Air conditioner poll-- who's getting by without?

I've been close to installing my window units several times now, but then we cool off and things are reasonably bearable again with windows and a box fan.  Looks like we're supposed to get back down into the 70s in a few days . . .

Who all's getting by without AC, and who plans to do so through the summer?

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Permalink Reply by Steven Lane on June 22, 2012 at 5:37am

Two summers ago, no AC.
Last summer, I broke down and ran it at 95+ (two weeks worth.)
This summer, no AC so far.

Whole lotta electric fan tho. Recently learned of fan death, kinda freaky.

Maybe swamp coolers are the answer?

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 22, 2012 at 5:50am

Last summer we should have run the AC because it was so humid.  We ended up getting a mold problem under the bed and behind the headboard against the outside wall where moisture was hiding and condensing on the cold ceramic tile floor.   

This year I decided I didn't want to tear the bedroom apart again and scrub every square inch with moldicide, including all my bedroom furniture -inside and outside of all the dresser drawers -and wash all the clothes in mold-killing detergent.  

So far I've been keeping the AC set at 78 and it almost never runs.  This past week it was running about 30-45 minutes a day.   During the day it probably runs a couple minutes every hour.   It's cheaper than running a dehumidifier which is basically an AC  compressor that doesn't put the heat outside.   I can watch the condensate running like a faucet off of the A-coil and down the tube to the drain in the furnace room when the AC is running.   It's keeping the inside dry.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on June 22, 2012 at 6:27am

I don't have an air conditioner, just a single fan on a stand that I can easily move from room to room with me.  I do my laundry down the street at the laundromat, use CFL lightbulbs.  I'm not very careful about unplugging unused gear--I really don't want to reset several clocks each evening and I like my laptop and cellphone to be topped up whenever I need to use them.  Refrigerator, fan, microwave oven, laptop, a lightbulb or two.  My electric bill year round (I'm on the "budget plan" which averages my payment so it doesn't vary from month to month) is $18/month.  I vary from 59 to 100 KW hours per month.  I figure I'm doing reasonably well for ol' Mother Earth.  But I could do better.

Yesterday, I rode on a CTA Lawrence bus that was so freaking cold I was miserable the whole trip.  I guess I've gotta start carrying a sweater for the summer.  It's not like I've got tropical genes, I'm of Scandinavian heritage, but I guess I've acclimated to the real temps outside, not the artificial temps we create inside.  Years ago, after returning from an extended trip through sub-Saharan Africa, I couldn't stand the cold for months after returning to Chicago; I'd find myself shivering in 75 degree temps.

Permalink Reply by S on June 22, 2012 at 6:51am

Swamp coolers don't work if it's humid since they cool air through evaporation of water.  So a swamp cooler wouldn't work very well in Chicago.

Steven Lane said:

Two summers ago, no AC.
Last summer, I broke down and ran it at 95+ (two weeks worth.)
This summer, no AC so far.

Whole lotta electric fan tho. Recently learned of fan death, kinda freaky.

Maybe swamp coolers are the answer?

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on July 17, 2012 at 6:13am

After the last couple of weeks, this thread has collapsed into a sweaty heap. Anyone still toughing it out?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 17, 2012 at 6:34am

Not me.  Too many nights have been too hot and/or humid for decent sleep without A/C.  I've been really grateful for it this week.

Permalink Reply by Shawn C. on July 17, 2012 at 6:40am

Toughing it out left with the 100+ degree weather.

Permalink Reply by S on July 17, 2012 at 6:41am

I've managed to get by without AC so far.  I have a unit but it's enough of a pain in the ass to install and get running that I haven't bothered for the last 3 or 4 years.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on July 17, 2012 at 7:13am

Still no AC. Closed windows in a one-third-underground condo with a lightly blowing fan and I am doing well.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 17, 2012 at 7:16am

Not me, I've had to close the windows or let way too much moisture in on a few of the hotter days.  It hasn't rained in a while but there is still quite a bit of humidity in the air and it just condenses on my cool basement tile floors of my garden unit.

Running the AC a couple minutes/hour is much cheaper than mold abatement. 

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on May 21, 2013 at 3:52pm

Window unit went back in last night. I have no shame.

Permalink Reply by neozen on May 21, 2013 at 3:54pm

Got by without it last year.  Going to get by without it this year (particularly with the help of more brewery-seeking rides).

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