3 ms·

> I only use air conditioning once or twice a year (in DC). I'm honestly shocked that's possible after living in the northern Virginia area for a summer. It wa

> I only use air conditioning once or twice a year (in DC). I'm honestly shocked that's possible after living in the northern Virginia area for a summer. It was miserably hot/humid for the majority of the ~9 weeks I spent in the area.

elicash 7y ago
I don't think I'll be able to do it when I'm older. Heat stroke is a serious thing and if I ever had a sense that my body wasn't good I'd 100% use A/C more. (Also I don't have kids.)
- randcraw 7y ago
  I do the same things (at age 60) in the Philly suburbs. I fire up the AC in my bedroom at night only about 5 days per year, and I have none elsewhere in the house. No, it isn't ideal, but I'm cheap and I don't mind using fans. And frankly, I don't like AC. I hate walking through a blast of 20 degree colder air whenever I pass a register. I've found that having a big shade tree that blocks direct sunlight from the house helps a lot. (I know this since my shade tree died and was removed a year ago.) My house is natural brick and retains heat from sunlight for at least 8 hours, so any shade helps cool it a surprising amount.
  - elicash 7y ago
    It's the noise of window air conditioners that bothers me more than anything else. My hearing is average, but for some reason I get annoyed by noise more than others. This is true when it comes to everything from restaurants to commuting (walking, subway/metro, etc). I also don't get why people like earbuds over headphones when you can block out so much noise! I have earplugs, but prefer just not using the A/C.
    - icebraining 7y ago
      There's always minisplits - the noisy part stays outside the window. Though it can get annoying when you're outside and multiple neighbours are blasting their ACs.
khrbrt 7y ago
I do the same living just down the highway in Richmond. It's easy because I live in an old 1920s apartment with thick brick walls, covered porches, and ceiling fans. The walls insulate most of the heat, the shade over the front and rear windows makes light less extreme, and the fans keep air moving which helps with humidity. Buildings should be designed to fit their environment. My electricity bill would be much higher if I lived in a modern prefabricated cube with thin plywood walls and nothing hanging over the windows.

elicash 7y ago

I don't think I'll be able to do it when I'm older. Heat stroke is a serious thing and if I ever had a sense that my body wasn't good I'd 100% use A/C more. (Also I don't have kids.)

randcraw 7y ago
I do the same things (at age 60) in the Philly suburbs. I fire up the AC in my bedroom at night only about 5 days per year, and I have none elsewhere in the house. No, it isn't ideal, but I'm cheap and I don't mind using fans. And frankly, I don't like AC. I hate walking through a blast of 20 degree colder air whenever I pass a register. I've found that having a big shade tree that blocks direct sunlight from the house helps a lot. (I know this since my shade tree died and was removed a year ago.) My house is natural brick and retains heat from sunlight for at least 8 hours, so any shade helps cool it a surprising amount.
- elicash 7y ago
  It's the noise of window air conditioners that bothers me more than anything else. My hearing is average, but for some reason I get annoyed by noise more than others. This is true when it comes to everything from restaurants to commuting (walking, subway/metro, etc). I also don't get why people like earbuds over headphones when you can block out so much noise! I have earplugs, but prefer just not using the A/C.
  - icebraining 7y ago
    There's always minisplits - the noisy part stays outside the window. Though it can get annoying when you're outside and multiple neighbours are blasting their ACs.

khrbrt 7y ago

I do the same living just down the highway in Richmond. It's easy because I live in an old 1920s apartment with thick brick walls, covered porches, and ceiling fans. The walls insulate most of the heat, the shade over the front and rear windows makes light less extreme, and the fans keep air moving which helps with humidity. Buildings should be designed to fit their environment. My electricity bill would be much higher if I lived in a modern prefabricated cube with thin plywood walls and nothing hanging over the windows.