Can one be comfortable without Air Conditioning? (transplants, rentals)

[Ms_Christina]

We are moving here from the East coast (NJ). It can get terribly humid and even temps in the 80's can be uncomfortable.

I have gone through a lot of rental sites and found many homes for rent that do not have central air.

Is it possible to enjoy the summer months without air conditioning?

I HATE window units. They are loud and ugly. I would rather just use fans.

For any other transplants in the area. Do you think it is doable? If so, we can save a bundle. If not then I will cross them off of my list of possible rentals.

[aajn1983]

air conditioners give me awful headaches and dry eyes.

yes, you can live without them.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Maybe for about two or three weeks in the summer.

[Nell Plotts]

Central air conditioning, air conditioning in general, became desirable when codes required a 'tight' building. If you pay attention to the exposure (west is hottest), ventilation, and shade trees (deciduous is best) you should be fine without it. Usually the 2nd floor is hotter than the first. When I was a kid my parents moved us from the upstairs bedrooms to cots in the basement during really hot weather. There are a couple of days when the temps approach 100 each year, our humidity is a cool weather phenomenon.

When it is hot in the Willamette Valley it is always chilly on the coast. If we are in for a siege of hot weather (90 or better) people go to the beach and wear a jacket.

[hamellr]

Sorry, not a transplant, but I've never lived anywhere in Oregon that had a central air conditioner. I've got a window unit for the two or three days it's needed, and I rely on fans to circulate air through the house otherwise.

[christiner81]

of course it's doable. i grew up in a warmer climate with no central or window AC. We used fans.

[SETabor]

We have central air and use it for maybe 1 or 2 days/year. One of the problems is that our bedroom is on the second floor and our HVAC system wasn't well designed for cooling (or really, heating) the upstairs. We only use it on days when it's too hot to exist and we're tired of perusing the local frozen food aisle and have seen all the movies at the theater.

It cools down enough at night that a window fan will work for most nights. If you work your windows well, you can cool down the house enough that it doesn't get too hot inside.

When relatives from SoCal visit, we turn on the AC for them. But, I don't know that I've ever seen them open a window in their house.

[ramedud]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Maybe for about two or three weeks in the summer.

^

[sayulita]

I agree with everyone. I have central air and I think I used it all of 7 or 8 times last year. It almost always cools down a lot at night. Humidity is usually not a big issue either. We do have the occasional heatwave, but well placed fans will probably see you through it.

[HonuMan]

I moved here from the South, and I got along without AC for years. Whenever the temperature got into the upper 90s for more than two or three days straight, it didn't cool down at night, and I was very uncomfortable. Most summers, there are only a handful of days like that. Then I got married, and my wife is more sensitive to heat than I am, so we got central AC. Now I'm a wimp when it comes to heat.