Type Of Cooling For Homes - What's Used In Az? (Phoenix: work, house)

[sunshinecities]

Do most homes have evaporative coolers and how do they work etc? My friend used to live in Peoria and she said she had one and also an AC. Yet, she used the Air Conditioner (AC) only in July-Sept.
Thanks

[sablebaby]

The older homes (not all of them) have the evap coolers along with the AC. Newer homes do not. We've had our AC on for the past few weeks. Last night our ac was at 74 and it was still hot!

[63ragtop]

My 1970s house in N. Phoenix has both. The evaporative cooler is old and a bit rusty in places but still works well. We actually don't use it much anymore since we had to replace our heat pump (a/c unit). The new unit is very efficient.

Yesterday was the first day we have used the a/c this year but it was only for a few hours in the mid afternoon. Our house is block construction so it stays cool inside.

[JMX]

It seems that newer homes only have AC and that older homes have both (or just evap. coolers).

An evap. cooler is a simple device. A fan spins just above a pool of water, and the evaporation from the water cools the air. The fan pushes the cooler air into the room. They work well when the humidity is low, but not so well when the humidity is higher. That's why people don't use them during the Monsoon season (Jul.-Sept.)