Going AC Free This Summer? Got Any Tips On How To Stay Cool & Green?
, Wednesday, July 29 2009, 03:14 PM
Growing up on the east coast, the idea of using an air conditioner during the summer months seemed not only automatic but necessary.
Humidity was 97.9% outside -- which was bad enough -- but once we got back into the house, that number would jump to 101%, causing my father to suffer from miserable man syndrome and breathe fire and brimstone through his nostrils.
If he read this discussion question right now, I think that he'd laugh out loud and then perhaps be concerned that I'm suffering from heat stroke...but I'm dead serious.
As Greenwala member Juan Levy recently pointed out, going AC free during the summer months is definitely a green trend that is taking hold.
Are you practicing "AC-free living" in your own household?
How is it working out for you?
Have you noticed an improvement in your utility bills?
Have you come up with any clever ways to manage the heat?
Do you think that passing on AC is a great contribution to the green movement or is it a sacrifice that you're not willing to make?
As an aside, has anyone tried to turn a fan into a homemade air conditioner -- is it effective??
Surinder Saini
said on July 29, 2009
The way it works for us is that we have ceiling fans installed in all the rooms. Some times we use a pedestal fan too. The breeze from the fans give us appropriate comfort. Ours is a ranch house. For additional comfort on a really hot summer day(s) or a really muggy day(s), we turn on the whole-house fan/exhaust fan that is installed in the ceiling in the middle of the house. This one just sucks out all the stale air from the house. Fresh air replaces the out going air. This movement of air creates a good flow of breeze and thus cools off the house. This summer we have not used the a/c nor the house fan even once. And we feel quite comfortable....
Needless to say that we have seen a tremendous drop in our electric bills. Ours is an all electric house. The energy saving is in the 50/55 percent range, may be even 60 percent. We are very satisfied with what we are accomplishing. We are able to enjoy the benefits of living a life surrounded by fresh air and in close proximity to the nature. This in itself is worth the sacrifice of not using the a/c....
Bob Kurz
said on July 31, 2009