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The larger question is "Why would anyone want to live without AC in the South?". I wouldn't recommend it, but I guess it CAN be done. It won't be much fun though.
The South is a very diverse region...of course people in most parts of it need heat - it's not all Miami Beach down here. Most of the South gets four full seasons and has below freezing temperatures in the winter. There are even parts of the South that get A LOT of snow, but there are also areas where you don't even need to own a coat. There isn't one big monolithic South.
Exactly. When I was a kid, I rarely needed a thick jacket. It would get down to the 50's and there would be a stray ice storm or a once every 15-20 years snow, but we rarely needed winter gear. Now that I live in northcentral Arkansas, we get cold, snow, ice, etc, etc here in the river valley. There is definitely no uniform climate for the South.
In terms of air conditioning, if the OP wants to live in the DEEP South without A/C, he can go right ahead. Just don't say the native folk didn't tell you so.
I cant do it! When the AC unites would go out (which is very common), I would go crazy. Where I'm from the humidity reaches around 90% during the day. AC is a must!
I cant do it! When the AC unites would go out (which is very common), I would go crazy. Where I'm from the humidity reaches around 90% during the day. AC is a must!
Yeah, OP just has to realize most people aren't willing to put up with the heat in the South without AC. It's one of the major reasons the SE has exploded in population since AC was invented. Before AC most wouldn't consider living there. I grew up on the Gulf Coast but after AC was widespread. I remember one of my neighbors telling us stories of how awful it was when he was kid, with just a loud attic fan and open windows. He compared it to having a fan in a sauna. It was so hot and humid he couldn't get a good night's sleep for weeks on end in the summer.
Yeah, OP just has to realize most people aren't willing to put up with the heat in the South without AC. It's one of the major reasons the SE has exploded in population since AC was invented. Before AC most wouldn't consider living there. I grew up on the Gulf Coast but after AC was widespread. I remember one of my neighbors telling us stories of how awful it was when he was kid, with just a loud attic fan and open windows. He compared it to having a fan in a sauna. It was so hot and humid he couldn't get a good night's sleep for weeks on end in the summer.
And people like you have to realize that if a house is properly designed to allow the natural climate features to cool it, then you will not need A/C in the South. Just having an attic fan, and open windows is not enough.
The Eurocentric nature of the US is why the South exploded in population so recently; Europeans are largely unfamiliar with warm, humid climates, and lack the generations of know-how needed to live in such climates, unlike people from Africa, and Asia, continents that exhibit humid subtropical climate regimes. If the dominant populations of the US were of Asians and/or Africans, then the South would easily have exploded, even without A/C.
And people like you have to realize that if a house is properly designed to allow the natural climate features to cool it, then you will not need A/C in the South. Just having an attic fan, and open windows is not enough.
The Eurocentric nature of the US is why the South exploded in population so recently; Europeans are largely unfamiliar with warm, humid climates, and lack the generations of know-how needed to live in such climates, unlike people from Africa, and Asia, continents that exhibit humid subtropical climate regimes. If the dominant populations of the US were of Asians and/or Africans, then the South would easily have exploded, even without A/C.
Yea. Tell that to my neighbors from Singapore. Or my other neighbors in the apartment below mine from Vietnam. When it's 85 or more they complain more than I do.
I lived in southern CA without A/C for 28 years, but in Texas, no way. OMG! I would slit my wrists before I'd live without air conditioning in the gawd-forsaken south. How they did it long, long ago is beyond me, but there is no way I'd do it nor would I put my dog through such agony. It's just plain miserable weather.
No my friend, I REALLY am living right on the Gulf Coast, in a bungalow, and doing just fine, all without A/C. Many people in this country think its hellish, but that's because they haven't tried living appropriately in the region. Staying without power in an ugly McMansion doesn't count; no, I am talking a well-designed house that blends with the climate and environment of the subtropical South, maximizing the comfort of the individual by using natural features to its advantage. Light colors for reflecting the sun's rays, airy materials to allow easy wind movement, strategically planted trees to allow for shade, etc all will make the experience comfortable.
Ever been to South Brazil? Eastern South Africa? I have, and I have seen first hand how people make living in hot, humid climates comfortable, all without energy-wasting A/Cs. They simply melded their residences in relation to the natural features of their climates, using techniques I described above.
However, I can't really blame you people for knocking this idea without even trying it; with the stock of people this country has, there is bound to be lack of affinity for subtropical/tropical living. I have an article to help you all out if you are interested: 14 Ways to Keep Cool in Your Home Without Air Conditioning | Care2 Healthy Living
I live in Manila where it gets like 100 degrees with 100% humidity. Everyone here has an AC. Even the ones in the ghettos. It is not possible to create a house that is comfortable without an AC if you can't even be outside in the shade without pouring in sweat.
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The larger question is "Why would anyone want to live without AC in the South?". I wouldn't recommend it, but I guess it CAN be done. It won't be much fun though.
