subject: Live Without Air Conditioning - How-to [print this page] Sure everyone likes the ease of having air-conditioning, but who likes to pay for it? My hubby and I certainly do not, and haven't since 2001. When we first made this choice it was typically because it might have literally put us in debt. Each since that point we've found alternative ways to beat the heat. Even after we eventually got to the point that we could afford to pay for air-conditioning we continue to selected not to do it.
With the price of energy, food, medicare, and other must haves continuing to rise, I know plenty of other folks will shortly be discovering themselves in a pinch if they have not already. Since air-conditioning is a luxury and not a prerequisite, I assumed I'd share how we like each other without it.
Here in Arkansas the temperature is often between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit for a month or two. The humidity seems to be up in the 70's quite often making the heat index rise as high as 110 degrees. The temperature inside our home during July and August is usually up in the 90's during the night. It gets very uncomfortable needless to say.
It's really not as hard as everybody thinks it is to go without AC. However, if you can afford it, before you shut your air conditioner off you will want to install ceiling fans in every room. We run all of our fans day and night and we have a total of six excluding the bathroom. Currently, we also have two floor fans for our bedroom and living room. Our highest electric bill today, after a recent price hike of about $15 a month, is about $53.
The genuine secret to staying cool is the utilisation of water. In the daytime hours we use a cheap, 100 dollar pool from Wal-marts. Since this one did not feature a tarp to put under it or a cover for the top, we purchased 2 twelve-foot trampoline covers for 25 dollars, which works nicely. We just tie the 2 together. So far this pool has lasted us for 3 years. Now it is not huge and complicated and some of our neighbours giggle at us because they've a larger one, nonetheless it definitely works so helping up to put up with the heat.
During the evening hours when the humidity starts rising, it gets a bit tougher. What I do to is stand in a cool shower to bring my body temperature down. Then I wear as little as I have to, and put a cold wet hand towel around my neck, on my legs or arms, or where ever I need. At night when I sleep, I will put a wet cloth over my torso. The hotter it is, the bigger the towel. By doing this I can sleep soundly through the entire night.
Then eventually, it's important to remain hydrated during the day as you will clearly sweat more than you probably did when you were using an air conditioner. Ice cream or other cold treats will also help keep your body cooler. Cold food or cooking out doors will help to keep the home cooler too. Getting shot of the usage of an air conditioner not only saves you a lot of money, it also helps the environment.
