central A/C

[davestlouis]

We were talking at work today, about the heat wave. I'm 43 years old and the only time in my whole life I didn't live somewhere with central A/C was when I lived in Marguerite Hall(dorm) at St. Louis University in the mid 80s.

I realize that in some parts of the world prople don't routinely have central A/C or don't need it, but those of you who do have it, how old were you when you first got it?

How on earth did people live in warm climates without A/C? How did they sleep?

 

[Miss Neecerie]

How on earth did people live in warm climates without A/C? How did they sleep?

I have lived in the valleys of Los Angeles most of my life, where it gets to be in the 108+ range numerous times each summer and in the 95+ the vast majority of days in the summer/early fall.

No house I have ever lived in here has had -central- air. Window units yes...and even then I have gone multiple years without those too.

*please insert 'but its a dry heat' joke here*


And at least one of the times when I did not live in Los Angeles, I lived in a lovely place called Manaus. In the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. I can assure you its not a dry heat there. The temperature there ranges between a low of 73 and a high in the mid 90's with a monthly rainfall of 2 inches in the -dry- season and about 8 inches a month in the wet. Please note that the 8 inches of rain happened during the time frame that it is 90+ degrees... A/C? whats that....fans? maybe maybe...if we had power that day you could run one.

I slept just fine, and in fact, there were times when I wished I had a blanket and not just a sheet for my bed...must have been that time it was 73

Humans are -remarkably- adaptable...and most of the world still does not possess any form of air conditioning.

 

[KittyT]

How on earth did people live in warm climates without A/C? How did they sleep?

There was actually a really interesting feature on On Point on NPR last night about AC and the huge environmental impact it's starting to have on us. There was a lot of talk about how people kept cool. I highly recommend listening to the archive of this show - http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/05/chilling-facts.

Indigenous peoples all over the world often adapt their construction to the climate, using materials that help insulate them from their climate. People in many hot areas of the South had lots of shade. They had screened in porches, they left their windows open in the evening and created cross breezes with fans, and during they day they left their shades drawn to block the sun and keep rooms cooler. In our modern era, there are other things you can do to keep your place cool - insulate well, get insulating shades for your windows or even just fill really sunny windows with plants, which will help absorb the energy from the sun.

I didn't grow up in the South, but where I did grow up, summers were routinely 90-100 degrees (albeit dry). We never had an AC all those years. In fact, I never had an AC until I moved to Boston 10 years ago. For the past 3 years, even during the muggy hot streaks, I never even bothered to put it in the window. I understand that in many areas like the South, Southwest, and Southern CA, it's a necessity for many, but I also think it's over-used by many people. I'm all right with pulling my shades and using a fan, and on the rare instances when I do have to use the AC, I make sure that I don't have it blasting cold if I'm sleeping or I'm not home. In addition, my most valuable summer fashion accessory is a hand fan (and people on the train love me when I pull it out and they get a nice breeze).

 

[vitanola]

Well, the first place that I lived with central air was our current house, which I fitted with the convenience in 2003, at the time that I installed new high-efficiency furnaces. As we have four furnaces (large house in which it is difficult to run ductwork) we also have four central air conditioning units.

I am something of a crank about allowing their use, though, as when all four are running full-tilt our light bill can exceed $800.000/month.

Our house is an old Italianate Victorian, and when the windows and the belvedere are used properly it is pretty largely self-cooling. Even so, the better half insists that window screens are "low rent" (as are window units) and would never open the windows if not forced so to do.

I have purchased a small 4500 BTU/hr window unit for a certain person's bedroom, and a 5000 BTU/hr unit to cool the sitting rooms. These units cost less than $70.00/month to operate, and combined with the use of a few electric fans and the natural ventilating properties of the house they do a fine job of keeping us comfortable.

I'm in the process of restoring an early little bungalow set on a small lot shaded by two-hundred-year-old Hickory trees. That house will not have central air, for the place is designed to remain comfortable in all but the most humid weather, in which case a window unit or two will suffice, I think.

 

[Talbot]

Central A/C is not all that common in Melbourne, although I suppose up North it would be pretty popular.

Split systems have been increasing in popularity over the years. I have never had A/C.

 

[Paisley]

I've only lived in one place with central air, and I never ran it. My current house has a window unit, which I've run fewer than 10 times in 14 years.

When I first moved here, I planted shade trees on the south and west sides of the house. I've also installed ceiling fans and wooden blinds in some of the windows. I had heavy, double-deadbolt screen doors and patio gates installed so I could leave the doors open all night in the summer. I drink a lot of iced tea and spend time outside, where it cools off faster than the house does. Some nights I sleep on the couch because it's cooler in the living room than in the bedroom.

 

[miss_elise]

houses that are poorly designed for their climates need air con...

all the new McMansions being built in new suburban developements are being built without eaves or verandahs but with full air con/heating because it is more costly to design houses that are heat efficient and the visual design of houses needs to be less trendy to build houses that have a better ability to stay cool in summer and keep warm in winter

 

[lolly_loisides]

How on earth did people live in warm climates without A/C? How did they sleep?

I spent much of my childhood in the outer suburbs of Sydney. When we'd get night temps of 100F plus Dad would drive us to the beach & we'd sleep there that night - coolest place in Sydney. That was during the 70's. Lots of other people used to do it too.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

We first got air when I was about 10 in 2000. We lived in 3 houses after that, all but one had A/C.

In my apartment, I don't have A/C. The place came with about 10 window units, I've been giving them away because I'm too 'thrifty' to use them.

 

[Burton]

I have spent a lot of time in the tropics in primitive conditions with indigenous peoples and of course you survive. Besides my jungle experience I own a home on the ocean on the Gulf Coast. It was built in 1868 with large windows which allowed a lot of airflow. With that I must say I enjoy the houses current central AC not only for the cooling but the dryer air.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I have spent a lot of time in the tropics in primitive conditions with indigenous peoples and of course you survive.

Very true, you do acclimatise. When I lived in Thailand it was much more humid than it ever was in Australia. I can live with really hot dry heat, it's the humidity that knocks me around. You do get used to it though. I remember one January the temp dropped to (25C) 77F & everyone was wearing sweaters & scarves!

 

[James71]

houses that are poorly designed for their climates need air con...

all the new McMansions being built in new suburban developements are being built without eaves or verandahs but with full air con/heating because it is more costly to design houses that are heat efficient and the visual design of houses needs to be less trendy to build houses that have a better ability to stay cool in summer and keep warm in winter

I spent pretty much all of my childhood in the outer suburbs of Sydney, and in the hot weather we would lay in bed with a spray bottle of water and a fan.

Evaporative cooling.

Now I live in Katoomba at 1011metres elevation, so we have no need of air con. Heating is via fireplace. I cut all the wood to heat our home on a farm in the hunter valley I have access to. It takes one full days work a month with the chain saw to heat our home. I know its not the most efficient method of heating, but its cheap and I get some exercise thrown in.

(and I get to spend a weekend a month in the hunter valley...)

 

[lolly_loisides]

(and I get to spend a weekend a month in the hunter valley...)

So I'm guessing you have a rather nice wine cellar?

Utterly fftopic: Hello fellow Westie. I lived in Greystanes, how about you?

 

[Lady Day]

My grandmothers house in the South (Kentucky) has central heat/AC. It was built in the 50s and had central AC added later. The house also has a half basement which was cool most of the summer anyway. So I guess you could say I grew up with it, but I never liked it.

I prefer the moving air of a breeze or fan to feeling like being in an ice box.

When I lived in San Francisco, I didn't even have a fan. Now that I live in LA, I have a box unit, but I much prefer a fan that moves the air around. I acclimate fairly well to heat and would rather it be hot than cold. I like the way heat feels on my skin when its cold more so than the other way around.

Its so strange being out her and hearing the grinding of AC units in the windows when I walk down the sidewalk. It will be 75 out and people will have them on! I find that crazy.

LD

 

[James71]

I grew up in Colyton, but please dont spread that around.

I moved out as soon as I could.....

My mother grew up in Merrylands, but went to Greystanes high. One of my best friends too.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Your secret is safe between you and me and the other 10 thousand members of The Lounge.

 

[LizzieMaine]

An electric fan with a bowl of ice in front of it was the common Golden Era solution to the problem of how to be comfortable on a hot summer night. It was also very common, on hot days, to spend as much time as possible at the movies -- theatres were the first public buildings to widely adopt air conditioning systems, as early as the 1920s.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

My old office in London had air con, but I hated it. Made me feel dry-throated and greasy-skinned, plus in mid summer you still always needed a cardigan as it was so cool in there. I prefer an open window and a fan! Saying that I really miss having A/C in my car. It was great during the 2 weeks of hot weather we have here in the UK, but it was exceptionally great in the other 50 weeks of cold rainy weather, as sticking on the A/C instantly clears your foggy windscreen! Nowadays I am stuck trying to peer through the tiny spreading gap and wiping it with my sleeve when I'm in a rush.

 

[KittyT]

I remember one January the temp dropped to (25C) 77F & everyone was wearing sweaters & scarves!

When my dad worked in the mountains of Honduras and I went to visit, it was in the upper 70s and all the gringos were wearing shorts and the guard at the gate to the mine was wearing a winter parka and knit face mask lol

It will be 75 out and people will have them on! I find that crazy.

My boyfriend's old roommate used to run is AC all winter.

And I definitely agree with Fleur - the only place I really need AC is my car, and my condenser is broken and will cost more than the car is worth to fix. Oh well, sun shades and open vents it is!

 

[AmateisGal]

I'm one of those people who needs a/c. I know, I know, I'm a wimp, but being hot makes me incredibly uncomfortable, grouchy, and just plain no fun to be around.

I grew up in western Nebraska and the summers get hot - hitting 100 degrees is not a stretch - but it was a dry heat. We would leave the windows open at night and we'd usually get a cool breeze. Besides, my dad would turn down the central air at night and if you didn't have your window open, you got pretty darn toasty.

Now, though, I live in the eastern part of the state where it's humid and you simply don't get those cool breezes at night.

I wish I could go somewhere cool during the summertime. I dread the heat of summer every single year. I'm one of those weird people that must have the opposite of seasonal affective disorder because I thrive during the fall and winter months (when it's dark, cold, rainy/snowing) and normally get depressed and irritable during the summer (unless we get a great thunderstorm - the only part of summer I really like!).