4 ms·

This is a complicated question because the answer relies heavily on where your house is. Living in the Pacific Northwest I'm able to get by with no AC but need

This is a complicated question because the answer relies heavily on where your house is. Living in the Pacific Northwest I'm able to get by with no AC but need decent heat. When I lived in California, air conditioning was kind of a must but heat was pretty much an afterthought. Ideally, engineer your house so you don't need a powerful HVAC system to be comfortable. We have (amazing) insulation so we don't need any air conditioning, but it gets a bit chilly so we are working on installing radiant heat in the floor.

lotsofpulp 6y ago
Living without AC will be very uncomfortable in the PNW in a 2 story house going forward. It already has been for a few years.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  Build right and you are fine. I'm smack in the middle of the Willamette Valley and our house peaks at a comfortable 72-75 degrees during the hot part of the afternoon. No AC.
- EricE 6y ago
  If you routinely have low humidity it's amazing what a whole house fan will let you get away with. It pulls air from the outside in through your house, then exhausts it into the attic. Even on very hot days, as long as the humidity isn't crazy it is very effective at keeping you cool. I routinely go without running AC into days that go into the low 80's. Living in the mid Atlantic I've been pleased about just how much I have been able to use a whole house fan. They have come a long way too. I have one from QuiteCool Systems - instead of a fan bolted directly to the attic rafters with crappy metal louvers that rattle and don't block out drafts when not in operation, it has a powerful fan on a segment of ductwork - when you install you install it so there is a 90 degree bend in the ductwork and it attenuates the vast majority of fan noise. Indeed, I hear more from the motor rumble through the rafters in the attic where it's mounted than I do from the fan/air noise. It comes with an insulated and highly efficient damper too. The system took less than an hour to install and I was easily able to pull power from an outlet in my hall, put in a switch then continue to the attic with the fan. https://quietcoolsystems.com/ https://quietcoolsystems.com/ Mine has more than paid for itself - less than 650 watts vs over 2800 watts if both my AC units are running. The only problem I have is my house is a little over 2800 square feet and if I let it get warm (say I am not home and close the house up then come home hours later) the single fan I have is not powerful enough to cool - I need to add a second unit so I have better peak air flow. I think I will add the unit that has two smaller fans, then at night when I still would like a little airflow but not a hurricane I can have more a gentle breeze. Needing to have more control over airflow at night is something I didn't anticipate. I have tied my home automation system in - I can read the temperature from my Nest thermostats and turn the fan on/off as needed. I also have the scripts check the status of windows/doors through my alarm system. One danger is if you have gas appliances that are not direct vented you can back draft them - my water heater is in my basement and it's not direct vented - it relies on a flue so you need to be careful you don't reverse the flow in the flue. I have a couple of extra CO2 monitors in the basement and after five years have never seen a blip but it is something to be aware of with any gas appliance. Heck if your house isn't balanced a bathroom fan can cause a backdraft in a flue.

lotsofpulp 6y ago

Living without AC will be very uncomfortable in the PNW in a 2 story house going forward. It already has been for a few years.

ogre_codes 6y ago
Build right and you are fine. I'm smack in the middle of the Willamette Valley and our house peaks at a comfortable 72-75 degrees during the hot part of the afternoon. No AC.
EricE 6y ago
If you routinely have low humidity it's amazing what a whole house fan will let you get away with. It pulls air from the outside in through your house, then exhausts it into the attic. Even on very hot days, as long as the humidity isn't crazy it is very effective at keeping you cool. I routinely go without running AC into days that go into the low 80's. Living in the mid Atlantic I've been pleased about just how much I have been able to use a whole house fan. They have come a long way too. I have one from QuiteCool Systems - instead of a fan bolted directly to the attic rafters with crappy metal louvers that rattle and don't block out drafts when not in operation, it has a powerful fan on a segment of ductwork - when you install you install it so there is a 90 degree bend in the ductwork and it attenuates the vast majority of fan noise. Indeed, I hear more from the motor rumble through the rafters in the attic where it's mounted than I do from the fan/air noise. It comes with an insulated and highly efficient damper too. The system took less than an hour to install and I was easily able to pull power from an outlet in my hall, put in a switch then continue to the attic with the fan. https://quietcoolsystems.com/ https://quietcoolsystems.com/ Mine has more than paid for itself - less than 650 watts vs over 2800 watts if both my AC units are running. The only problem I have is my house is a little over 2800 square feet and if I let it get warm (say I am not home and close the house up then come home hours later) the single fan I have is not powerful enough to cool - I need to add a second unit so I have better peak air flow. I think I will add the unit that has two smaller fans, then at night when I still would like a little airflow but not a hurricane I can have more a gentle breeze. Needing to have more control over airflow at night is something I didn't anticipate. I have tied my home automation system in - I can read the temperature from my Nest thermostats and turn the fan on/off as needed. I also have the scripts check the status of windows/doors through my alarm system. One danger is if you have gas appliances that are not direct vented you can back draft them - my water heater is in my basement and it's not direct vented - it relies on a flue so you need to be careful you don't reverse the flow in the flue. I have a couple of extra CO2 monitors in the basement and after five years have never seen a blip but it is something to be aware of with any gas appliance. Heck if your house isn't balanced a bathroom fan can cause a backdraft in a flue.