of living in the USA and could turn on the a/c or heat on at any point.
Ask yourself why you always feel the need to be comfortable wherever you are 100 percent of the time. What's wrong with putting your mind and body in uncomfortable situations to see how you react and grow from it since you do not have to live in that permanent state due to first world luxuries.
-
For me it's more of a mold avoidance issue than a temperature issue. This house is earth sheltered and doesn't get hot, even here in the sweat belt. But the indoor humidity approaches 90% in 24 hours without AC (or using the dehumidifier). Not surprising since that's the outdoor humidity.
This is the same for me too with regards to the mold. Air conditioners are used to cool, and "condition" the air. I do set mine pretty high during the day and then cooler at night while I'm sleeping.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
A lot of it is how you are conditioned.
If you are used to working in an office and living in a house chilled like a meat locker, 80 degrees seems unbearable.
If you ween yourself off the fossil fuel burning, high cost artificial air, it's not a big deal.
As a side bonus, if you ween yourself off the artificial air, you won't break out in a sweat every time the temp goes above 75.
We usually keep our AC at 79 or 80, and that's only because my wife is a soft, weak and whiny city girl. If it was up to me, I'd be fine up to 83.
-
Thanks to this thread, I have been using mine alot less. (I normally LOVE to have my central a/c on). The mild weather has helped too. But I am loving opening all the blinds and windows to let the fresh air and sunshine into the house.
I don't think I will be able to go without it when the temp is above 90 though. I had to turn it on today when I came in from mowing the lawn. And I think it only got in the high 80's this afternoon.
This is one area I am not sure I will ever achieve bad-assity. But I am making forward strides. I'm embarrassed to admit that I like to get it down to 60 overnight in the house. Then in the a.m. when I get up for work it's cold, so I actually turn the heat on for a short time to break the chill. So I've stopped doing that too, and just open the windows at night.
-
Getting to 94 degrees here today. I'm working in my home office, with the desk placed in the north-facing bay window for air flow and the ceiling fan I installed on. I know I'll use it eventually this summer, but sticking it out today when I can hear all the humming outside feels good.
I caved and turned on the air this week. But I do keep it on 79, and when I go to work I turn if off.
-
This is one area I am not sure I will ever achieve bad-assity. But I am making forward strides. I'm embarrassed to admit that I like to get it down to 60 overnight in the house. Then in the a.m. when I get up for work it's cold, so I actually turn the heat on for a short time to break the chill. So I've stopped doing that too, and just open the windows at night.
Yikes. Maybe you could save some money by keeping your thermostat in the 70's and putting a stand fan blowing on you in your bedroom?
One of my few iron clad personal rules is to never run the heat and air on the same day.
In fact, in Spring and Fall I keep an eye on the long term forecast. If it is hot but cold weather is coming I intentionally let the house get too warm for comfort. For approaching hot weather, I let the house get too cool for comfort.
That way, say in the case of approaching hot weather, I feel like I save money twice. Once by letting the house get cold by not running the furnace. Then just days later I save on air condition because it takes a few days longer for the house to get so hot that I “have” to run the air.
-
i have a window air conditioner. it's sitting on a chair on the porch. there if i need it.
i'm in the mid atlantic region, home of high humidity. we do fine with a box fan and overhead fan at night, and i'm getting the hang of closing the windows and blinds in the AM to trap the cool.
then again, we had the therm set at 55 for most of the winter, and the kiddo didn't complain once. that's what sweaters and blankets and hot water bottles are for.
-
90+ temps with 60%+ humidity for 2 straight weeks? Yeah, my A/C is going on. I took a bag of potatoes out of my kitchen cabinet and they were moldy. I've kept taters in there for a month in the winter and spring without any incident. For me, it's more for mold prevention then comfort. I'm fine with 75-80, but I figure it would cost a lot more to fix a mold problem than the added energy costs.
-
I leave my windows and balcony door open all summer--last year, I only had to give in and turn on the AC about two days during the season. I'm near Toronto, so we don't get the absolute worst heat, but we still get up into the 80s and 90s (and are less used to it!), but I've found that acclimating, plus cool evenings, makes all the difference. Hopefully I'll do as well this year as last!
-
But I grew up in the Northeastern US and know how to manage advanced window opening and chimney effect techniques to keep the house cool.
Care to explain the chimney effect? I'm rather curious. (I'm in the mid-Atlantic, we don't use the A/C to keep cool, we use it to manage humidity.)
-
No A/C installed in my house at all. Can't say I've been bothered by temp at all when I'm actually home. I almost never use my car A/C either, I open the windows. Now ask me low I'm going to attempt to keep my thermostat in the winter :) (hint: I'm going to try 55 and warm clothes)
-
It's 98 here today, so I turned on my car A/C on the way home from work. I only do that a few times per year. And I have the A/C on 77 here at home. I can't sleep if it's too hot. I'm happy to pay for sleep. :)
-
No A/C installed in my house at all. Can't say I've been bothered by temp at all when I'm actually home.
Yeah if your house doesn't even have A/C, you don't live in a warm climate. Here's what I'm looking at for my zip code:
-
I'm embarrassed to admit that I like to get it down to 60 overnight in the house. Then in the a.m. when I get up for work it's cold, so I actually turn the heat on for a short time to break the chill.
(http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/nevermind_nathan_fillion.gif)
-
Air conditioning is very rare here in the PNW, so I am always without.
+1
+2
It was 86 today in Anchorage, AK. When we moved from Portland I laughed at my husband who wanted to bring our window-mounted AC unit. "When would we possibly need that?" I said. Regretting that decision a little now. We don't even have a ceiling fan in our house. Depending on how long the heat wave keeps up, I may have to break down and get a fan.
-
Wore an effing scarf to work today in the artic tundra that is San Francisco California in June. We had a lovely February though! This place is very confusing. Avg. rent for one bedroom is like $3400 but you're electricity bill will seriously be like $20 year round. So, tradeoffs?
-
Yup, 91F here today and 82% humidity - just got a fan on me and I feel completely cool.
Months of living in south east asia near the equator where the temperature stays around 90 24/7/365 days of the year have enabled me to adjust quite nicely - 76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
It's really just a question of adjusting. Where I live the temperature doesn't drop a night and its routinely 85+ indoors throughout the night. I was the same as you when I got here and had AC on cold all night. Now I just have a fan and it feels 100% fine.
-
I am!
But I'm kinda cheating because it's winter here (currently 13.7C outside, and about 18C inside), and I don't have aircon anyway :)
-
Unfortunately not. Living in the southeast with 104 temps and 90% humidity.
-
As long as it cools off at night, I think we might have a chance at going without A/C for this whole summer. Letting the house cool off at night and having a fan on us during the day and evening seems to work pretty well.
-
We have company coming on Thursday and staying for the weekend, so it looks like our streak will end then. Hopefully we'll be able to adjust ourselves back afterwards.
-
No possible way I'm going without it when its 92% humidity. I am at least keeping the setting at 75 to 78 and running a de-humidifier in the living area to control the humidity. I figure it's cheaper when the house temperature is good but the humidity is high to run the small unit a bit.
-
No AC still. I'm hoping to hold out until July. We also have more issues with humidity than heat. The hottest it has been indoors was 88 degrees. The key for us right now is doing all of our cooking outdoors or without using the oven or stove.
-
We use air conditioner when the inside temperature is higher than 82 degrees.
I try every year to get my husband to stop baking in the summer, but he doesn't usually listen to me- so use of the oven certainly doesn't help things out.
-
AC everyday (for sleeping only) between June-August crew checking in.
No way going without it in NYC's disgusting summer. Split the bill 4 ways with roommates so idc
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
-
Air conditioning is very rare here in the PNW, so I am always without.
Same here.
-
I have not had AC for the last 7 years.
There are a few nights every summer where I wish I did. But in the grand scheme of things I am glad I don't have it, my electric bill is nearly non existent as a result.
-
Had a fight with my roommate last night over the A/C. I was marginally ok with leaving it on b/c of humidity and more storms coming, and it was set to 78. She wanted it colder - her mother is a complete wuss and can't handle anything other than 72 (year round!). Doesn't help that she "can't" sleep without covers. We compromised at 75 and I slept with a blanket.
Though her room is much warmer in the summer (and colder in the winter). And we were both crabby last night.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
-
I'm embarrassed to admit that I like to get it down to 60 overnight in the house. Then in the a.m. when I get up for work it's cold, so I actually turn the heat on for a short time to break the chill.
(http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/nevermind_nathan_fillion.gif)
I've stopping doing this now. Have only had the air on for one night in the past week and I kept it at 70. This is huge progress for me! (Fortunately, the outdoor temps continue to be almost perfect). My goal is to widen my tolerance zone. And learn to sleep without all the blankets.
-
We've only turned it on a few hours twice for the benefit of guests we had for a meal. We've only had a couple 90 degree days so far, which has helped. We're definitely using it a lot less than last year, though. Temperature tolerance is not static! You may think you can't handle 80 degrees, but you can build your tolerance degree by degree... I'm not toally sure but I think it may be better for your body anyway.
I feel like our tolerance threshold goes like this...
70-75 degrees F: T-shirts and shorts!
75-80: Turn on the fans!
80-85: Drink lots of cold water!
85+: OK fine we'll turn it on!! For a couple hours at least!!
-
Unfortunately I'm going without an A/C today because it died. When we turned them on this week, this one wasn't cooling. Just found out the compressor is dead and I'll be out $3600. But the old one is the original unit from when the house was built and outlasted its sibling. And the replacement comes with a 10 year warranty and is a much more efficient 14 SEER than the old wreck.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
This made me giggle because it's my sentiments most of the time. I really can't stand heat. Now that I'm paying for my own electricity I'm super cautious about turning it on and using it, but I'll probably still use it than most people here. My new apartment came with an AC unit already installed in the living room but not in the bedroom. My badassity will be attempting to live through the summer without it. I figure, worse comes to worse, my futon is pretty damn comfy for a few nights.
Now, turn off my heat in the dead of winter and I'll be fine. Layers, blankets, and warm kitties who love to cuddle and I'm all set. I can't wait to say winter is coming :)
~ Lis from Winterfell
-
Humidity is the deciding factor. When I lived in a very hot but low humidity area, going without ac is no big deal. I can easily deal with 100+ degree heat. But now that I live in an area that is not quite as hot but much more humid, the ac is a much bigger necessity. I still use it less than most people, but I will admit my wussipants-ness and say that I will not go without it.
-
I may have won the no-heat challenge, but no way I can win this one. I live in South Florida.
However, I do use my AC as minimally as I can. Usually just crank it up before going to bed. I leave it at 82 when I leave for work, when I get home I may take it down to 79/80 unless I am doing a lot of housework or cooking - then about 76. Then I put it at 78 to go to bed. Even with that, I sleep under a comforter.
This month's electric bill will be about $40. This is for a 3 bedroom/2 bath condo. External electricity is covered by HOA.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
Me too. Effing ridiculous.
-
We have one tiny window unit that we install in master bedroom in the summer. This year we are not putting it in. I'm taking it as a challenge to finally get the finished side of the basement clean and organised. If there is a night we just can't sleep because of the heat the family will camp in the basement.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
Me too. Effing ridiculous.
I find my self imagining teleporting the cold air from work into my house... the cold air from my cubicle is still there at night why cant I use it at home.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
Me too. Effing ridiculous.
I find my self imagining teleporting the cold air from work into my house... the cold air from my cubicle is still there at night why cant I use it at home.
I was wishing that there was some way to store heat or cold seasonally. The cold air was everywhere around my house all winter. Why can't I store it and use some of it right now? Seems easier than teleportation right? I guess it's not cost effective.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
I do the same thing, though I feel constantly guilty about the space heater, as that seems intrinsically wrong to introduce competing temperature control. I only kick on my space heater on for a couple minutes at a time so that I can defrost my toes. I also keep a fleece jacket at work. I wonder if I need to acclimatize myself the opposite way. The coworker with whom I share the office thermostat is adamant that it stay at 70, and even had a lock installed on the programmer box. (Not because of me!) It does kill me slowly on the inside when I think about all the electricity wasted on the weekends when no one is in the building.
Originally from the Northeast and now on the Gulf Coast, I think I have done pretty well getting used to the humidity and heat. At home, our thermostat is set at 90 during the day just to prevent any humidity/mold problems, and cools to 82 when I get home. From 10PM to 6AM, we do splurge and have it go to 80 for comfortable sleeping, though I find I still need to use the comforter sometimes as it feels a lot colder when the air is blowing. I turn off the AC completely if we ever leave the house to run errands. My husband works all day outside as a boat captain in the 90 degree weather with extremely high humidity, so anything under 84 feels unnecessarily cool to him. We only use the occasional space heater in the winter. I grew up with immigrant parents in Massachusetts, so I remember having to crack ice in the toilets sometimes when I was the first one up getting ready for school. Our winters here only get below freezing temperatures a handful of times, so it's no big deal. We do have two young kids (6 & 3) who have survived our way of life thus far and don't ever complain about the temperature, despite luxuriating in "normal" A/C conditions all day at my in-laws. Kids don't care at all if they have a head full of sweat. I just make sure they have a good bath before bedtime.
The one exception is when we have guests over, and then we do crank it down to 76 because we're just so super generous and considerate like that. I don't mind scaring away a few friends with our Mustachianism, but I do want my guests to be comfortable.
-
Hit 88.4 indoors. Have a tower fan and wall unit a/c and haven't used either so far this year. Electric bill was 12$
-
Just need to rant a tad. I have a (overweight) roommate. She grew up in a house that was 72 year round because her mother is so incredibly wimpy. Now, she's heat intolerant and refuses to acclimate (she "can't" adjust to warmer temps). So I sit with a blanket when the A/C is on (set to 75 - my absolute low limit) and she's still warm.
She "can't" sleep without covers, and "can't" sleep if the room is above 75. Granted her room is warmer than others, but WE HAVE A FINISHED BASEMENT! And the living room! for god's sake, go sleep in the basement when it's too warm. But no, she "can't" sleep anywhere except in her own bed.
Ok, thanks for letting me rant. She's a friend of mine, and there are only a few things that bug me about living with her, and this is one of them. Worth it to split the rent and utilities 50/50.
-
our thermostat is set at 90 during the day just to prevent any humidity/mold problems, and cools to 82 when I get home. From 10PM to 6AM, we do splurge and have it go to 80 for comfortable sleeping
...
The one exception is when we have guests over, and then we do crank it down to 76 because we're just so super generous and considerate like that.
This is exactly what I do lol... 90 when I go to work low/mid 80s when I get home and 80 when I got to bed and of course 76 If I have non heat tolerant people over.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
Me too. Effing ridiculous.
I find my self imagining teleporting the cold air from work into my house... the cold air from my cubicle is still there at night why cant I use it at home.
I was wishing that there was some way to store heat or cold seasonally. The cold air was everywhere around my house all winter. Why can't I store it and use some of it right now? Seems easier than teleportation right? I guess it's not cost effective.
Ground source heat pumps pretty much do this.
-
76F in the office feels freezing and I wear a jumper when I go in!
I wish work wasn't so damn cold.
I feel like having cold AC for 40 hours a week holds me back from becoming tolerant of the 80+ degrees in my house.
Maybe I'll get stares and start wearing a coat at work
I put my space heater on at work and I wear a sweater.
I do the same thing, though I feel constantly guilty about the space heater, as that seems intrinsically wrong to introduce competing temperature control. I only kick on my space heater on for a couple minutes at a time so that I can defrost my toes. I also keep a fleece jacket at work. I wonder if I need to acclimatize myself the opposite way.
Yes. I love summer and the heat, but I hate my office because the AC is blasting so high (low?). I wish I had a space heater. I looked for one online, but I know they're not allowed at my office, so I haven't actually gotten one. I just put up with the 70 degree temps with long sleeves and a sweater. I basically wear the same thing all year round in my office. The funny thing is, I can sometimes get away with short sleeves in the winter, but never in the summer. = (
-
Well, we made it till June 8th, almost 3 months without heat or AC, and we had some mold problems toward the end. I think we'll need a dehumidifier for the next shoulder-season contest.
For now, breaking 90 every day makes non-HVAC days unlikely for a while. We keep the house at 80 during the day when we're mostly gone, and more like 76-77 when we're home.
-
I can put on a sweater to save on the heating bill but I can only get so nekkid.
When it gets hot, I put on the A/C. When I made very little money I did without. That was when I was living in a trailer, in the south, in a field.
I am my most important investment.
YMMV
-
We've been running A/C on and off since the beginning of June, but my wife just left town today for a work trip for 5 weeks. My goal while she is gone: no A/C, not once, not even for a minute. I plan on opening the windows on cool nights and pulling the shades during the day.
Wish me luck! We'll see how hot our apartment gets.
-
After a brutal week pushing 100 daily, NORAL dipped to the mid-60s this morning. I looked at the forecast - 5 days of highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s - and expect we can get to the weekend with ventilation only. The air almost felt like fall this morning... so I let some in, then closed it up tight. Open windows and box fans at sunset!
-
We've only had the air conditioning on for a few hours so far this year, mostly in the evening to cool down the house to 80 degrees so we could get to sleep and then shut it off again. When it comes time to run it more continuously in a couple weeks, we'll have saved up plenty from our solar panels to power it for free for the rest of the summer.
-
We've only had the air conditioning on for a few hours so far this year, mostly in the evening to cool down the house to 80 degrees so we could get to sleep and then shut it off again. When it comes time to run it more continuously in a couple weeks, we'll have saved up plenty from our solar panels to power it for free for the rest of the summer.
Are you off grid, or do you mean 'saved up' financially?
I'm awaiting interconnect on a new 3.2kW grid-tied system... its projected output will only cover about half of our average usage to date, but we're planning enough energy upgrades to (hopefully) bring us to net zero by year-end.
-
Air conditioning doesn't just lower the temperature. It also lowers the humidity.
High humidity and high temperatures age things faster. Particularly things like wood.
That being said, I do not know at what humidity or temperature you can damage things in your house. I wish I knew. Perhaps there is some research out there on the subject, but I haven't looked it up.
Without any data on the matter, I'd probably set the A/C at 85 so long as I acclimate myself to it (my roommate sets the A/C to 69 and I don't pay for utilities. I'm actually cold at 69. But, if I lived by myself and controlled the A/C, I'd try to set it at 85. This may take some acclimating). It's not going to use all that much electricity at that temperature setting.
You can of course get a dehumidifier, but that will raise the temperature in your house.
-
We've only had the air conditioning on for a few hours so far this year, mostly in the evening to cool down the house to 80 degrees so we could get to sleep and then shut it off again. When it comes time to run it more continuously in a couple weeks, we'll have saved up plenty from our solar panels to power it for free for the rest of the summer.
Are you off grid, or do you mean 'saved up' financially?
I'm awaiting interconnect on a new 3.2kW grid-tied system... its projected output will only cover about half of our average usage to date, but we're planning enough energy upgrades to (hopefully) bring us to net zero by year-end.
New Jersey allows net metering, so we "bank" all the extra electricity we produce with the power company and we can draw from it whenever we need extra power. Anything left over at the end of the year is credited back to us in cash at a rate of 9 cents per kWh.
-
Me! But that's cause we have no a/c. Which is pretty typical around here (Seattle), so it's really not much to brag about. It is unseasonably hot here, but we're doing fine.
-
No AC below 100'. My monthly electric about $75. My neighbors all $300+
California foothills
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
Just out of curiosity, where are you from? "80 is beach temperature" sounds like you might be Canadian or Scandinavian.
-
Its 91F today with humidity of 63%. Most often I don't put the AC on during the day. I keep the windows shut, curtains drawn and rooms closed off throughout the house.
What does help is two large standing fans running and my dehumidifier. Its actually a fairly comfortable temp with that but admittedly I don't feel the heat as much as others do. What bothers me is high humidity.
-
I wish I had air conditioning as it's meant to be 95 in London tomorrow.:P
-
I have never rented an apartment with A/C- what a luxury! Lots of ways to keep the heat down-- live in a low-rise apartment building, use fans, drink lots of water, take up swimming; cold showers before bed. Make sure to get a good thermometer so you know when to keep your windows open overnight.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
Just out of curiosity, where are you from? "80 is beach temperature" sounds like you might be Canadian or Scandinavian.
I'm definitely on the bandwagon with 80 being beach temperature.
Also, it is effing hot in the PNW right now. Boo.
-
[Beginning of Rant]
i just want to go on record as a normal person here and state that all you guys going without ac where its hitting 90 are NUTS and if youre sleeping in an 80 degree room, you need help; 80 is beach temperature not sleeping temperature.
room temperature is 72 qnd generally considered the maximum temperature during sleep at my house. if it takes an extra year to become fi because of my ac expemses, i am quite okay with it. hot and sweaty is not an acceptable state of being in a 1st world country.
[End of Rant]
Just out of curiosity, where are you from? "80 is beach temperature" sounds like you might be Canadian or Scandinavian.
I'm definitely on the bandwagon with 80 being beach temperature.
Also, it is effing hot in the PNW right now. Boo.
+1 to PNW being effin hot right now. And I'm moving in the middle of it all. Ughhhh.
-
Here in the freezing cold PNW we have a two week streak of highs between 103 and 113. Damn straight my air is on. 77 inside, baby!
-
No AC yet this year. Granted I think the highest temp thus far was 92F. During the workday I set it to 78F for the dogs sake, though inside my house hasn't reached that temp yet.
Some people have touched on it, the biggest way to get off AC is to spend time outside....spend all day outside doing stuff.
Two related articles from MMM.
The World’s Most Efficient Air-Conditioner (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/)
How Not to use your Air Conditioning (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/07/18/how-not-to-use-your-air-conditioning/)
Edit: Just needed to add, installing a ceiling fan above our bed was one the best decisions we've made.
-
No AC yet this year. Granted I think the highest temp thus far was 92F. During the workday I set it to 78F for the dogs sake, though inside my house hasn't reached that temp yet.
Some people have touched on it, the biggest way to get off AC is to spend time outside....spend all day outside doing stuff.
Two related articles from MMM.
The World’s Most Efficient Air-Conditioner (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/14/the-worlds-most-efficient-air-conditioner/)
How Not to use your Air Conditioning (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/07/18/how-not-to-use-your-air-conditioning/)
Edit: Just needed to add, installing a ceiling fan above our bed was one the best decisions we've made.
Good articles to share. 80 degrees F really isn't very hot when you are wearing summer clothes. And your body really does acclimate to higher temperatures if you let it. When I went out for my morning errands on my bicycle this morning, I actually felt kind of cold at 72 degrees F.
-
Where I live, air conditioning is uncommon, though an increasing amount of offices installed AC. This week is ramping up to 97 fahrenheit with humidity >60%. I am curious how it will work out in our office. We are allowed to leave I believe as soon as it is above 82 farenheit inside.
Lucky for my spouse, we have a naturally very cool house.
-
I grew up in a 1930's house and I find my house (1980's) unbelievably warm in comparison. My brother always comments on how warm my house is even without the heating on.
I would sleep with the windows open in winter apart from that fact that my husband grew up in a very small, overly heated house. When I go to visit my MIL I nearly keel over because it seems so hot and airless.:)
-
In the high humidity tropics, AC is a necessary evil to keep mold and mildew at bay, but it doesn't take a 68 degree house to accomplish that. I keep things around 80 which is more than fine 99.9% of the time. Unfortunately, AC died this weekend and house is about 88 degrees. Bearable with celling fans is the best I can say for it, but I'm not about to waste money on a hotel room until it is fixed like my co workers suggested.
It does remind me of this little bit from one of my favorite movies...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CasGB8GahZw
-
With my new efficient unit downstairs, I changed the reprogramming to have things be more efficient and use less energy overall. We also have humidity here, so it's good to keep it out of the house or things can have mildew or swelling issues. But the A/C only costs about $50/mo in the summer (we run it about 4 months) to keep it comfortable with how I have it setup. We keep it off completely during high-peak hours.
-
The best thing about a geothermal heat pump is that you can keep the temperature comfortable (72 in the day, 68 at night) without breaking the bank. Our electric bill has rarely been more than $100 keeping the house at those temperatures. I'm so glad because I get mean when I'm hot. :)
-
No AC either, but northern NE and seabreeze most days. I don't think it's been over 80 here yet, fine with me as I feel much better in the cold than hot. My tomatoes will hopefully ripen in August.
-
It's 83F indoors right now and I have the AC set at 84, so it hasn't turned on yet today, but I don't know if that will hold out. I'm okay hanging out in the basement living room to stay cool, but I have a lot of trouble stomaching above 84F in the rest of the house. I'm really trying to cut down on electric usage because we didn't do as well as usual this past month with our solar power generation. There's just been too much rain lately.
-
Me! Rainy season has finally kicked in and the doors and windows are open...
-
Central Texas here, with highs in the low 90s and lows in the high 70s. I run the ac to 78 upstairs only in the evening, then set the thermostat back to 88 when I go to bed. Downstairs I haven't had the ac on in more than two years. Right now it is 82 inside, but with a fan it is comfortable enough.
-
Yesterday was 97. Houses here don't have A/C and aren't really built for that kind of heat. No ceiling fans, either. Even at 97 outside, it was still hotter on my third floor than it was outside. We were pretty miserable. Not a lot of sleep until about 3 am when it finally cooled off enough for some relief. It doesn't help that it has been hot on and off over the last week and we were away and thus unable to open up at night and cool everything off. Thankfully, today is back in to the 70s, but our forecast for the weekend is back in the 90s. Even the movie theater here doesn't have A/C, so it is a challenge.
The varied temps are also murder on adaptation. High of 87 yesterday, low of 46 forecast for Thursday. Not much we can do though, but yesterday was definitely a "no pants" day around the house.
-
The last week or so have been actually pretty reasonable here in Atlanta (highs in the mid-80s or so, with humidity). I've been managing to keep my windows open, which is tolerable because I've been wearing very few clothes and sitting at my computer on a mesh chair with a fan aimed at me. I've gotten to the point where I can comfortably tolerate the inside of the house getting up to 86 degrees or so.
Starting today the high is going to be up in the 90s, so I've resorted to AC.
-
In the high humidity tropics, AC is a necessary evil to keep mold and mildew at bay, but it doesn't take a 68 degree house to accomplish that. I keep things around 80 which is more than fine 99.9% of the time.
We used to keep the house at 82, but now that I'm pregnant it gets to 78 when we sleep. I just can't handle it hotter than that.
Do people really use AC to 68 degrees? That sounds uncomfortably cold. (Actually, we set the house to 66 in the winter, and I am covered in fleece, and it is really cold. So add in shorts and t-shirts of the summer- and that sounds horrible.)
-
In my 1-bedroom apartment I typically only run the air conditioner during the months of July and August, and it ends up costing me a grand total of about $50-75, which I consider worth it. The rest of the spring/summer/fall I can typically manage temperatures by opening windows and using a fan to draw through cool air at night, but July and August the humidity is just too high to do that comfortably. This is in New England. I do have programmable thermostat on the a/c so it only runs during the hours I'm home.
-
Luckily, I'm working from home for the time being, so I've been able to keep the windows open and avoid A/C. If I were gone during the day I'd have to run it to keep my cat from getting heatstroke.
(Incidentally, what's the maximum humane temperature for an indoor cat?)
-
(Incidentally, what's the maximum humane temperature for an indoor cat?)
Depends on what they're used to. Like humans, cats can get acclimated to the temperature and weather around them. I just moved to a third floor apartment where, obviously, heat rises, so it's a bit warmer than my two cats are used to. You would have thought I put them in the oven and melted them the way they sprawled out and looked at me pityingly. They did, however, get used to it quickly, but I make adjustments as I go. I always leave a fan on to circulate the air. I'd like to keep the kitchen door shut (one less room to cool), but the fuzzy one likes to lay on the linoleum (carpeting elsewhere). I'm guessing it's much cooler down there.
The one thing I like to keep in mind is that I can strip down and sit naked if I need to to cool off, but my boys will always have their fur coats (even if I do trim the fuzzy one in the summer).
-
Ah, north-central Michigan. We've only turned on the AC for a couple of hours this year to make sure it's still functioning. We've had highs in the upper 80s with a decent amount of humidity, but frequent overnight lows in the low- to mid-40s, coupled with stacked concrete block walls, keep our home pretty comfortable in the summer without the AC.
The winter gas bills are another story....
-
My husband and I live in SW Ohio and plan on going without AC for the entire summer. We did it last year with the exception of when we had people over on the hotter days (didn't want to subject them to our no AC challenge). So far this summer has been pretty nice. Highs have been at most in the upper 80s with the nights being fairly cool for the most part. I try to further enforce my body's ability to adapt by not turning on the AC while staying at a hotel during work trips and also driving without AC when I'm by myself. Overall, it hasn't been so bad mainly because I tend to run a little cooler than most people.
-
Question for those in hot and humid climates: do you use dehumidifiers? Bama is humid as shit right now and the humidity is turning out to be more of a problem than the heat itself.
We went for about three months in spring with no heat, no AC (closer to 4 if you exclude a few outlier days), just opening and closing windows as needed, using box fans to move air. At the end of that time, right before we turned on the AC, we noticed that some of our things in less-used areas had grown substantial mold.
We're pretty good at pushing our heat tolerance near 80 and even higher sometimes, but we need our house to not grow mold. I'm talking shoes, leather garments, and a few other things of that nature, just covered in it. We're temporarily using the AC more than comfort alone would require, while we figure out the best solution. I worry a dehumidifier wouldn't be efficient or effective during passive heating/cooling periods since I'm just washing the house in humid outside air at the same time.
Any ideas appreciated.
-
Ah, north-central Michigan. We've only turned on the AC for a couple of hours this year to make sure it's still functioning. We've had highs in the upper 80s with a decent amount of humidity, but frequent overnight lows in the low- to mid-40s, coupled with stacked concrete block walls, keep our home pretty comfortable in the summer without the AC.
The winter gas bills are another story....
Sounds like you need more insulation. I suggest bacon cheeseburgers.
-
Question for those in hot and humid climates: do you use dehumidifiers? Bama is humid as shit right now and the humidity is turning out to be more of a problem than the heat itself.
We went for about three months in spring with no heat, no AC (closer to 4 if you exclude a few outlier days), just opening and closing windows as needed, using box fans to move air. At the end of that time, right before we turned on the AC, we noticed that some of our things in less-used areas had grown substantial mold.
We're pretty good at pushing our heat tolerance near 80 and even higher sometimes, but we need our house to not grow mold. I'm talking shoes, leather garments, and a few other things of that nature, just covered in it. We're temporarily using the AC more than comfort alone would require, while we figure out the best solution. I worry a dehumidifier wouldn't be efficient or effective during passive heating/cooling periods since I'm just washing the house in humid outside air at the same time.
Any ideas appreciated.
When I lived in Japan (hot and humid), I did run the A/C, but they are wall units, not central, and many areas didn't have a unit in them.
I bought giant desiccants at a home store and tucked them in closets and corners that didn't get much circulation. Worked like a charm. They were purchased at a Japanese home store, but I'd guess you can find something similar in the US (or wherever you are). There were different kinds. Some you tossed when they had a puddle of water sitting in them (meaning they'd soaked up all they could) and others you actually put in the oven to dry out, and then could reuse. We had the latter because it's what I found when I first went looking.
I had a dehumidifier, but it let off so much heat that I couldn't bring myself to use it when it was hot, and the desiccants worked just fine.
-
Question for those in hot and humid climates: do you use dehumidifiers? Bama is humid as shit right now and the humidity is turning out to be more of a problem than the heat itself.
We went for about three months in spring with no heat, no AC (closer to 4 if you exclude a few outlier days), just opening and closing windows as needed, using box fans to move air. At the end of that time, right before we turned on the AC, we noticed that some of our things in less-used areas had grown substantial mold.
We're pretty good at pushing our heat tolerance near 80 and even higher sometimes, but we need our house to not grow mold. I'm talking shoes, leather garments, and a few other things of that nature, just covered in it. We're temporarily using the AC more than comfort alone would require, while we figure out the best solution. I worry a dehumidifier wouldn't be efficient or effective during passive heating/cooling periods since I'm just washing the house in humid outside air at the same time.
Any ideas appreciated.
We try to dehumidify with the AC because the dehumidifier just puts off so much heat, but every now and again things start smelling musty in a closet or the man cave and it's time to pull out the dehumidifier again. You need to stay on top of that in the spring; it's harder to rehab items with mold than too keep it away. You can't save the leather if the mold is deeper than the surface, I'm sorry to say.
Get a thermometer with humidity gauge and try to keep the indoor humidity at 70% or lower, definitely not more than 75%.
Neither the AC nor the dehumidifier will do any good if you open windows at night once the outdoor humidity rises to the point it stays around 80 or higher. You need to close it up around the first of May and stay that way most of the summer. Welcome to the South.
On rare low-humidity days, the sky turns a brilliant blue you will have forgotten it can get. Open then. In October, the sky stays that color all month.
-
Question for those in hot and humid climates: do you use dehumidifiers? Bama is humid as shit right now and the humidity is turning out to be more of a problem than the heat itself.
We went for about three months in spring with no heat, no AC (closer to 4 if you exclude a few outlier days), just opening and closing windows as needed, using box fans to move air. At the end of that time, right before we turned on the AC, we noticed that some of our things in less-used areas had grown substantial mold.
We're pretty good at pushing our heat tolerance near 80 and even higher sometimes, but we need our house to not grow mold. I'm talking shoes, leather garments, and a few other things of that nature, just covered in it. We're temporarily using the AC more than comfort alone would require, while we figure out the best solution. I worry a dehumidifier wouldn't be efficient or effective during passive heating/cooling periods since I'm just washing the house in humid outside air at the same time.
Any ideas appreciated.
When I lived in Japan (hot and humid), I did run the A/C, but they are wall units, not central, and many areas didn't have a unit in them.
I bought giant desiccants at a home store and tucked them in closets and corners that didn't get much circulation. Worked like a charm. They were purchased at a Japanese home store, but I'd guess you can find something similar in the US (or wherever you are). There were different kinds. Some you tossed when they had a puddle of water sitting in them (meaning they'd soaked up all they could) and others you actually put in the oven to dry out, and then could reuse. We had the latter because it's what I found when I first went looking.
I had a dehumidifier, but it let off so much heat that I couldn't bring myself to use it when it was hot, and the desiccants worked just fine.
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
-
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
- You do that after the humid season ends.
- If you were careful, you could probably try them out with an outdoor grill, too.
- Properly-installed ranges have fume hoods that vent outside, so if you used the fan you might avoid re-humidifying the house.
-
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
- You do that after the humid season ends.
- If you were careful, you could probably try them out with an outdoor grill, too.
- Properly-installed ranges have fume hoods that vent outside, so if you used the fan you might avoid re-humidifying the house.
You speak as if you have done this before. Do you have an idea of how much desiccant it takes to do this for an entire Atlanta summer for option #1? I live in Atlanta as you do (assuming your location in your profile is up to date).
-
Question for those in hot and humid climates: do you use dehumidifiers? Bama is humid as shit right now and the humidity is turning out to be more of a problem than the heat itself.
We went for about three months in spring with no heat, no AC (closer to 4 if you exclude a few outlier days), just opening and closing windows as needed, using box fans to move air. At the end of that time, right before we turned on the AC, we noticed that some of our things in less-used areas had grown substantial mold.
We're pretty good at pushing our heat tolerance near 80 and even higher sometimes, but we need our house to not grow mold. I'm talking shoes, leather garments, and a few other things of that nature, just covered in it. We're temporarily using the AC more than comfort alone would require, while we figure out the best solution. I worry a dehumidifier wouldn't be efficient or effective during passive heating/cooling periods since I'm just washing the house in humid outside air at the same time.
Any ideas appreciated.
I've lived in hot and humid Florida my whole life and have never had a dehumidifier. I've never had mold issues. But then, I never open the windows in the summer. I've never felt the need for a dehumidifier.
-
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
- You do that after the humid season ends.
- If you were careful, you could probably try them out with an outdoor grill, too.
- Properly-installed ranges have fume hoods that vent outside, so if you used the fan you might avoid re-humidifying the house.
You speak as if you have done this before. Do you have an idea of how much desiccant it takes to do this for an entire Atlanta summer for option #1? I live in Atlanta as you do (assuming your location in your profile is up to date).
I think the point is that they are sucking moisture out of areas where you don't use any A/C at all and where there is little air circulation. When you cook them dry, you are doing that in a kitchen that likely has better air circulation and may have some A/C used. Or, as mentioned, you cook them dry during the cooler seasons. The disposable ones were pretty cheap, however, so that might be a better option.
As for how many you need, that will depend on how many areas you are drying, and how much A/C you use. I had them in a couple rooms with no A/C at all, and in the back of a large storage closet. One desiccant, about the size of a softball I suppose, easily lasted an entire humid Japanese summer. I did use A/C in our living room and master bedroom, and had no desiccants in those areas.
-
i just went 3 days without air conditioning !
(but that's because i was in breckenridge colorado and the high was 70)
i'll be back on a/c in Houston this week as its going to hit 100 with 90% humidity in the morning.
-
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
- You do that after the humid season ends.
- If you were careful, you could probably try them out with an outdoor grill, too.
- Properly-installed ranges have fume hoods that vent outside, so if you used the fan you might avoid re-humidifying the house.
You speak as if you have done this before. Do you have an idea of how much desiccant it takes to do this for an entire Atlanta summer for option #1? I live in Atlanta as you do (assuming your location in your profile is up to date).
I think the point is that they are sucking moisture out of areas where you don't use any A/C at all and where there is little air circulation. When you cook them dry, you are doing that in a kitchen that likely has better air circulation and may have some A/C used. Or, as mentioned, you cook them dry during the cooler seasons. The disposable ones were pretty cheap, however, so that might be a better option.
As for how many you need, that will depend on how many areas you are drying, and how much A/C you use. I had them in a couple rooms with no A/C at all, and in the back of a large storage closet. One desiccant, about the size of a softball I suppose, easily lasted an entire humid Japanese summer. I did use A/C in our living room and master bedroom, and had no desiccants in those areas.
Yes I realize that the amount of dessicants required depends on the area I'm trying to dehumidify, my use of AC, etc. That's obvious. I was hoping Jack could provide that information so that I could extrapolate to my situation.
-
I'm a little confused by the kind that you let saturate and then put in the oven to dry out.
When you put it into the oven to dry out, you're boiling off the water vapor, yes? Meaning it just goes back into the air...so your humidity hasn't actually changed.
Am I missing something here?
- You do that after the humid season ends.
- If you were careful, you could probably try them out with an outdoor grill, too.
- Properly-installed ranges have fume hoods that vent outside, so if you used the fan you might avoid re-humidifying the house.
You speak as if you have done this before. Do you have an idea of how much desiccant it takes to do this for an entire Atlanta summer for option #1? I live in Atlanta as you do (assuming your location in your profile is up to date).
I think the point is that they are sucking moisture out of areas where you don't use any A/C at all and where there is little air circulation. When you cook them dry, you are doing that in a kitchen that likely has better air circulation and may have some A/C used. Or, as mentioned, you cook them dry during the cooler seasons. The disposable ones were pretty cheap, however, so that might be a better option.
As for how many you need, that will depend on how many areas you are drying, and how much A/C you use. I had them in a couple rooms with no A/C at all, and in the back of a large storage closet. One desiccant, about the size of a softball I suppose, easily lasted an entire humid Japanese summer. I did use A/C in our living room and master bedroom, and had no desiccants in those areas.
Yes I realize that the amount of dessicants required depends on the area I'm trying to dehumidify, my use of AC, etc. That's obvious. I was hoping Jack could provide that information so that I could extrapolate to my situation.
Sorry, I haven't actually tried it and have no idea how much dessicant you'd need.
-
I haven't turned mine on yet. I have dual zone and last year i fired up both zones and the upstairs unit was broken. I don't really care, lol. Once you adjust to the heat it's honestly fine.
-
I haven't turned mine on yet. I have dual zone and last year i fired up both zones and the upstairs unit was broken. I don't really care, lol. Once you adjust to the heat it's honestly fine.
Totally agree with you, freeedom. My husband and I haven't turned on ours at all this summer and only turned it on when we had guests over last summer.
-
I rent a room in a house, so annoying I can't go without AC. I fucking love hot temperatures, but this family keeps the AC at 72 so I'm always freezing. I actually have to use a space heater in the morning or I'd never want to get out of bed.
On the plus side, it encourages me to go outside more than I would otherwise, where it's nice and warm.
-
The heat and humidity is getting to me. If we had A/C, it would be on. Why Germans don't do ceiling fans is beyond me.
Lots of cold water, lots of breaks as we work around the house, and I'm keeping my hair wet. Not much else we can do.
-
The heat and humidity is getting to me. If we had A/C, it would be on. Why Germans don't do ceiling fans is beyond me.
Lots of cold water, lots of breaks as we work around the house, and I'm keeping my hair wet. Not much else we can do.
you could try a dehumidifier but my experience from having one is they really cant do more than one room and unless you have great seals on the windows and good insulation its not going to help much; but it'll drop one rooms humidity by 10 percent.
-
The heat and humidity is getting to me. If we had A/C, it would be on. Why Germans don't do ceiling fans is beyond me.
Lots of cold water, lots of breaks as we work around the house, and I'm keeping my hair wet. Not much else we can do.
you could try a dehumidifier but my experience from having one is they really cant do more than one room and unless you have great seals on the windows and good insulation its not going to help much; but it'll drop one rooms humidity by 10 percent.
I had a dehumidifier when we lived in Japan and found that it generated so much heat that it was, at best, a wash. We are only here (in Germany) another 2 months, so I'm not going to buy anything that I can't use elsewhere (220 vs 110v). But even having one room to which I could retreat, and being able to sleep at night, would be huge.
But since there doesn't seem to be a reasonable solution, I'll have to tough it out. I'll volunteer extra hours at the library tomorrow as that is one of the few places that has A/C.
-
It's 100 here today, and we have it set on 86. We'll crank it down to 76 to sleep.
-
I rent a room in a house, so annoying I can't go without AC. I fucking love hot temperatures, but this family keeps the AC at 72 so I'm always freezing. I actually have to use a space heater in the morning or I'd never want to get out of bed.
On the plus side, it encourages me to go outside more than I would otherwise, where it's nice and warm.
You can't close the vent in your room?
-
I considered making it through May/June as an accomplishment with no AC!
For July august i'm not crazy, i do shift work and need to be able to sleep through the hot parts of the day so AC is necessary to my job sanity. But i'm not keeping it as cool as i have other years, and with that and the new LED bulbs i'm already seeing a savings in my Electricity bill. It does cool down at night a little but not as much as some other places do. so the window open/shut with me doesn't work well. I used to always run a dehumidifier though, sometimes the AC doesn't run a lot in the spring/fall/cool weeks and i find the moisture builds up even though i'm not in a crazy humid climate. winter is usually fine though its too dry sometimes
-
Living in Florida, there is no way I'd do without AC - period. Ain't happenin'.
I refuse to be miserable and hot and sticky - even my brain overheats and I feel like I'm going to ex - or maybe implode. I'm from Europe and I have a really tough time with the climate turning into an inferno in the summer time.
My max tolerance is 76 degrees and sometimes even that has to go down to 72 degrees for a while. I live for the days when the temps are tolerable in the spring and we don't need AC at all.
I hate AC - the noise intrudes even in your sleep and don't even try to tell me all those pipes in the attic don't have mold and who knows what - it's nasty business. Give me the clean air of a real forest anytime.
The humidity is the worst - imagine stepping outside and everything has a layer of moisture/water on it (in the early morning) two hours later you could fry an egg outside.
-
It finally got hot and humid here in Chicago. I actually love it. Our elderly cat does not; she was visibly suffering (and runs in terror from fans! Freak!). So, the window unit finally went in on Friday.
If it were up to me I would do without AC unless it got over 100.
Now, if my work would just stop cranking it up. One of the managers is having hot flashes - and I know that's got to suck, but it means I want to sit at my desk in my coat.
-
Living part time in southern France. AC? What AC?
It's been in the "90s" (or high 30s in real money) for a month.
Close shutters during daylight. Open shutters after sunset for cool-ish breeze.
Spend indoor time in stone-walled main floor, always stays cool.
Outside, wear hat. Swim in lake. Dump cold mountain-spring fed river water over head. (Or lie down in river if you can handle it.)
On long bike rides, immerse head in village fountains whenever one appears.
Repeat.
It's worked down here for hundreds of years . . ..