Living Without A/C This Summer

[Susan]

What has worked best is leaving the windows open at night, and closing up the windows and drapes/blinds during the day.

That is exactly what I do and it works pretty good. It's best if you have a heavy tarp or drapes covering the windows to block out the sun.
And do this before the sun gets to the windows.
This really works best if you live on the first floor.

[tobee43]

Menopause? It's actually called a "power surge".

frogger really you are too funny!! i personally didn't experience the heat rage. (WAY to much info), however, i have heard some generate enough heat to warm an entire metropolitan city for a week.

[frogger]

Tobee, I am going to quote your last remark to my hubby so he sees what a sacrifice I am making to do without a/c! Damn menopause, lol

Menopause? It's actually called a "power surge".

[AngelinaCatHub]

Hey 'Hub,

I didn't know this. I've been opening ALL the windows and the door to try to get the house as cool as possible. Does leaving the doors open and the windows closed work better?

Aslo, re: closing the windows during the day and opening the house up at night... it is still light out here after 8pm. What time/level of darkness is it safe to open up the house without risking warming it after it's been closed up all day?

Yes it does work. That is, if your path is front to back. If not, open the furthest window and furthest door. Opening all the windows depletes the breeze. Normally the hot air will find the highest point in the house. If you are down stairs open windows upstairs. Today, our houses are too well insulated compared to 50 years ago. It both holds the heat or the cold. That is why opening the windows at night to let the house breath the hot out, then trap the cooler air during the day. Depends on your neighborhood though. You don't want to be surprised by a mugger.

APL's experiment might be a very good exercise, in that if the economy keeps getting worse and the fuel keeps going up, we may all be on a no energy budget. Candles and pitcher pumps. 'Hub

[tobee43]

IamOld, we don't have a/c in our house here in Ohio, but will definitely have central air when we rent in NC, no doubt about it! And Tobee .... 103 degrees? I am sorry I didn't know you lived in ... uh... h - e - double hockey sticks!

in nj we didn't either....we just had room a/c 's for the bedroom at night, although it did get really hot there, at least the nights and a ton of trees that cooled everything down in the mountains where we lived.

not here tho!

[StrawberrySu]

IamOld, we don't have a/c in our house here in Ohio, but will definitely have central air when we rent in NC, no doubt about it! And Tobee .... 103 degrees? I am sorry I didn't know you lived in ... uh... h - e - double hockey sticks!

[tobee43]

Tobee, I am going to quote your last remark to my hubby so he sees what a sacrifice I am making to do without a/c! Damn menopause, lol

ahhhhhhh....berry, just come on over this way, we are nice and cool...temp reading just now after we got home is 103.....terrible!!!

feel free to quote me anytime to him..LOL!!!! i'm on your side with this one!

[IamOld]

Tobee, I am going to quote your last remark to my hubby so he sees what a sacrifice I am making to do without a/c! Damn menopause, lol

:-) If you're moving to NC - unless you're going to be at the beach - you WILL need A/C!!!

[StrawberrySu]

today's suppose to 98!!!!!!!!!!! and here it's usually 5 degrees higher than the news reports since we are out in the farmlands. (and today the humidity is like DEATH), oh mine...nope can't do without a/c here. also our house is concrete and we keep in at an average temp and have it included with our budget.

i'd do without food before the a/c!! but i do think it depend were you do live.

Tobee, I am going to quote your last remark to my hubby so he sees what a sacrifice I am making to do without a/c! Damn menopause, lol

[IamOld]

APL - normally - unless you have a late T-storm, etc., normally it's hottest during the late afternoon early evening, just before sundown - always also subtract 1 hour for daylight savings time to judge what time it REALLY is. If it's very cloudy, you'll get far less cooling at night then if it's clear.

Haze/water trap heat, hence Eastern Seabord of teh US with the massive humidity tends not too "cool" too much at night...

Hey 'Hub,

I didn't know this. I've been opening ALL the windows and the door to try to get the house as cool as possible. Does leaving the doors open and the windows closed work better?

Aslo, re: closing the windows during the day and opening the house up at night... it is still light out here after 8pm. What time/level of darkness is it safe to open up the house without risking warming it after it's been closed up all day?

[APL]

Open both the front and back doors, close windows and you can get a hearty breeze.

Hey 'Hub,

I didn't know this. I've been opening ALL the windows and the door to try to get the house as cool as possible. Does leaving the doors open and the windows closed work better?

Aslo, re: closing the windows during the day and opening the house up at night... it is still light out here after 8pm. What time/level of darkness is it safe to open up the house without risking warming it after it's been closed up all day?

[tobee43]

Well since I'm in FL - I would not be living without AC ever...LOL

I'd rather not eat...LOL

Good Luck to you!

today's suppose to 98!!!!!!!!!!! and here it's usually 5 degrees higher than the news reports since we are out in the farmlands. (and today the humidity is like DEATH), oh mine...nope can't do without a/c here. also our house is concrete and we keep in at an average temp and have it included with our budget.

i'd do without food before the a/c!! but i do think it depend were you do live.

[IamOld]

Angelina, I think the only thing with that is many houses are simply not built today for that kind of ventiallation. Also, in FL you generally get air movement in many places.

Where I live in the summer (now really May through Oct) there is ZERO air movement - hot humid, polluted, nasty air. 1900 population=Eight THOUSAND. TOday - over 500,000.

Well, I see a lot of good suggestions, but many are to add a fan, ice, water, etc.. However, when you add these things, it defeats the idea of the no A/C. One idea I have that is what most old timers as children, got used to. That is; get used to the warmth. Open both the front and back doors, close windows and you can get a hearty breeze. Also, opening all windows at night then closing them in the day was a very good suggestion. We here on our place have a particular problem. In FL we have a mold problem as we live next to the river. The air dries with A/C and keeps our place free of this health problem. I will be pleased to fink out how this experiment works for others. 'Hub

[AngelinaCatHub]

LMAO! :P


Speaking of A/C - we're in the car the other day and our son is complaining "its hot.. I cant feel the air" (mind you..3 vents are blowing directly AT him and I can feel the path of airflow). I turned around and told him if he kept complaining that I would turn it off, roll down the windows and give him something to complain about! Then the entire "when we were young..." speech came rolling out LOL! No seat belts, no a/c (fan in the room like everyone else), no car A/C - and we were outside playing from sun up to sundown! Water bottles? HA HA HA HA! You got thirsty you drank from the garden hose!

He shut up pretty fast...

Well, I see a lot of good suggestions, but many are to add a fan, ice, water, etc.. However, when you add these things, it defeats the idea of the no A/C. One idea I have that is what most old timers as children, got used to. That is; get used to the warmth. Open both the front and back doors, close windows and you can get a hearty breeze. Also, opening all windows at night then closing them in the day was a very good suggestion. We here on our place have a particular problem. In FL we have a mold problem as we live next to the river. The air dries with A/C and keeps our place free of this health problem. I will be pleased to find out how this experiment works for others. 'Hub

[Pandora]

Can't help it. Me and the boys get to drinking and love having that pool party at your place.

LMAO! :P


Speaking of A/C - we're in the car the other day and our son is complaining "its hot.. I cant feel the air" (mind you..3 vents are blowing directly AT him and I can feel the path of airflow). I turned around and told him if he kept complaining that I would turn it off, roll down the windows and give him something to complain about! Then the entire "when we were young..." speech came rolling out LOL! No seat belts, no a/c (fan in the room like everyone else), no car A/C - and we were outside playing from sun up to sundown! Water bottles? HA HA HA HA! You got thirsty you drank from the garden hose!

He shut up pretty fast...