This extra hot summer, I’ve lost count of how many of my friends and acquaintances have posted on Facebook that their airconditioning went out, and that they had to fork over hundreds or thousands of dollars to get it fixed.
It’s criminal that our “modern” houses are not designed to be livable without AC. Meanwhile in other parts of the world with humid tropical/subtropical climates, ancient building methods using local materials make houses much more comfortable. I love looking at pix of old-style houses in India, Philippines, Vietnam etc. And old Florida houses too.
I myself do not use AC, because I don’t like the expense, or the sensation of forced-air cooling and being cut off from outdoors. But I understand why people use it and say it’s impossible to live without it. Our “modern” houses are not optimized for passive cooling.
On a positive note: today a fellow activist/Facebook friend whose AC had been out all week said she had found an AC guy who — when she indicated that replacing the unit was not in the cards — actually talked her through various things she could DIY in order to stave off having to replace her unit. Now that is “COOL”! Such professionals deserve a special award in my book.
She was able to get the unit running again. And I’m sure the AC guy has plenty of other business!
In this blog, and in my book, I have offered various tips and strategies for living without AC. Most of the things that I arrived at turned out to be an old-fashioned stuff that people always did back in the day. Reducing or eliminating AC use can save enormous amounts of money and provide other benefits as well, such as reducing the feeling of vulnerability that comes with having a big expensive machine that “has to be fixed right now or we can’t function.”
Further exploration:
• “Summer Survival Council: How to Feel Cool without AC. Surviving the Heat when AC isn’t an option” (unprepared; multiple authors). Good tips from several experienced people.