How to live without air conditioning

[flacaltenn]

As a teen in Fla, we started out without air.. I found out I was allergic to mold and mildew..
The lack of air conditioning would cause problems OTHER than sweaty pits... Asthma, allergies, etc...

Not to mention forgetting to shut the windows and it rains whilst your out...

 

[Noomi]

Could Americans kick our addiction to cool? Maybe more happily than we think.

A very interesting article from the Boston Globe @ How to live without air conditioning - Ideas - The Boston Globe

In many ways, ancient cultures here in the southwest got it right more than we do today. They built homes of materials that reflected and kept out the sun's heat. They lived a gentler style of life and ate food that didn't raise their blood temperatures. And, a lot more socializing took place in the cool of the evenings. Heck! They even got to know their neighbors!

What did people do before air con was invented? Why do we rely so much on it? Because people are weak, and can't take a little heat.

I never had air con when I was a kid. Our homes just had the regular ceiling fans. My parents have installed air con since then, but if its hot, I won't turn it on - I don't need to.

On a 40 degree day, I go for a good, long walk. I like being outside in the heat. Some people can stand the heat, other people can't bear it if the temperature gets over 25 degrees and they rush to switch the air con on.

Idiots.

They had AC in the 2nd century.

I love the heat myself, I grew up where it used to break 40 for two or three weeks in a row, that does not change the fact that modern cities need AC.

Did modern cities 'need' air con back in the 50's and 60's, or did they deal with the heat in other ways?

 

[Old Rocks]

They dealt with it in other ways. One of which, for the older people, was simpy dying.

I work in a very hot environment. In a steel mill. When we work on the overhead cranes, the temperature can be above 160 degrees F. A bit of that for too long, and you are hospitial bound. We work for a time, until we begin to feel woozy, then come down to an air conditioned room for a while. Without that room, we would be losing people.

On the floor, the temps run from 80 to 120 in the summer. When I get home, I definately want the house air conditioned.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

What did people do before air con was invented? Why do we rely so much on it? Because people are weak, and can't take a little heat.

I never had air con when I was a kid. Our homes just had the regular ceiling fans. My parents have installed air con since then, but if its hot, I won't turn it on - I don't need to.

On a 40 degree day, I go for a good, long walk. I like being outside in the heat. Some people can stand the heat, other people can't bear it if the temperature gets over 25 degrees and they rush to switch the air con on.

Idiots.

They had AC in the 2nd century.

I love the heat myself, I grew up where it used to break 40 for two or three weeks in a row, that does not change the fact that modern cities need AC.

Did modern cities 'need' air con back in the 50's and 60's, or did they deal with the heat in other ways?

Back in the 50s and 60s people used to camp out in the parks at night, modern cities made that illegal. Didn't know that, did you?

 

[Luissa]

They had AC in the 2nd century.

I love the heat myself, I grew up where it used to break 40 for two or three weeks in a row, that does not change the fact that modern cities need AC.

Did modern cities 'need' air con back in the 50's and 60's, or did they deal with the heat in other ways?

Back in the 50s and 60s people used to camp out in the parks at night, modern cities made that illegal. Didn't know that, did you?

And probably for good reason. I had to clean up after people who "camped" out in our city park. It wasn't very fun.

 

[longknife]

check this out longknife: Then and now: Beating the heat - PhotoBlog

I think AC has made us soft/acclimated to refridgerated areas although there is a need for refrigeration to maintain foods or other health related area's

Thanks for the link.

My parents and grandma both had iceboxes where the iceman came regularly.
We didn't even have fans.
Built in the late 1800s, the house had high ceilings so the floor areas were cooler. We also had shaded front and back porches where we could enjoy the breezes.

On a side note, I don't know why certain posters came up with such vitriol on a simple subject like this.

 

[Mr Natural]

And the ironic part is, back in the day before AC, people used to get dressed to go to work. Men wore suits and ties (and hats) and women wore dresses.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Did modern cities 'need' air con back in the 50's and 60's, or did they deal with the heat in other ways?

Back in the 50s and 60s people used to camp out in the parks at night, modern cities made that illegal. Didn't know that, did you?

And probably for good reason. I had to clean up after people who "camped" out in our city park. It wasn't very fun.

You are confusing regular people, aka Tea Party, with progressive douche bags who expect others to clean up after them, aka Occupy Wall Street.

 

[whitehall]

Sign of the times isn't it? The government promotes freaking windmills and junk solar panels and then we get stories about how to live without air conditioning or cars or home heating or lights. The liberal dream, reduce the US to a 3rd world country.

 

[Ernie S.]

I grew up without air conditioning. My parents didn't get an air conditioner until a couple years after I married and moved out. I doubt you have any concept of what it is like to live in the south without air conditioning. You can gloat about your building materials all you want. But before you do, you need to realize that the humidity in your area is almost nil, but exceedingly high in my area. That means that a temperature that would be comfortable to you would be stifling to me. Here, one doesn't even have to cool the air very much. It is the removal of humidity that makes the difference. The housing projects all have air conditioning. Go convince the welfare queens and hoochie mammas to give up theirs first. Then report back. I will never do without air conditioning while paying for someone else to have it.

Your post is patently stupid due to you lack of experience and lack of understanding that the building materials in your area would melt in mine.

Don't you think "stupid" is a bit harsh.

I HAVE lived in the south through some very, very humid summers. I HAVE lived through those summers without a/c or even a swamp cooler which works pretty good.
There a lot of alternatives that, while not completely taking away the discomfort would ease it a great bit. Before judging, READ the entire article!!!

Having live in both the Southwest and the Southeast, I find 110 in Phoenix a lot easier to deal with than 98 in Mobile for the same reason a swamp cooler is worthless in the Southeast. Too much humidity to make a swamp cooler effective.

I have central air and keep the house at 75 in the summer and 68 in the winter. My unit is a heat pump so it tends to be quite efficient. A regular central AC unit in Florida cost me $350/month in July and August in Fort Lauderdale and the heat pump system runs about $130 here for about 1/3 more square footage and 1 foot higher ceilings. Summer temps are very similar.

 

[Flopper]

What did people do before air con was invented? Why do we rely so much on it? Because people are weak, and can't take a little heat.

I never had air con when I was a kid. Our homes just had the regular ceiling fans. My parents have installed air con since then, but if its hot, I won't turn it on - I don't need to.

On a 40 degree day, I go for a good, long walk. I like being outside in the heat. Some people can stand the heat, other people can't bear it if the temperature gets over 25 degrees and they rush to switch the air con on.

Idiots.

They had AC in the 2nd century.

I love the heat myself, I grew up where it used to break 40 for two or three weeks in a row, that does not change the fact that modern cities need AC.

Did modern cities 'need' air con back in the 50's and 60's, or did they deal with the heat in other ways?

Need is very ambiguous when speaking of air conditioning in the 50's and 60's. It was a luxury for most people. However if you lived in a really hot humid area like the Southeast, getting a/c was a priority item for most people.

I can tell how I dealt with the heat without a/c in the South. I stayed outdoors until the temperature inside got down to 85. Then I turned on a fan, went to bed and sweated for an hour or so until I got to sleep. The early mornings were the only really pleasant part of the day for about 5 months out of the year. When I could afford it, a/c was at the top of my want list.

 

[Michelle420]

Could Americans kick our addiction to cool? Maybe more happily than we think.

A very interesting article from the Boston Globe @ How to live without air conditioning - Ideas - The Boston Globe

In many ways, ancient cultures here in the southwest got it right more than we do today. They built homes of materials that reflected and kept out the sun's heat. They lived a gentler style of life and ate food that didn't raise their blood temperatures. And, a lot more socializing took place in the cool of the evenings. Heck! They even got to know their neighbors!

I could do it if I had to.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Could Americans kick our addiction to cool? Maybe more happily than we think.

A very interesting article from the Boston Globe @ How to live without air conditioning - Ideas - The Boston Globe

In many ways, ancient cultures here in the southwest got it right more than we do today. They built homes of materials that reflected and kept out the sun's heat. They lived a gentler style of life and ate food that didn't raise their blood temperatures. And, a lot more socializing took place in the cool of the evenings. Heck! They even got to know their neighbors!

I could do it if I had to.

Well with obamas energy policies you may get the chance sooner then expected.

 

[Luissa]

Back in the 50s and 60s people used to camp out in the parks at night, modern cities made that illegal. Didn't know that, did you?

And probably for good reason. I had to clean up after people who "camped" out in our city park. It wasn't very fun.

You are confusing regular people, aka Tea Party, with progressive douche bags who expect others to clean up after them, aka Occupy Wall Street.

Huh?
This was long before the Tea Party and Occupy.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

And probably for good reason. I had to clean up after people who "camped" out in our city park. It wasn't very fun.

You are confusing regular people, aka Tea Party, with progressive douche bags who expect others to clean up after them, aka Occupy Wall Street.

Huh?
This was long before the Tea Party and Occupy.

The point is that everyone cleaned up after themselves, unlike occupy.

 

[Zona]

There are many stories here in Arizona where elder poor folks die from the heat because they could not afford ac.

 

[Sarah G]

Could Americans kick our addiction to cool? Maybe more happily than we think.

A very interesting article from the Boston Globe @ How to live without air conditioning - Ideas - The Boston Globe

In many ways, ancient cultures here in the southwest got it right more than we do today. They built homes of materials that reflected and kept out the sun's heat. They lived a gentler style of life and ate food that didn't raise their blood temperatures. And, a lot more socializing took place in the cool of the evenings. Heck! They even got to know their neighbors!

What did people do before air con was invented? Why do we rely so much on it? Because people are weak, and can't take a little heat.

I never had air con when I was a kid. Our homes just had the regular ceiling fans. My parents have installed air con since then, but if its hot, I won't turn it on - I don't need to.

On a 40 degree day, I go for a good, long walk. I like being outside in the heat. Some people can stand the heat, other people can't bear it if the temperature gets over 25 degrees and they rush to switch the air con on.

Idiots.

Walking is good, I always feel cooler after I work out. We didn't have air when I was growing up but we'd go for a swim in the evening at a friend's house, drink water and eat ice cream. All of it helps.

I like my air now on hot days. I sleep better.

 

[Sarah G]

If we built houses as they did in the South before air conditioning, high ceilings, large windows, and large covered poaches, the heat would become more bearable w/o air. As a kid, I lived in the South with no a/c. We complained about the heat but we accepted it because a/c was not an option. Today, if you shut off all a/c in the South, you would have flood of immigrants to the northern states.

If we increased the cost of building houses by a factor of 5, simultaneously making them less energy efficient and harder to warm in the winter, we could reduce the need for AC? Does that really seem like a good idea to you? Should we go back to allowing slaves to fan the air at the same time?

rw'ers & race. What is it w/ you people?

Shock jock, Rush Limbaugh mentality. Too bad they're too stupid to get that Rush gets paid for it and they don't.

 

[justme335]

Could Americans kick our addiction to cool? Maybe more happily than we think.

In many ways, ancient cultures here in the southwest got it right more than we do today. They built homes of materials that reflected and kept out the sun's heat. They lived a gentler style of life and ate food that didn't raise their blood temperatures. And, a lot more socializing took place in the cool of the evenings. Heck! They even got to know their neighbors!

Tell this to the people living in Dubai where the temperature goes up to 50 degrees centigrade

 

[longknife]

Out a/c went out Friday afternoon - 104f and wasn't repaired until Saturday afternoon - 98f with high [for Vegas] humidity.

I can't remember a more uncomfortable night and morning in more than 40 years. Don't care what anyone says, I'm spoiled and simply don't remember how to live without a/c.