I made it through the summer without air conditioning!

[Rex_Goodheart]

Well, the summer's not quite over, but here in Charlotte it's been noticably drier and cooler the past few nights....

My electric bill has been $47, $46, $53, $56... been living alone, in a well-insulated big house... Confined myself to the bottom floor, which is somewhat sunken below ground level, which provides for a bit of natural earth coolness. Still it got hot and sticky down here...

And now I'm looking forward to the fast-approaching fall season. woohoo.

Space fans and a washcloth in a bowl of water were my big allies. You sort of get used to the heat after a while. I know now that I can be very comfortable in a house whose thermostat is set to about 84, as long as the unit was removing a bit of the humidity.

Sort of did this all as a test of my endurance, and to see how big an impact it would have on the utility bill. Huge, I would say.

[WolverineDG]

1. Lucky you!

I've done without a/c at night for the past 2 summers to keep my bills down. However, the temps this month have been way over 100 & so it doesn't cool down so well at night. I don't want to see this month's bill. :scared:

I can't wait for fall & winter either....I love my $35 electric bills!

dg

[Rex_Goodheart]

6. I think 96 was the hottest it got here...

Had a long spell of low 90's with high humidity. The wet washcloth is critical... Cold showers and baby powder become quite a treat, too. :)

[hobbit709]

9. Here in Austin

96 would be a cold front.

[Rex_Goodheart]

11. yeah, well, Austin is cool in other ways.

:)

[Parisle]

2. In Charlotte???

----Jesus,... the very idea of what you endured makes me woozy, and I'm in southside Virginia. How old are you, Rex? I could handle it when I was in my 30's,.. but that was twenty years ago. And yeah, my electric bill was more than double yours. But by the way, my house is super-solar assisted in terms of passive heat,... never gets below 50 degrees in the winter,... so I pretty much make it all back in unspent heating costs.

[Rex_Goodheart]

10. I'm 52...

What do you mean by "super-solar assisted in terms of passive heat"?

I neglected to mention that my house is surrounded by trees, which helps a lot in the summer.

[Parisle]

25. Passive solar gain,...

---- I have a 10 x 20 "greenhouse" back porch sun space facing dead south. Articulating plexiglas windows all around, super insulation, and ducted into the 1-story house. The concrete foundation is similarly covered with plexiglas over a 1" airspace,.. and super insulation in the attic, as well. Several east- and south-facing windows have specially-made parabolic plexiglas "bubbles" instead of storm windows. Finally, I added two 3" PVC pipes stretching downward from the ridge beam to the interior baseboard trim,...and using miniature low-voltage fans to pull the heat out of the attic and down to the living space. It works.

[Rex_Goodheart]

29. Impressed!

Speaking of those little fans and PVC pipes from your attic... I've often wondered if the reverse might help in the summer: dig a PVC circuit into the ground, which probably would remain in the 60's, and keep it circulating with a little fan. When you're at 85 degrees, even 2 degrees is a blessing.

[evlbstrd]

I have, too.

I have an old bungalow in the midwest with no central whatsoever. I have a whole house attic fan and a few small space fans. I also have all flourescent bulbs, and there's been a huge difference in my electric bill.
The 100°+ days were a little tough, but I made it. Thank whoever for showers.

Edit to add that I used to run one big AC window unit for the first floor and small window units in the bedrooms.

[beam me up scottie]

3. I haven't.

Sitting here nekkid with two fans on me and I still want to kill something.:mad:

Like my landlord who hasn't fixed my ac yet.

This is the second time this summer I've been without it and the temperature in my house gets above 90° during the day.

I wish I had your endurance.

[senseandsensibility]

4. Congrats, but what so you mean exactly

by the thermostat set to eighty four? If you have no AC, how is it set to 84? I would assume it would go way over that in Charlotte in the summer with no AC?

[Rex_Goodheart]

8. What I meant is that in the future I could happily survive on 84...

I didn't do that, though. I just left it off.

[senseandsensibility]

13. Got it!

And congrats again! I hope you don't have too many hot days left, my friend.

[AndyA]

5. Congratulations! It takes great self control to accomplish such a thing!!

I'm jealous, I would never be able to make it where I live without air conditioning. I keep the thermostat set at 75 degrees while home, and turn it up to 76 degrees when I leave. I have two cats, so I have to keep things somewhat cool for them, and with all the windows shut it just would get too hot turning the thermostat up higher.

Of course, we've had almost 30 days of 100+ temps this summer, with humidity in the mid 90's and a few days got as hot as 107, so there would just not be any way to go without air conditioning for me.

I do open the windows as much as possible during the spring and fall, though. I can often get by for a couple of months without using heat or air conditioning - the electric bills are pretty nice those months.

Congrats on your achievement! :thumbsup:

[ikojo]

7. Easier to do in a house rather than an apartment

It's difficult to get a good cross breeze going in an apartment. I did, however, live one year w/o AC in St Louis...like the OP it was cool wet cloths and a fan. I'd take a shower right before going to bed and not dry off. I'd then turn the fan on and fall asleep.

[Rex_Goodheart]

12. That's true, I'm sure...

Got most of the windows open with fans strategically placed.

[mdpod]

14. me too

I live in Boston in an apartment. No a/c either. I made it but then again, August has been very nice. July was horrible but I endured.

Just realized today that two apartment units were paying each others electric bill - of course, one of those apartments is mine. We've been paying the wrong electric bill for the whole year. This should be fun!

[beam me up scottie]

15. Welcome to DU, mdpod!

:hi:

Boston's a great town!

[WindRavenX]

35. another Boston peep here

I went through both the boston heat wave AND the NYC heat wave (SO lived in queens).

It sucked. His apartment was 95 once! :(

[colorado thinker]

16. Gee, I wonder

how all those generations of Americans between 1776 and 19-whenever survived without air conditioning? Or all those people who live in Africa now without the benefit of electricity, nevermind air conditioning, survive it? Come on people, you'd better get used to it. Energy costs will continue to rise, air conditioning will soon become a luxury only the wealthiest will be able to afford . . .

[Rex_Goodheart]

22. Heh...

Yes, I remember my childhood days when we envied the rich people with air conditioning.

New Orleans in the summer was no picnic. Whole house attic fan is what we had.

[colorado thinker]

28. I grew up in northern North Dakota

in the 60's. It can get to 100 degrees in the summer up there, with 80 to 90% humidity and giant mosquitos. I remember sleeping on the linoleum floor with just a bed sheet but we all survived it. I've lived the last 30 years in Colorado, (dry heat!) with no air conditioning except for the two years I lived in an apartment. Fortunately, it cools off here at night, unlike North Dakota where it drops from 100 in the day to 95 at night . . .

[phylny]

47. A woman I know from Africa said it's worse here in New York

than it ever was in Africa.

She said the humidity here is what's so bad, and that it never got quite as hot as it did here this summer.

Go figure.

[Rainscents]

17. I live in greater Seattle area and most of us don't have AC.

I live very close to sound and it gets cool at night... high 50's to low 60's. During day time temp is between 75-77 degree most of the summer months. Yes, we do get few hot days here and there, but, nothing like other parts of the country.

[EFerrari]

19. This summer was wild, though, wasn't it? I'm just down the coast

in San Francisco and we had like a month of beach weather. That NEVER happens. There's usually a day or two or at most a week when you see families at the beach. This year, I posted pictures of my scorched flowers. It was just surreal.

[Rainscents]

23. Your right, this summer was little wild!!!

One day, it would be freezing and next day, it was hot... I just got back from east coast and it was way too hot for me. Everyone was telling me, it was so much cooler then what it was in July. I couldn't take the heat and couldn't wait to come back to Seattle. lol

[EFerrari]

33. All the times I've visited TX have been in July. I held up okay

but could tell just "holding up" was an act of self denial, lol. My roses here usually are prone to rust and stuff -- cold weather foggy stuff. It was so weird to see them actually being BURNED from the sun.

[JHB]

18. Good for you. I've done it for nearly 10 years now...

...very close to New York City (perhaps not like Charlotte, but during those weeks it stays in thye 90's...) (Don't ask -- it's a trade-off that keeps my rent reasonable)

I'll add to the fans and washcloth a footbath of ice water (and towel, as a place to put your wet feet between dips), cold baths and cold showers (assuming your tap water is cool after it runs a little).

[yorkiemommie1]

27. what you said plus i use those blue ice things

on the small of my back or on my neck.

the ice water footbath is terrific!

[kaygore]

20. I did without air conditioning in Virginia Beach, VA

The only tough time; however, was about two weeks in July/early August when the heat index was in the 100s.

I survive using a fan. I also turned off the heat to my water heater which saves a lot, too. Finally, I used a small George Foreman grill if I cooked something to eat.

It can be done.

[Rex_Goodheart]

21. That's an important tip...

Don't turn on that big kitchen stove! Cook on the stovetop in a dutch oven or something.

[immoderate]

24. I'm in South Florida. AC went out a week ago.

In front of the fan is mostly OK. Actually, it sucks but I'll make it. When I lived in Phoenix 90 was not to uncomfortable, provided it wasn't monsoon season. In Florida 80 is uncomfortable.

My AC guy can't be here before Thursday. Ick.

--IMM

[beam me up scottie]

26. I'm with you, brother.

:hug:

Mine got zapped by lightning and won't be fixed until sometime later this week.

My cats are living in the bathtub.

[immoderate]

31. Cats in the bathtub?

:rofl:

Sorry. Image of some pissed off cats came into my head.

--IMM

[beam me up scottie]

32. Well, I do turn on the shower when I need to get in there...

They lie on their stomachs on the cool porcelain.

Cats are no fools, they conserve their energy, unlike the nuts I see out on the golf course when it's 90+°...

[immoderate]

34. My bad. I pictured water in the tub with the cats soaking.

I have seen cats that do like water. Well maybe it was one cat. LOL.

Yep. I'll be in the shower pretty soon.

When I get my new AC, I'm gonna blast the motherfucker for two days and walk around in a sweater!! (Usually I apply a light touch.)

--IMM

[beam me up scottie]

36. Me too.

I've been walking around naked for days, and while there is much to be said for nudism, being forced to do so is hardly liberating.

Not to mention you have to be especially careful with kitchen appliances.



Oh, and I do have one cat who loves water, but he's not normal in any other way either.:)

[immoderate]

39. Not to mention frying bacon.

I know about cats. I don't have any now but have had many. One of them, Manny Davis, was obsessed with bottle caps, and used to sit at the edge of the couch, upright, like a person. What a crazy cat! Or is that redundant?

--IMM

[beam me up scottie]

40. Manny Davis!

I love the name, they do deserve full names, don't they?

Newton, the one who likes water, also likes to turn the lights off, his foster brother Beaker plays with the stereo-he's obsessed with LED lights, shadows and reflections, no electronic device is safe.
I think a certain amount of neurosis is normal for cats but some, like Beaker, raise it to the level of an art form.

Have you seen this?: http://braindeadshithead.blogspot.com/2006/08/i-think-we-have-problem.html

[immoderate]

41. That video....

If it ran for an hour, I would watch it. Totally engrossing.

Yeah, Manual Davis was a bottle cap snatcher. You always had to be on guard, unless you liked flat soda. Once I made some sound recordings of bottles being opened, played them at top volume, and Manny came FLYING into the room. She figured it out pretty quick, and um, didn't get fooled again. She was named before we had her gender figured out, and didn't seem to mind. It was after a character in a Robert Heinlein book.

My friend's cat used the toilet, figured it out by himself. But he never learned to flush. Pissed me off because while he was alive, you didn't have to put the lid down. When he passed away, I had to be retrained!:banghead:

--IMM

[beam me up scottie]

43. I've always wanted

to toilet train mine, except I might have to wait in line to use the loo.

I've got three foster kittens, want a couple?

[immoderate]

45. Would love to, but I'm in a condo.

You don't mess with those people.:scared:

Besides, I travel frequently for work. A potted cactus is all I can keep alive.

--IMM

[salvorhardin]

48. Manuel Garcia O'Kelly Davis

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

I've always been greatly disappointed and greatly relieved that was never made into a film. That and The Door Into Summer are my favorite Heinlein novels.

"While still a kitten, all fluff and buzzes, Pete had worked out a simple philosophy. I was in charge of quarters, rations and weather; he was in charge of everything else. But he held me especially responsible for weather. Connecticut winters are good only for Christmas cards; regularly that winter Pete would check his own door, refuse to go out it because of that unpleasant white stuff beyond it (he was no fool), then badger me to open a people door.

"He had a fixed conviction that at least one of them must lead into summer weather. Each time this meant that I had to go around with him to each of eleven doors, hold it open while he satisfied himself that it was winter out that way too, then go on to the next door, while his criticisms of my mismanagement grew more bitter with each disappointment.

"Then he would stay indoors until hydraulic pressure utterly forced him outside. When he returned the ice in his pads would sound like little clogs on the wooden floor and he would glare at me and refuse to purr until he had chewed it all out… where upon he would forgive me until the next time.

"But he never gave up his search for the door into summer."

[immoderate]

49. Shoulda known.

You'd recognize the name. I agree "Moon...." is perhaps his best. I liked "Revolution..." too, but couldn't conceive of a hyper religious society in the future. LOL

--IMM

[salvorhardin]

50. Nehemiah Scudder

Sometimes it seems like we're *this* close.

[Nicole]

30. Good for you.

I"m impressed. :)

I don't think I could do it. It was 108° here in Oklahoma yesterday. We have had over 40 days of 100°+ temps. here.

My bill is about double your's but I leave my thermostat on at 75° all summer.

[ThomWV]

37. We Haven't Had It In 30 Years, Here and In Miami, FL

What's the big deal?

[RebelOne]

51. I grew up in Miami without air conditioning.

I would never do it again.

[B Calm]

38. Growing up in the 1950's and 60's we didn't have AC.

[Kailassa]

42. I've never had air-conditioning, and I've lived in some

bloody hot places.

The best cooling system of all is a wet t-shirt and a fan.
And at night, a wet sheet and a fan.

And a spray-bottle beside the bed to wet it again each time the heat wakes you.

[Skittles]

44. you don't live in Texas

no indeed

[Cleita]

46. Plant some shade trees. You won't need as much

air conditioning. I don't have any AC, but my shade trees are cooling me off every year as they grow. I don't have any heat anymore either because I refuse to use the fuel. I've managed two years without heat.