Living Car Free - The Great Heat Wave of 2011--Are you using AC?

So far we're toughing it out, but we have 7 fans running for 5 people and 2 cats. It would probably be better for the environment and the budget to use air conditioning.

Don't need no AC. Heat is easy to get use to as long as you set your mind to it. When I ride my bike my computer reguraly displays temps between 110-115 deg and I can feel the heat radiating off the pavement. Just think of something else and before I know it I'm cured.

I'm practicing for global warming:rolleyes::D

I love AC.. it's nice not to have but some areas of the world are pretty insufferable without it..

^^^^

I love how the guy from Florida is good without it, and the guy from Canada loves it :)

Sorry.. yes.. Happy to sweat during the day, at night is another story...

When I lived in a house in New Orleans I remember working in the attic at about 120º. Within one minute my body began profuse sweating. I was up there on and off for several hours installing a roof vent for the dryer. That was when I was young and very healthy. Upper ninety degree temperatures are uncomfortable but don't seem life threatening to me. I wonder how it is for overweight people who have so much more insulation?

The key to comfort without air conditioning is to be away from any type of reflective barrier. Such things as low ceilings and walls of very small rooms just reflect too much heat. It is more comfortable to sit under a tree outside than it is to be in a room with low ceilings even if the temperature is the same. That is my experience.

I love blower fans (http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-655702-Stanley-High-Velocity-BlowerFan/dp/B0001BJDUQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311194112&sr=8-1). I use them all year long to move the air in my apartment. In the winter I have them on the floor pointing at the ceiling to keep the air temperature constant from floor to ceiling. In the summer I point the fans at a far wall on an angle. Doing that causes the air to circulate in a different way creating a slight breeze in the whole room. Doing this saves energy. I do it to enhance my comfort.

There is no air conditioning in my apartment. For the last couple of weeks summer has finally arrived giving us high temperatures in the 80s. Recently there have been a few days of low to middle 90s. Two days ago the highest temperature of the year was just over 100º. Today the high will be in the middle 70s. It's a weird summer for sure.

The humidity is at 27% and with a strong wind makes the outside weather seem chilly without the direct sunlight. I could live with this all year round. That is why I think I'll be moving to the west coast as soon as I can.

Yup running AC here. It is supposed to be set on 80* but I bet my wife has pushed it down a bit ;)

I can do without it all day, but sleep better in cool conditions at night. We have discussed getting out the small window unit and putting it in the bedroom and leaving the rest of the house warmer. BTW 97* here with a heat index of 114*

Aaron :)

My wife loves AC - I'm always wandering around closing vents in the parts of the house she doesn't go in much, because the rest of us don't mind it a bit warmer.

in Houston our AC runs from late May to September every year. I am a clyde (260), and get hot easily. We keep the house at 78 to 80 degrees.

I ride nightly only after the sun falls behind the trees from 730 to 830pm, otherwise the sun just about kills me. Our normal temps are 96 to 101 with very high humidity.

Not on my bicycle. 99°F, 45% Humidity when I rode home today.

heck yeah. I would die without AC. It's a cool 70 in the house right now

Not on my bicycle. 99°F, 45% Humidity when I rode home today.

Same here. I think the heat index hit 115F for the last 3 days. I was surprised my 7 mile commute wasn't that bad (ie, ... I made it home).

And yes, I have turned the AC on. I keep it at 80F and it's still so hot upstairs, I'm sleeping in the basement.

We bought a house with no AC. For the past 4 years, we've been toughing it out. This summer is the toughest yet. (also coinciding with my 50th year:twitchy:)

So, I put cold water in the tub. When I feel too warm I take a dip in my own private pool.:)

I installed one in my window in my apartment. My electricity costs are included in my rent so I could run it non-stop (I think most people in my building do). But I only run it when it gets really hot. My parents were super-cheap and refused to turn on the a/c except when it was REALLY hot so I'm used to it. I think I heard on TV a few days ago that 30% of the city's power generation is being consumed by airconditioners.

I installed one in my window in my apartment. My electricity costs are included in my rent so I could run it non-stop (I think most people in my building do). But I only run it when it gets really hot. My parents were super-cheap and refused to turn on the a/c except when it was REALLY hot so I'm used to it. I think I heard on TV a few days ago that 30% of the city's power generation is being consumed by airconditioners.

My parents didn't get AC until well after I moved out :innocent: and we live in the deep south. :P

Aaron :)

I loathe AC. It just bugs me. I'd rather live hot and sticky while inside my home and be able to do a 60+ mile road ride in the summer heat than be nice and comfortable while I watch tv, but then suffer from heat exhaustion on a 6 percenter.

The Bay Area, however, doesn't get humid, so my locale has offered me the luxury of an AC free summer.

heck yeah. I would die without AC. It's a cool 70 in the house right now

Well, you can always put on a sweater if you're chilly. :D

For me, it's mostly the humidity that gets me. We've been running the AC now that the dog days are here. 26 in the day, 27 in the night. Yes, I'm _that_ kind of person -- who sets his thermostat to C.

Just having moved to the south I don't see how it's possible to go no AC where I'm at. I know people do it - whether its voluntarily or not, but I just don't see how. I live in the top of the apartment building, and the outside temp has been 99+ with a 95-100% humidity. I've felt 100 degree weather in 25% humidity, you can sweat and me "fine". Here it's different. Maybe I'm just a wimp! Walk outside and its instant wet-back before I even get to the car.

That in part is one of the beauties of an air conditioner. It serves to both cool the air, and dry it out. I almost believe the drying out part makes it more cool than the chilling of the air. It would be cool (no pun intended) if someone could dehumidify the south by about 70 % or so.

The Bay Area, however, doesn't get humid, so my locale has offered me the luxury of an AC free summer.[/QUOTE]

As a kid growing up in the bay area, I cant remember one friend where their house had central AC.

Just having moved to the south I don't see how it's possible to go no AC where I'm at. I know people do it - whether its voluntarily or not, but I just don't see how. I live in the top of the apartment building, and the outside temp has been 99+ with a 95-100% humidity. I've felt 100 degree weather in 25% humidity, you can sweat and me "fine". Here it's different. Maybe I'm just a wimp! Walk outside and its instant wet-back before I even get to the car.

That in part is one of the beauties of an air conditioner. It serves to both cool the air, and dry it out. I almost believe the drying out part makes it more cool than the chilling of the air. It would be cool (no pun intended) if someone could dehumidify the south by about 70 % or so.

Yup...that is the deep south...the wet blanket effect. It always amazes me when people from drier climates claim they can handle "the heat"...but the humidity gets them every time! :D

Aaron :)

Just having moved to the south I don't see how it's possible to go no AC where I'm at. I know people do it - whether its voluntarily or not, but I just don't see how. I live in the top of the apartment building, and the outside temp has been 99+ with a 95-100% humidity. I've felt 100 degree weather in 25% humidity, you can sweat and me "fine". Here it's different. Maybe I'm just a wimp! Walk outside and its instant wet-back before I even get to the car.

That in part is one of the beauties of an air conditioner. It serves to both cool the air, and dry it out. I almost believe the drying out part makes it more cool than the chilling of the air. It would be cool (no pun intended) if someone could dehumidify the south by about 70 % or so.

I grew up, at least partially, in Southeast Florida. We didn't have A/C and the schools didn't have A/C (or heat) as well. What made the situation even worse was we were not allowed to wear shorts to school...except in gym. You get used to it.

I'm in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Summer temperatures can reach 40C or 104F, but I don't have air conditioning in my place. I just keep the windows wide open day and night. Summer is a time for drinking plenty of iced tea and cold water.

This year, we've had a cool and wet spring and summer, so staying comfortable isn't all that hard.

At the office, we have air conditioning, which seems to be as much about circulating the air as about changing the temperatures.

As a kid growing up in the bay area, I cant remember one friend where their house had central AC.

Maybe you and your friends lived in older homes. Every newer model home around here (the Bay Area, unless you're directly in SF or Oakland, is absolutely littered with ugly track housing) has AC. But if you can tough out the heat the there just is no need for it.

I've got a lot of family back in Massachusetts where it does get to be the kind of weather that people say they "need" AC. But my cousin and her husband live very happily and healthily without it, as does my aunt and uncle, and as did my sister and her husband before they moved back to California.

I haven't used AC since September 2010. Coastal counties of southern cal have not had a heat wave (yet) this year. Our heat waves where temps get in the upper 90s or low 100s F will appear in August, September and maybe October and last in stretches of 5 or 6 days. May and June were very cool (rarely above 75F) with morning overcast almost every day. In July we have had a few days in the 90-94F range, but it has cooled off into the upper 60s or low 70s at night. So my apartment has stayed very comfortable (usually low-mid 70s) with just a fan and open windows every morning and evening. The only inexpensive thing about living in my area is the electric bill usually which averages less than $20 per month. That way I can still scrape enough cash to pay $1350 rent for a 1 br apt.

Use AC all the time. I'm an academic, I have to think. If it's hot, I can't. Forgoing air conditioning is a little bit like having a job as a telephone operator, then taking a vow of silence.

I see almost unbelievable forecasts for high temps in parts of the U.S. that aren't used to that kind of heat. I assume that since all of us here are cyclists we have a fair idea of how to recognize heat stress and deal with it. Let's keep an eye out for the well-being of other people (and pets) in our life who may not be as knowledgeable or as able to handle the heat.

If you'll be relying on air conditioning, you might briefly consider what you'll do if the power goes down. One little known thing about rolling blackouts (at least in my part of the world) is that the blackouts aren't distributed evenly. Some areas may be deemed essential because they contain hospitals, public safety facilities and so forth. Those parts of town won't be subject to the rolling blackouts. That leaves only a handful of areas that can be blacked out, and what happens is those few eligible areas wind up being blacked out again and again, getting power for only a few hours out of each day. That happened recently in Austin and I assume it's the same elsewhere.

Use AC all the time. I'm an academic, I have to think. If it's hot, I can't. Forgoing air conditioning is a little bit like having a job as a telephone operator, then taking a vow of silence.
I haven't yet figured out why some our LCF comrades insist on associating abstinence from AC (or TV, or other modern conveniences) at home with living car free. Parsimoniousness or poverty or what?

I haven't yet figured out why some our LCF comrades insist on associating abstinence from AC (or TV, or other modern conveniences) at home with living car free. Parsimoniousness or poverty or what?

I just like going without AC and toughing out the week or two out of the year when it's too hot. Why do I need to explain myself further?

If you'll be relying on air conditioning, you might briefly consider what you'll do if the power goes down.
We lived without power for a week in late April after F5's ripped through Alabama. However given the power I'd much prefer my house to be 75 and low humidity than 95 and 100% humidity.
s
I've also lived in the opposite situation, we had a blizzard in Wisconsin in January and were out of power for a week. Thank the Lord for wood-burning stove and fireplace :)

Well, I turned on the AC for an hour one day, just to make sure it was running, but other than that, it's been fans only. At the hottest part of the day, a quick cool shower and sitting under the ceiling fan while wet provides that bump needed to make it till sunset. Being unemployed, I'm trying to keep the bills down.

I live with my wife and daughter. They would kill me if I suggested turning off they AC. That's a temporary situation, they're both moving out.

When I lived in Michigan as a kid, we had a huge fan mounted in the ceiling. It would pull air up and out through the attic. It could cool the house down rather quickly. I could (mostly) go without AC if I had one of those in my house... but I'm renting.

I just like going without AC and toughing out the week or two out of the year when it's too hot. Why do I need to explain myself further?

Indeed; why discuss use/nonuse of AC (or TV's, washing machines,etc.) at all on this list? What is the relevance? Might be a good topic for Foo though.

Perhaps the OP will next ask for discussion of favorite flavor of ice cream for beating the heat.

Indeed; why discuss use/nonuse of AC (or TV's, washing machines,etc.) at all on this list? What is the relevance? Might be a good topic for Foo though.

Perhaps the OP will next ask for discussion of favorite flavor of ice cream for beating the heat.

I'm not clear why you can't just skip threads that bore you. You could let others have their fun, while lowering your blood pressure at the same time.

BTW, the answer to your question is half caramel-cashew and half espresso express (in a cup). Get a medium size, then complain that the portion is too huge while you enjoy every bite & lick.

BTW, the answer to your question is half caramel-cashew and half espresso express (in a cup). Get a medium size, then complain that the portion is too huge while you enjoy every bite & lick.

I respectfully disagree. Simple flavors: chocolate, vanilla, coffee, are best. In a waffle cone, of course. :)

I respectfully disagree. Simple flavors: chocolate, vanilla, coffee, are best. In a waffle cone, of course. :)

I pretty much like all the flavors. but when it's really hot, I can't handle the meltage in a cone.

About half the time I pick pistachio almond, the rest of the time I pick the most offbeat flavor available (champagne ice, li hing mui, etc).

I lived for 6 years w/o AC. Didn't have it at work,that was OK. However going home to an oven (really old house with lousy ventilation) and having difficulty sleeping made for a miserable life. Never again. I can take it all day working and it's no problem to ride when it's hot but not having comfortable sleep is bad for me. Having developed adult onset asthma is making this kinda heat/humidity hard to deal with.

No AC here.








However, the evaporative cooler is working OT.

Sherbert ice cream is the best on a hot day.

No AC here.








However, the evaporative cooler is working OT.

Swamp coolers don't work well in humid climates. Wish they did.

I don't like interior temperatures lower than 78º. It starts to feel chilly to me. That makes the late afternoon hotness of about 85º not so bad. That is the upper limit for comfort indoors. Above that I need to have a fan pointed directly at me.

This year my interior has only reached 85º one time. That was because I didn't open the windows long enough the night before to exhaust the heat buildup and trap the cool air early in the morning. With overnight temperatures in the upper forties or low fifties I can trap the cooler air by closing all the windows at about 5:00 AM. By 9:30 PM the outside temperature is usually dropping below the inside temperature. That is when I open the windows again to restart the process.

I prefer Cheerwine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerwine) Sherbert.

I have lived in many houses with whole house fans in the past, they do work well at moving air through the house. But when you have 100*/50%+ humidity it is hard to beat regular AC.

Aaron :)

I like minty ice cream when it's hot. However, I live in western WA and we're still waiting patiently for summer to arrive. Rainy and mid 60's for the most part. We don't have AC because it's completely unnecessary for our climate.

We've cracked and started a fire in the woodstove a few times... in July. Seriously you may send any heat waves our way. Summer is yet to arrive on the west coast this year.

Perhaps the OP will next ask for discussion of favorite flavor of ice cream for beating the heat.

Well, the OP doesn't have to since you brought it up. I have to say that here in Arkansas, there is none. Yarnell's Ice Cream, Arkansas's own Ice Cream for 80 years, and selling the best vanilla in the world closed down operations this month. They will be missed.

I never eat ice-cream. But when I do, it's gotta be Blue Bunny Chocolate Explosion. Locally produced too :)

I have no A/C

But I'm now in Portland.

Woohoo!

Perhaps the OP will next ask for discussion of favorite flavor of ice cream for beating the heat.

Good topic! yes, I love ice cream, but don't eat it very often. Maybe two or three times a summer. But when I do I prefer loads of chocolate and nuts.

Do you have any comments on my minimal ice cream eating? There's got to be something wrong with me if I don't eat much. Perhaps it's related to my car free living lifestyle. :)

Good topic! yes, I love ice cream, but don't eat it very often. Maybe two or three times a summer. But when I do I prefer loads of chocolate and nuts.

Do you have any comments on my minimal ice cream eating?
Only comment is that discussing ice cream eating preferences has as much to do with Car free living or bicycling associated issues as any other of Roody's ideas of "having fun" on this list by prompting threads on preferences/rationalizations for spending as little money as possible.

Only comment is that discussing ice cream eating preferences has as much to do with Car free living or bicycling associated issues as any other of Roody's ideas of "having fun" on this list by prompting threads on preferences/rationalizations for spending as little money as possible.

I'd argue that living car free, for some people at least, is a statement about leading a simplistic, alternative, and eco-friendly lifestyle. Common amenities such as AC could be lumped into that lifestyle. So could line drying your clothes instead of an electric drier.

But all that seems irrelevant now that we've starting talking about ice cream. And pistachio is the best. That's the only ice cream in the world as far as I'm concerned.