# Who here doesn't have air conditioning?



## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

We live in an old 20's colonial that never had a central air update.  I live in upstate NY, so there aren't too many horrifically hot days, and we have big trees shading the house.  Usually, fans are good enough.  But today and tomorrow will be around 90 and I will be hot and crabby, and probably hide in the cool basement.  Anyone else in the same boat?


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

No AC here.  I just use my little fan in the summers.  Going to be 88 degrees today.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

Lisa Scott said:


> We live in an old 20's colonial that never had a central air update. I live in upstate NY, so there aren't too many horrifically hot days, and we have big trees shading the house. Usually, fans are good enough. But today and tomorrow will be around 90 and I will be hot and crabby, and probably hide in the cool basement. Anyone else in the same boat?


I'm in upstate NY as well (S. Tier) and my house is 25 yrs old. Didn't have AC when we bought it in 99, but had the ductwork for forced hot air. Added central air in 02 and am very glad to have it. I think it's getting hotter/more humid w/each passing summer. My folks house is over 100 yrs old & they have window AC units. I would be a real crab too


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

My hubby likes it hot and thinks we don't need a window unit for the few days we'd be uncomfortable.  Where in the southern tier do you live?  I'm in Batavia.


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

OMG.  I live in upstate NY also (Albany area) and have just two window units in the bedrooms.  I try and cool down the whole house with them but it only does a so so job and then I get no real ventilation so the house feels totally shut up.  I have been running them constantly for over a week even though it has only been moderately hot as these days I am always warm and uncomfortable and I can't stand it.  I wish I had put in central air years ago.  I have the ducts but a very old furnace and have been waiting for it to kick for 18 years.  It keeps going strong.  Now, I don't know how much longer I will be in this house so I don't know if it's worth it to do.  But I get more uncomfortable with each summer.


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

I just have to chime in here...I couldn't live without AC. Of course I live in Texas and it will be close to 100 today (and is for a lot of the summer). I feel for you guys!


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## Nina Croft (Jun 16, 2011)

I live in the south of Spain, in the mountains and I don't even have mains electricity never mind AC. When it's really hot, I just move very slowly and lie down a lot, and drink cold beer. I do have a pool though so if things get really hot...


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

Lisa Scott said:


> My hubby likes it hot and thinks we don't need a window unit for the few days we'd be uncomfortable. Where in the southern tier do you live? I'm in Batavia.


I never minded heat or cold as a kid but now I really notice it and am not fond of either. But i'll take cold over heat anyday; I can always add a layer. I'm in the Binghamton area. I've heard of Batavia but not sure where it is.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

corkyb said:


> OMG. I live in upstate NY also (Albany area) and have just two window units in the bedrooms. I try and cool down the whole house with them but it only does a so so job and then I get no real ventilation so the house feels totally shut up. I have been running them constantly for over a week even though it has only been moderately hot as these days I am always warm and uncomfortable and I can't stand it. I wish I had put in central air years ago. I have the ducts but a very old furnace and have been waiting for it to kick for 18 years. It keeps going strong. Now, I don't know how much longer I will be in this house so I don't know if it's worth it to do. But I get more uncomfortable with each summer.


Yikes, *corkyb*, I'd spend all my time in one of the bedrooms if I were you. My parents just replaced their furnace after 40 yrs!! It didn't even die on it's own, but at that age was very in-efficient. I wouldn't count on yours to croak too soon at only 18 yrs. It's a tough call on adding central AC if you're not sure how long you'll be there. In 02 I think it cost about 5k for condenser unit and new furnace. Maybe you could just get a couple more window units for your living spaces?


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

Nina Croft said:


> I live in the south of Spain, in the mountains and I don't even have mains electricity never mind AC. When it's really hot, I just move very slowly and lie down a lot, and drink cold beer. I do have a pool though so if things get really hot...


Can I please come live with you?


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

The other option is to move to the Seattle area. We've only had two days this summer over 80F. It's been horrible!!! Swim meets where everyone is wearing layers of fleece!


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## louiseb (Mar 2, 2009)

I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, we started having 100 degree days in June! I go from ac house to ac car to ac business, not much outdoor time in this heat.


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## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

Texans, I feel ya. I grew up in Htown -- the H is for heat, humidity, and oh yeah, Houston. 

Now I live in Cincinnati, and the weather is definitely milder, but BOTH my home a/c AND my car a/c went out last week, when it was in the 90s. I was miserable. Took a few days but I finally got everything fixed. Worth (almost) every penny!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Tess St John said:


> I just have to chime in here...I couldn't live without AC. Of course I live in Texas and it will be close to 100 today (and is for a lot of the summer). I feel for you guys!





louiseb said:


> I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, we started having 100 degree days in June! I go from ac house to ac car to ac business, not much outdoor time in this heat.


103 here right now.. and I can't live without AC. Funny how the 3 of us with ac's... are all in TX.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

I have a friend who grew up in New England and moved to Arizona.  Her first summer there, it was so hot, she'd throw up occasionally.  I really think I'd rather be cold than hot.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Lisa Scott said:


> I really think I'd rather be cold than hot.


Which is why I continually try to convince DH we need to move somewhere in the PNW or northern Nevada.


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## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

I live for most of the year in South India... AND we don't have A/C. Granted, I'm usually gone in the hottest months. But really, it's always hot. And often what you could really us A/C for is the humidity, not the heat, because mold gets in all your stuff. 

That said, we do okay with fans. (Although I've been known to take a *bit* too long at the ATM. Always air-conditioned.)

I think city heat is the worst, though. Without cool breezes, you must have A/C. And we don't get much done at all when it's very hot. Unless it's 5:00 in the morning. Certainly not writing. If you sit down, you fall asleep.


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## *Sandy Harper* (Jun 22, 2011)

I have AC but will not complain as long as have ceiling fans.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

I live in Los Angeles without AC. Usually, it's not too bad. My house is a 1930s Spanish, so it keeps the cool air in fairly well. But when it get really hot - blech.


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## JeffMariotte (Jun 4, 2011)

We're on a little ranch in southeastern Arizona--high desert, not as hot as Phoenix/Tucson/Yuma, etc., but it still hits or tops 100 fairly often during the summer (and then gets cold in the winter; coldest we've seen here was -23 with wind chill factored in). We have a swamp cooler, and during the summer I put in a couple of window air conditioners in the bedrooms. During monsoon season, which just started, it's often so humid out that the swamp cooler provides little relief. We also have ceiling fans. Fortunately for me, I would always rather be warm than cold.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I could not live without it.  I cannot stand heat and humidity.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

JeffMariotte said:


> We're on a little ranch in southeastern Arizona--high desert, not as hot as Phoenix/Tucson/Yuma, etc., but it still hits or tops 100 fairly often during the summer (and then gets cold in the winter; coldest we've seen here was -23 with wind chill factored in). We have a swamp cooler, and during the summer I put in a couple of window air conditioners in the bedrooms. During monsoon season, which just started, it's often so humid out that the swamp cooler provides little relief. We also have ceiling fans. Fortunately for me, I would always rather be warm than cold.


Jeff, what is a swamp cooler?


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## valleycat1 (Mar 15, 2011)

Jeff - we have a swamp cooler only too - living in the California San Joaquin Valley.  We just made it through 10 days of over 100 degrees.  We have one window unit in an extra back room, but are rarely in there.  At night we just use ceiling fans.

For Lisa Scott - swamp coolers predate A/C.  Work great in dry hot climates - the unit has a pump that circulates water through water-holding pads (hooked into the house water supply) & the fan sucks the air through the pads & into the house, cooling the air.  Unless the humidity is over about 25%, or the temperature is over 105 or so, they're great.  The energy savings are great - a lot of people here have both a swamp cooler and regular AC but only use the regular AC when it's too hot or humid for the other to work.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

99.8 with 46% humidity, so it feels like 114 here in the Little Rock area. My house AC works fine but that in my truck quit just before LL's surgery and it's old enough I don't know if I want to pay to fix it. So far, no.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Lisa Scott said:


> Jeff, what is a swamp cooler?


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

I can only dream about living somewhere that air conditioning isn't needed.  Ours is usually on from about the end of April until about the end of September.


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## Stephen_Melling (Jun 26, 2011)

No air conditioning here. When I first traveled to the States I couldn't even operate the air conditioning unit in my motel room. Though once I managed to switch it on I never switched it off again. I remember it well - The Vista Mar Motel(?) in Vista Mar Street, Fort Lauderdale. Spring Break, 1989. Actually, I spent the Spring Break fortnite in Daytona Beach.


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

I'm in SW Ontario, and we're in the 90s (F) here this week. I am unmoved in my resolve to resist AC, but it does make me whiny. Luckily, we are a car-free family, so we can ride on the nice air conditioned public transit every once in a while on the really bad afternoons. If I can manage to avoid frustrating myself on things, I can generally avoid having a tantrum. I'm waiting for winter to return, personally.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Central Ohio. No AC. Near 90 today. We're high on a hill, so usually have a breeze, plenty of fans and a walkout basement that's fairly cool. I'm afraid if we ever got AC, we'd get so comfy we'd never go back outside to mow, weed or take care of the animals.


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

OK I loved all the responses here.  I live in Tucson, AZ and I do not have AC in my home!!  I do have an evaporate cooler (aka swamp cooler).  It works great until the Monsoon season and with the increased humidity it doesn't work as well (and sometimes it becomes very uncomfortable to move around) but I have lived in Tucson almost my entire life and have never lived with AC (except at work).  I have considered a room AC but so far haven't done anything about it.  My solution is to run fans in the house and as long as the air is moving it is bearable, right now it temp is 95 degrees with a real feel temp of 102.  

I know everyone has heard the statement of "it's a dry heat" and it really is, therefore the swamp coolers work very well as they not only cool the air with water but also adds moisture to the air.  I would love to have AC but it is not feasible for me at this time so I will continue to sit in front of the fan and continue reading and communicating with my KB friends.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> Central Ohio. No AC. Near 90 today. We're high on a hill, so usually have a breeze, plenty of fans and a walkout basement that's fairly cool. I'm afraid if we ever got AC, we'd get so comfy we'd never go back outside to mow, weed or take care of the animals.


You're doing the right thing Gemini. We have AC but very rarely used. Evenings get quite cool in N. California and I enjoy going out for a walk.


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## Tam (Jan 7, 2010)

We've lived in our 1874 brick house for 20 years. Survived the first 17 with 2 window AC units in our downstairs, which ran 24/7 in the summer and kept it bearable, but just barely. Many summer nights we all camped out in the living room and family room. Our basement was unfinished so not an option. As the kids got older, we used smaller window AC units in our bedrooms, but my DH hates the noise and really resisted it. I hate the heat and could probably sleep through anything as long as I wasn't sweating! Three years ago we remodeled and installed wall-mounted units in the 4 rooms on our first floor. We have high ceilings and those units work very well. We can program them individually and they are VERY quiet. We installed duct work in our upstairs and plan to eventually get a compressor - but one large enough to cool the upstairs of our big house will be expensive. Since our kids are pretty much out of the next, they use window units when they're home, and we move into the downstairs family room/guest room as soon as it gets hot. I can be as cool as I want and DH can use a quilt when he he wants!


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Having lived without a/c before...never again. Even if we wound up in a place where it rarely got hot, I want my freaking a/c for those few days.

Besides, sooner or later I'll be fighting hot flashes, and I would want something freezing to sit naked in front of...


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

CNDudley said:


> The other option is to move to the Seattle area. We've only had two days this summer over 80F. It's been horrible!!! Swim meets where everyone is wearing layers of fleece!


I live here too and although I love not having to work in the heat I would love a couple of warm weekends please!


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Pawz4me said:


> I can only dream about living somewhere that air conditioning isn't needed. Ours is usually on from about the end of April until about the end of September.


You must be from Texas....


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

We don't. Air conditioning is fairly rare in private homes here in New Zealand.

Summers in this part of the country regularly have 90-100% humidity, which makes me feel as if my brain's shut down. It's bearable in the countryside, where our house is airy and has wide eaves, but in our city apartment it's the pits. Eventually I'd like to retire to a cooler part of the country.


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## gregoryblackman (Jul 11, 2011)

I prefer open windows most all year, except for the cold months.  And up here in Ontario, that is a good chunk of the year.


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## Kali.Amanda (Apr 30, 2011)

We are in Brooklyn, NY in a 19th century little number. I think the last time they updated the electrical in the house was back in the 1950s. No AC. Worse, in the summer, the sun hits the front of the house all day long, when it goes over 90 it is a good facsimile for hell... A little suffering is good for the soul.


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## Val2 (Mar 9, 2011)

No a/c in my house here in Spain. Today is going to be over 100 as the last week has been. Humidity is around 70% and I am always dripping with sweat - not ladylike at all! Never mind, it all cools off in October.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

Never had it while living overseas in northern Japan. It's a must in las Vegas. Thought my family is smart about it. Specific light bulbs don't emit as much heat. Solar panels. Insulated windows. Curtains shut not letting too much light in.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

Here in Halifax it is hot. I don't mind it much. I keep reminding myself how much I hate the cold weather - which is what we get for most of the year.

Still, it is awfully hot. We don't have AC. We have a brick house, a few good windows, a fan in the basement to blow the cool up the stairs - and I have a pair of baggy tropical shorts with bright pretty flowers on them. These days I spend a lot of my at-home time in these shorts - and nothing else.

Might scare the neighbors some, but I like it just fine.

My wife has learned to squint at all this pale jiggling splendor...


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

We have a log home so the outside wall is the inside wall, too. No way to effectively install air conditioning except window units, sigh. It's hot--I totally hate the summer--but we have a window unit in the bedroom which makes it barely bearable here in NC.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

When I lived in Germany, I didn't have ac and I survived quite well.  I can actually do really well in the heat, so long as I have a breeze, so no ac but a fan is fine for me (I acutally spend most of my time covered up in the summer time anyways).  I did marry a man who cannot operate in the heat (he gets overheated really easy and can overheat to the point of passing out if he's not careful) and gave birth to a daughter who gets heat rash.  So we have window units in the bedrooms and the living room.  We usually hang out in the living room and if I get super hot in the kitchen, I just turn on the ceiling fans and move air around.


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

Steve Vernon said:


> Here in Halifax it is hot. I don't mind it much. I keep reminding myself how much I hate the cold weather - which is what we get for most of the year.
> 
> Still, it is awfully hot. We don't have AC. We have a brick house, a few good windows, a fan in the basement to blow the cool up the stairs - and I have a pair of baggy tropical shorts with bright pretty flowers on them. These days I spend a lot of my at-home time in these shorts - and nothing else.
> 
> ...


I remember those lovely summers back home in good old Hali before I moved to Ontario. Of course, I didn't recognize them as lovely until I saw what the humidity can do this far from water. ugh.

How people can live this far inland is amazing to me.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I don't know how anybody lives without A/C!! I'm in Kentucky, near Louisville, and currently it is 95 degrees, with a heat index of 117 degrees. Humidity is 63%. There's a heat advisory _Extreme heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited._ They don't have to tell me twice. I have central A/C but I'm so paranoid about it, I have a small window unit I keep stored in the basement....just in case. I detest hot weather.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm in 'burbs west of Chicago.  STORM this morning.  No electric from app. 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. so NO A/C.  It's around 90 degrees.  I was out with 3 month old pup Burke.  Walked into condo building . . . LIGHT in what I was expecting to be pitch black stairway.  Thought there would be problem with getting computer, modem, and network and TiVo going again.  No.  Everything worked right off.  KNOCK ON WOOD.


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

I live in Florida so A/C is a must. We have central A/C which is on at least 9 months out of the year. When we first moved here back in 1984, we lived three blocks from the beach and only had 2 window units. WE lived in that house for 8 years before moving to the present one. One of the 1st items on the list of must haves was central A/C.


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## Doug DePew (Mar 26, 2011)

Lisa Scott said:


> I really think I'd rather be cold than hot.


Not me. I can handle any level of heat. When it drop below fifty, it's too cold for me.

It's around 102 where I live right now...by the way. We have central air, though. For many years, we lived in an old farm house with one window unit. I grew up in an early 1800s house that didn't have central air or heat. We heated with wood stoves. We just opened the windows when it got hot.

Heat has never bothered me.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

It's predicted to hit 100+ degrees in Atlanta (aka "Hotlanta") this week. I grew up here without AC, but now than I'm older, I don't know how I would survive without it.


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## MaryKingsley (Mar 26, 2011)

I haven't bothered to put the window unit in my room these past 2 years.  I have the windows open and have a fan, so it's not too bad.  We'll see how I do tomorrow, with temps in the 90's and dewpoints in the 70's.  But then, a cold front is supposed to come through (in New England), so things should cool off.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Lisa Scott said:


> We live in an old 20's colonial that never had a central air update. I live in upstate NY, so there aren't too many horrifically hot days, and we have big trees shading the house. Usually, fans are good enough. But today and tomorrow will be around 90 and I will be hot and crabby, and probably hide in the cool basement. Anyone else in the same boat?


I have central heat and air but it's not always working properly (our unit is kinda old). Summer in Oklahoma comes with a lot of over-100-degree days so it's dangerous not to have some form of air conditioning around here. We also have lots of box fans and a ceiling fan in every room.


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