Author Topic: No Air-Conditioning 2013  (Read 24094 times)

workathomedad

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No Air-Conditioning 2013
« on: May 17, 2013, 03:18:47 PM »
My challenge is no Air-Conditioning in 2013. This is probably much easier for me in Michigan, but is made up for by higher heating bills in the Winter. It's only starting to touch 80 in Michigan, but so far having the windows open at night is keeping the house cool in the low 70's all day. I want to see if I can go the whole summer using this method, supplemented by a fan in the upstairs window when we get into the 90's.

Believe-it-or-not, this is still a "challenge" up here. I've already heard my neighbors Air Conditioning running at night when it is only about 60 degrees outside.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2013, 03:21:22 PM by workathomedad »

arebelspy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2013, 04:20:32 PM »
I haven't yet turned on the A/C yet here in Vegas (in the house, that is; we have in the car), though we have hit 100 twice (and in the 90s fairly regularly now).

I'd imagine we will at some point, but it's not that necessary.
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marty998

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2013, 06:04:31 PM »
I haven't turned my aircon on in 2 and a half years. Never needed it so I just took the batteries out of the remote.

If it's hot, just take your clothes off. Much more fun.

nktokyo

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2013, 06:16:26 PM »
I live in Japan. I'll go without many things before I cease with the air conditioning. Heat I can handle... humidity not so well.

CanuckStache

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2013, 06:40:41 PM »
Yeah - we're doing our best not to turn on the AC down here in New Orleans too. The heat doesn't bother me, but it's the humidity which is off the charts.

Even right now..Sitting in the house with all windows open, still sweating - it's not terrible in this room, but in the kitchen it sure is. Plus, our landlords are too cheap to buy us screens for our windows so we have to constantly balance cooler air with influx of mosquitos. Thankfully they're not bad tonight, and there's a bit of a breeze.

I might make my own screens, but it seems like a waste since we're not staying here too much longer. It's a 150 year old house with odd shaped windows too, so any screens need to be custom fit.

It's only about 80 F (28C), but almost 100% humidity right now.

kkbmustang

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2013, 07:14:24 PM »
We have gotten in the habit of only turning on the AC at night if it's higher than 76 or 77 in the house. No AC during the day since I'm the only one home. It hit 90 today, so the heat is coming. We've gotten a lot better since we found MMM, but still have room for improvement.

arebelspy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2013, 07:48:36 PM »
We have gotten in the habit of only turning on the AC at night if it's higher than 76 or 77 in the house.

Run a t-shirt under the faucet and put it on.  It will feel cold, and you will easily get to sleep.
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workathomedad

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2013, 08:21:14 PM »
I think running the air conditioner at night is probably unnecessary unless you still have that 77-80 degree weather outside. I do have to convince my wife not to sleep with a heavy blanket on, as she wants to do it out of habit.

mpbaker22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2013, 09:39:43 PM »
Haven't turned it on yet this year.  It got up to the 92-95 range two days in a row this week, but my apartment never got above 83.   It was pretty dry so that helped.  On Monday it's supposed to be 93 with a 59% humidity (103 degree heat index), so we'll see how it goes.

If we get June/July like last year, it will definitely be on.  For 10 days last year it didn't get below 83 degrees, even at night.  And the high was always over 100.  It was brutal.

nktokyo

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2013, 07:08:35 AM »
At night we usually put a fan by our bed (futon to be exact). My wife is a singer and can't have the aircon on all night.

Ree

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2013, 07:25:33 AM »
Strangely, I have always hated air conditioning. It makes me feel sick. Even when I lived in hot and humid VA and GA I was much happier without it. I didn't use it at all last year. Sometimes I used a fan. I hope to do the same this year, though it also depends on my boyfriend's preference and he's not so Mustachian or AC-adverse.

Rural

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2013, 02:05:56 PM »
We're probably going to have to run either ac or a dehumidifier to make sure we don't get mold. Summer humidity levels stay around 80% outside. Inside so far is holding around 70%, temps around 64 inside with 80s outside. So we may have to have the dehumidifier for now, and we'll see what happens in August with high 90s to triple digits and high humidity.

Theadyn

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #12 on: May 18, 2013, 03:57:17 PM »
This past week we've had about 5 days over 90 degrees.  Am trying to keep the AC to 80 and haven't had any issues thus far.  :)   We did get some rain a few days ago, but otherwise it's pretty dry here and the ceiling fan does a fair job.  This is a huge step as I'm very sensitive to temperature and used to keep the AC about 70.  Will see how it goes this summer and will keep trying to test myself. 

workathomedad

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2013, 07:01:49 PM »
I forgot about the humidity/mold issues. Dehumidifiers can be pretty $$ to run too.

Reminds me that if I move I'd prefer an area with low-humidity!

Daley

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #14 on: May 18, 2013, 10:46:52 PM »
Plus, our landlords are too cheap to buy us screens for our windows so we have to constantly balance cooler air with influx of mosquitos. Thankfully they're not bad tonight, and there's a bit of a breeze.

I might make my own screens, but it seems like a waste since we're not staying here too much longer. It's a 150 year old house with odd shaped windows too, so any screens need to be custom fit.

Save yourself the trouble of making some from scratch, and buy some of these at under $7.00 a pop instead: W B Marvin 21 - 37 in. W x 15 in. H Wood Frame Adjustable Window Screen

kikichewie

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #15 on: May 20, 2013, 05:45:03 AM »
We are almost doing this.  We live in Florida though, and we are turning on the AC 2-3 hours per night before we go to bed to cool things down. Based on the way our house faces, the heat notches up one degree and hour before the sun starts  to go down and blasts the front of our house. We hit 85 degrees in the house yesterday with all the windows open and some fans on, and it was bearable.

I'm home during the day, pregnant, and it's going to get hotter, so we will see how we do through the summer.  If I have to use AC to keep the thermostat at 84-85, I might just have to do that at some point.  But at least we are acclimating well.  It is 78 degrees now in the morning and it feels downright cool in the house. I'm interested in seeing how the power bill is affected.  It's only been a few weeks since we have needed to use the AC.

mpbaker22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #16 on: May 20, 2013, 07:18:48 AM »
Dagnabbit!  Those dang storms made me close my windows at the coolest time of the night.  I woke up this morning to 82 degrees inside, 64 degrees outside.  Not cool!

beeth_oven

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2013, 06:23:31 AM »
I choose not to use AC and get by with a small fan. It reminds me of when I was growing up a poor little beeth_oven and didn't have things like dishwashers, central AC or drop-off laundry. Now that I make my own money and live the luxurious lifestyle, I still like to keep it real to my roots in some ways.

limeandpepper

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2013, 06:36:18 AM »
I haven't used AC for at least a couple of years now, I think. And where I live, temperatures of above 100F are quite common in summer. I was even getting by without a fan, until my dad decided to get me one, which is a nice little luxury.

lauren_knows

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2013, 06:38:28 AM »
Living in the midatlantic, with almost daily maximum humidity, I just won't ever participate in this sort of challenge.  More power to you all, but if I sleep in a sweat puddle, I'm grumpy.

GuitarStv

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #20 on: May 23, 2013, 07:16:47 AM »
I live in Japan. I'll go without many things before I cease with the air conditioning. Heat I can handle... humidity not so well.

+1

It may only get to 30 or 35 degrees in the summer here, but we hit close to 100% humidity some time around the end of june, and it doesn't let up until the end of august.  Just gross and sticky all the time . . .   :P

jrhampt

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #21 on: May 23, 2013, 07:45:31 AM »
I'll see if we can make it all summer...we usually cave for a handful of days in July, but we're nowhere near there yet.

The Dutchman

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #22 on: May 23, 2013, 08:01:26 AM »
Good Luck; I live in MI as well (SE).  Where I am it is the humidity 80% most of the summer.  It doesn't stop during the night.  You will be fine until late July when you have all your fans running on high and sweating while you sleep.  It is great in early and late summer when you can flush out the hot air every night; however, when it remains 80 degrees and 80 % humidity outside with at night you will never be able to get away. 

workathomedad

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #23 on: May 26, 2013, 10:01:09 AM »
Well, looks like we'll at least make it to the end of May without having used the A/C. That's a start.

arebelspy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #24 on: May 26, 2013, 10:26:17 AM »
Well, looks like we'll at least make it to the end of May without having used the A/C. That's a start.

Ditto.

June too?
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Nords

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #25 on: May 26, 2013, 12:22:02 PM »
Heh.  We've been doing the No-A/C Challenge since the early 1990s.  Tradewind cooling, open windows, and radiant foil insulation in the attics.

We had to turn on a ceiling fan the other day, so that probably offsets our higher photovoltaic electricity production.

oldtoyota

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #26 on: May 27, 2013, 01:49:17 PM »
Well, looks like we'll at least make it to the end of May without having used the A/C. That's a start.

Same here. For May, no heat and no AC. I feel fortunate the weather has been so cooperative. Now, if I can just get Spouse to turn off the ceiling fans when leaving a room...

It is supposed to hit 90 later this week. I'm hoping we can continue the no-AC challenge.

kudy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #27 on: May 27, 2013, 04:19:08 PM »
It's never humid here in Colorado, so the heat is bearable. My house doesn't have AC, the cool night air is usually great, and I enjoy the smaller utility bills I get in the summer.

I've looked at ductless pump systems that provide both heat & AC, but I realize that any savings I would get from the more efficient heat would probably be lost to sissy-pants use of the AC feature in the summer. I think I can keep powering through non-cooled summers without a problem... there usually aren't more than a few weeks worth of really uncomfortable nights each year.

...unless of course this climate change trend of higher heat and no precipitation continues, then I'll have to realize I'm suddenly living in a desert, and have to get an AC? We'll see... I really don't want to spend $5K on a ductless system.

chucklesmcgee

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #28 on: May 27, 2013, 05:09:28 PM »
My apartment was an absolute heat box last summer and would routinely get up to 85+ degrees without AC. I might be mustachian, but I'm not going to endure a sweaty, uncomfortable night for $20-$30 in savings. I've since put up some blackout curtains over the large windows and hope this will keep the heat from the sunlight down and increase the insulation overall.

The flip-side is that my place stays incredibly warm in the winter as well. I succeeded in no-heat 2012, despite temperatures that were in the 20s for weeks. My place rarely dipped below 65 at night, which is actually supposed to be the ideal ambient sleeping temperature.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #29 on: May 27, 2013, 06:40:59 PM »
My apartment was an absolute heat box last summer and would routinely get up to 85+ degrees without AC. I might be mustachian, but I'm not going to endure a sweaty, uncomfortable night for $20-$30 in savings. I've since put up some blackout curtains over the large windows and hope this will keep the heat from the sunlight down and increase the insulation overall.

The flip-side is that my place stays incredibly warm in the winter as well. I succeeded in no-heat 2012, despite temperatures that were in the 20s for weeks. My place rarely dipped below 65 at night, which is actually supposed to be the ideal ambient sleeping temperature.

Same.  Probably has to do with the fact that both of my windows are on the same wall, so I can't get any airflow going.  I'm sticking with the "sweating and being uncomfortable" option to get acclimated.  I guess if it's so bad I feel like I'm going to pass out I'll turn on the AC, but other than that I'm going to tough it out as long as I can, which I'm guessing will be next month when it's 100 and humid.

MakingSenseofCents

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #30 on: June 02, 2013, 11:07:15 AM »
I would love to be able to do this! However, Missouri would be horrible with this as we have very high temperatures in the summer and very high humidity all the time. It would make it unbearable.

oldtoyota

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #31 on: June 02, 2013, 04:35:18 PM »
We had a heat wave for the past 3+ days and did not use the AC. A storm is coming in now to cool off the weather. Yay!

We survived by visiting the pool and using cold packs under ceiling fans.


Rural

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #32 on: June 02, 2013, 07:28:06 PM »
Well, we've not yet installed any sort of climate control in the new house, and we've done fine for the week we've been in.

 This is remarkable because we're in the Deep South, but we did plan in high thermal mass for stability and to take advantage of both natural heating and cooling when we designed the house, and we calculated the sun angles to be sure we got heat input in winter, not summer (and built among hardwoods for shade so we shouldn't overheat in October).

So far, so good. We haven't gone over 75 in the house in the middle of the afternoon, and that's with temps near 90 and one room open while the dogs learn about their new dog door. Oh, and at least for today, pumping heat inside the house with a dehumidifier --the dryer's also not installed, and it's hard to line dry in the rain, and I had to get one load done so I can go to work tomorrow. I'd have planned ahead and done it sooner, only we just moved the washing machine last night...

mpbaker22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #33 on: June 02, 2013, 10:16:22 PM »
I would love to be able to do this! However, Missouri would be horrible with this as we have very high temperatures in the summer and very high humidity all the time. It would make it unbearable.

The humidity is awful.  I was sweating today even though it was only 70 degrees.  However, this summer has been really easy.  My apartment only got up to 83 on the hottest day so far this year ...  I'm in St. Louis, BTW.

jamccain

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #34 on: June 02, 2013, 10:50:11 PM »
Heh.  We've been doing the No-A/C Challenge since the early 1990s.  Tradewind cooling, open windows, and radiant foil insulation in the attics.

We had to turn on a ceiling fan the other day, so that probably offsets our higher photovoltaic electricity production.

Lucky to be in the same boat as Nords on this.  No A/C needed here on the California coast.  Hey, at least one thing here is cheaper!

MakingSenseofCents

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #35 on: June 03, 2013, 06:20:57 PM »
I would love to be able to do this! However, Missouri would be horrible with this as we have very high temperatures in the summer and very high humidity all the time. It would make it unbearable.

The humidity is awful.  I was sweating today even though it was only 70 degrees.  However, this summer has been really easy.  My apartment only got up to 83 on the hottest day so far this year ...  I'm in St. Louis, BTW.

Awesome that you're from St. Louis! Yeah, this summer has been very nice so far. I probably just jinxed us though.

EK

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #36 on: June 03, 2013, 07:41:55 PM »
It gets pretty hot and VERY humid in VA during the summer, but we're trying to go without.  We're going to put screens in all the windows and open them at night.  We've made it through a few pretty hot days already, and I'm feeling optimistic!  We might have to give in occasionally to keep the house comfortable for the pets, but watching the electricity bill go down lately has been very motivating...

TansyPants

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #37 on: June 03, 2013, 07:52:29 PM »
I'm in! Though, my boyfriend may not be... the only reason it hasn't been on for the last three days is because we took the units out for Sandy and haven't ut them back in yet (he's afraid of dropping one on a pedestrian and I don't want or need anything beyond the ceiling fans.)And being on the top floor of an old and insufficiently insulated building its been 85+ in our apartment already this week.

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #38 on: June 04, 2013, 08:28:04 AM »
I've done it so far with standard Mid Atlantic humidity and a few 90+ days.   My house came with a bunch of window units and I only use one and I only put it on when I'm in the room.  I realized last summer that it at most added $10-15 to my electricity bill (hard to tell since some months were estimates so I don't know where to attribute the usage).  For all the things I've wasted $10-15 on in a month I think A/C is pretty worth it.  (my first post and it's antu-mustachian!)

I live in Japan. I'll go without many things before I cease with the air conditioning. Heat I can handle... humidity not so well.

When I stayed for a month in the summer (without AC) it was pretty bad.  The one redeeming quality was the huge windows and doors in the house I was staying in which made for great ventilation.  Still incredibly sticky.

Quote
Awesome that you're from St. Louis! Yeah, this summer has been very nice so far. I probably just jinxed us though.

Tornadoes count as nice?!

anastrophe

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #39 on: June 04, 2013, 08:49:37 AM »
I did it last summer and I'm going to try again this year--I gave away my air conditioner and would hate to have to buy another.

Where I live highs are around 100F and humidity is sometimes 80-90%. Miserable. But we don't have too many days like that, so as long as it doesn't go on for weeks I'll just grit my teeth and mope. My apartment is in a cool, shady, tree-y area, which helps.

mpbaker22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #40 on: June 04, 2013, 09:51:04 AM »
I did it last summer and I'm going to try again this year--I gave away my air conditioner and would hate to have to buy another.

Where I live highs are around 100F and humidity is sometimes 80-90%. Miserable. But we don't have too many days like that, so as long as it doesn't go on for weeks I'll just grit my teeth and mope. My apartment is in a cool, shady, tree-y area, which helps.

Where do you live?  Are you suggesting 100F and 80% humidity at the same time?  I kind of doubt your heat index is 158-176 degrees

anastrophe

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #41 on: June 04, 2013, 10:25:26 AM »
I did it last summer and I'm going to try again this year--I gave away my air conditioner and would hate to have to buy another.

Where I live highs are around 100F and humidity is sometimes 80-90%. Miserable. But we don't have too many days like that, so as long as it doesn't go on for weeks I'll just grit my teeth and mope. My apartment is in a cool, shady, tree-y area, which helps.

Where do you live?  Are you suggesting 100F and 80% humidity at the same time?  I kind of doubt your heat index is 158-176 degrees

Haha, no. But one miserable record-breaking day last week was 90F, average humidity 94%. We have less than a month's worth of days like that, though, so I don't feel an AC is really necessary.

MakingSenseofCents

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #42 on: June 04, 2013, 10:39:49 AM »
I've done it so far with standard Mid Atlantic humidity and a few 90+ days.   My house came with a bunch of window units and I only use one and I only put it on when I'm in the room.  I realized last summer that it at most added $10-15 to my electricity bill (hard to tell since some months were estimates so I don't know where to attribute the usage).  For all the things I've wasted $10-15 on in a month I think A/C is pretty worth it.  (my first post and it's antu-mustachian!)

I live in Japan. I'll go without many things before I cease with the air conditioning. Heat I can handle... humidity not so well.

When I stayed for a month in the summer (without AC) it was pretty bad.  The one redeeming quality was the huge windows and doors in the house I was staying in which made for great ventilation.  Still incredibly sticky.

Quote
Awesome that you're from St. Louis! Yeah, this summer has been very nice so far. I probably just jinxed us though.

Tornadoes count as nice?!

Ha well I mean the days without tornadoes!

mpbaker22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #43 on: June 04, 2013, 11:05:24 AM »
I've done it so far with standard Mid Atlantic humidity and a few 90+ days.   My house came with a bunch of window units and I only use one and I only put it on when I'm in the room.  I realized last summer that it at most added $10-15 to my electricity bill (hard to tell since some months were estimates so I don't know where to attribute the usage).  For all the things I've wasted $10-15 on in a month I think A/C is pretty worth it.  (my first post and it's antu-mustachian!)

I live in Japan. I'll go without many things before I cease with the air conditioning. Heat I can handle... humidity not so well.

When I stayed for a month in the summer (without AC) it was pretty bad.  The one redeeming quality was the huge windows and doors in the house I was staying in which made for great ventilation.  Still incredibly sticky.

Quote
Awesome that you're from St. Louis! Yeah, this summer has been very nice so far. I probably just jinxed us though.

Tornadoes count as nice?!

Minus the home (and sometimes life) destruction, I enjoy them.  I live in a brick building so it's much less likely to blow away.

tooqk4u22

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #44 on: June 04, 2013, 12:56:30 PM »
 I installed a whole house fan last year and that made a world of difference and should get us into July.  Last week we had four 90+ days in a row but it still cooled off enough at night so the fan sucks in all the cooler outside air and blows out the hot inside air.  It doesn't work when it is really high humidity.

Anybody living in an arid climate should never need AC if they install a whole house fan - best thing I ever put in.

workathomedad

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #45 on: June 04, 2013, 12:56:55 PM »
Wow! Michigan weather has been really mild so far. Based on the weather forecast, no Air Conditioning will be needed in June either.

arebelspy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #46 on: June 04, 2013, 06:02:19 PM »
Wow! Michigan weather has been really mild so far. Based on the weather forecast, no Air Conditioning will be needed in June either.

Nice.  We're 100+ for the next 5 days in a row, peaking at 109 on both Friday and Saturday.

That's not too bad, it's the low only getting to 84 (and not until the early morning, so it's basically 90+ all night) is when the no A/C challenge gets fun.  :)
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oldtoyota

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #47 on: June 04, 2013, 06:17:45 PM »
I caved. I had heat rash, so on went the AC for eight hours to clear out the humidity. Then, the temperature dropped and the AC went back off. I did make it 3-4 days w/o AC during a humid heat wave though so still happy about it.

jamccain

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #48 on: June 05, 2013, 08:41:27 PM »
Wow! Michigan weather has been really mild so far. Based on the weather forecast, no Air Conditioning will be needed in June either.

Nice.  We're 100+ for the next 5 days in a row, peaking at 109 on both Friday and Saturday.

That's not too bad, it's the low only getting to 84 (and not until the early morning, so it's basically 90+ all night) is when the no A/C challenge gets fun.  :)

If I lived in 400 sq ft like you I would CRANK IT UP!  Kudos to you for being hard core.

arebelspy

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Re: No Air-Conditioning 2013
« Reply #49 on: June 05, 2013, 08:59:19 PM »
If I lived in 400 sq ft like you I would CRANK IT UP!  Kudos to you for being hard core.

We have a window unit, rather than central air, and it works pretty poorly (you need to sit right next to it, in general), so while it's tempting to do so when it's really hot, it's fine just getting used to it instead.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

 

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