Living Without A/C This Summer

[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

[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".

[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.

[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.

[momofthree]

It was 109 degrees here yesterday and it's only June. The "real" heat hits in August. When we're lucky, it will cool down to 90 degrees at night/early morning, so there isn't really a way to cool the house down by opening windows. Ever open your oven when it's preheated and have the heat hit you in the face---that is what a "breeze" feels like here---not very cooling! We couldn't survive without A/C. We do keep our home at 80-82 thruout the summer and run ceiling fans. We also do the balanced billing like DirkDiggler so that our bill isn't any more expensive during the summer than the other months....

[tobee43]

It was 109 degrees here yesterday and it's only June. The "real" heat hits in August. When we're lucky, it will cool down to 90 degrees at night/early morning, so there isn't really a way to cool the house down by opening windows. Ever open your oven when it's preheated and have the heat hit you in the face---that is what a "breeze" feels like here---not very cooling! We couldn't survive without A/C. We do keep our home at 80-82 thruout the summer and run ceiling fans. We also do the balanced billing like DirkDiggler so that our bill isn't any more expensive during the summer than the other months....

i remember as a kid in the bay area, we didn't have screens for bugs and didn't even know what a/c was...LOL!!!! we had radian heat which broke when i was young and my parents never even fixed it.

ahhhhhhhh those were the days when we could leave the windows and doors open without snakes, bugs and other critters wouldn't be walking in your front door.

our friend JUST told us yesterday that he went to relax on the couch and turn on the a/c and tv...when he went by the TV a great big old snake came slithering out....OMG!!!!!!! gotta love it, or hate it i guess.

[StrawberrySu]

So, Frogger, maybe I could use this "power surge" to cool the house for free? I blame menopause because it makes no sense. If it is say, 76 degrees in the house and the heat is on, it feels nice and toasty. If it is 76 and it's summer, I'm dying, lol. I keep little temperature monitors available so I can know to the degree exactly how much I am suffering. Yeah, I know I'm kinda crazy.

I actually have no one to blame but myself ... we viewed this house on a 100 degree day. Previous owners, who lived hear 15 years, never understood the concept of the whole house fan, and had it going with every window open. Well, what can I say, we bought the pool, and the house came with it.

[APL]

Well, I've figured out one more thing to make this work. The TV and computer can ONLY be on at night when the windows are open. If they are on for even a little bit when the house is closed up, the entire home heats up, especially the upstairs.

Just for power saving reasons (for the environment, but also to save money too), I have been unplugging/turning off powers strips to everything that is not in use, especially when I am not home.

The only thing I haven't figured my way around is the TiVo, as the little guy is working day and night at all hours.

I am thinking of investing in an Aero Bed so I can sleep downstairs this summer, it is just too hot upstairs. Plus with the windows and doors open I feel safer sleeping downstaris, I'd hear any kids or mischief-makers.

Really I would just like to move my bed into the living room for the summer (where I would be putting the Aero bed), but I don't have the kind of friends/family/neighbors that would understand that. I've already had a lot of complaints about no A/C from the few people I've had over since i started this.

[AngelinaCatHub]

About complaints from 'friends'; they are not paying your bill, tell them the "new way" is to get used to the idea of cutting back. Everyone will be cutting back on something in the future if not now. You will be far ahead knowing that if you can cut down on Air, you can cut down on fancy foods, or cut back on transportation. Right now bicycles are cheap. 'Hub

[houston7]

I have been without central A/C for the last 2 summers. And in Houston, summers have been known to get a might "sticky", highs in the upper 90's with roughly 50% humidity. I have a desktop fan that I take with me to every room. To sleep at night I have a window unit that cools my bedroom nicely. My last month's electric bill was $41.00. No A/C in my pickup either, that went out last fall. I exercise early in the morning because the house gets too hot in the afternoon, usually 90 degrees in my house by 3 pm. I guess that I am practicing for hell.

[IamOld]

I have been without central A/C for the last 2 summers. And in Houston, summers have been known to get a might "sticky", highs in the upper 90's with roughly 50% humidity. I have a desktop fan that I take with me to every room. To sleep at night I have a window unit that cools my bedroom nicely. My last month's electric bill was $41.00. No A/C in my pickup either, that went out last fall. I exercise early in the morning because the house gets too hot in the afternoon, usually 90 degrees in my house by 3 pm. I guess that I am practicing for hell.

I take my hat off to you sir (or madam).

This is a bit funny - until A/C was commonplace -into the early 60's, the British Foreign Service considered Wash DC a hardship posting because of the extreme heat/humidity in the summers...!

[chicagoannie]

APL - our new place has no central air and we are on the second/third floors. The family room has a window unit, so when it has become unbearable here (we've had brutal 98 degree days, very unusual for June in Chicago) I close all the bedroom doors, block off the entryway to the kitchen with an air mattress, and my kids and I all sleep in the family room.

I don't really like A/C but it does help one of my little guys who has allergies. Mostly we are closing drapes and blinds during the day to block out the sun, and opening every window at night to let out the heat and let in the cool.

[kjrmom911]

I grew up in central california and my parents did not have a/c. We had a swamp cooler and let me tell you when it is 108 degrees outside you may as well just be blowing hot air on yourself. We spent a LOT of time at the public pool and the local river. We also spent time playing in the sprinklers. I remember making slip and slides out of black garbage bags. I also remember being hot and miserable. I do not know if I could do that again. I like my a/c and I have been known to crank it down at night. I like it chilly when I am sleeping.

[tobee43]

I have been without central A/C for the last 2 summers. And in Houston, summers have been known to get a might "sticky", highs in the upper 90's with roughly 50% humidity. I have a desktop fan that I take with me to every room. To sleep at night I have a window unit that cools my bedroom nicely. My last month's electric bill was $41.00. No A/C in my pickup either, that went out last fall. I exercise early in the morning because the house gets too hot in the afternoon, usually 90 degrees in my house by 3 pm. I guess that I am practicing for hell.

you are a brave one!!! that's all i can say.

[APL]

It is HOT and miserable - but still I have not turned on the A/C yet this summer.

This is my first summer without A/C, I don't have it all figured out yet. Yesterday I found that my bottle of multivitamins had all melted

What items do i need to put in the fridge for preservation if it is going to be hot in the house? Are the basic foodstuffs in my pantry ok? What about toiletries like shampoo? I tried to Google a list but didn't really find anything. I'd hate to find any more perfectly good items ruined.