Air conditioning in Seattle houses? How common? (apartments, to rent)

[citizen]

Hello all, if I move to Seattle I'll have to rent a house, and I've noticed that unlike ads in the south or southwest, that CA/CH is not listed. That's central air/central heat.

Do older homes just plain NOT have air conditioning at all? How about window units?

Some people have medical conditions that might require A/C is the reason for my question ....

Thanks!

[jwb123]

*MOST* homes do not have air conditioning, new and old. It's not needed.

Now, saying that - some people do install it, and some builders offer it - so it's *possible* to find it - but it's not at all common.

You may find homes with a window unit - but I doubt it would be listed in an add, since it's something that can come out - and not permantly attached.

[mlv311]

We only saw one home that had it when we were househunting in 2003. We were told "not needed in Seattle," which I guess has been true in the past. However, we couldn't bear the heat our first summer here so we invested in it. Frankly, as someone who is home all day, I'm glad we added it.

[seattle sunhine]

Wow I can't wait until it's summer. It's so cold. I'm tried of this ice and frost. See when you go thru winters like this rain is so welcome cuz that means it will be a little warm with the cloud cover and the roads are easier to drive on. I love the summers here i'm from CA. It may get a little humid but you get use to it .. Take a nice walk to the water front and feel the cool breeze. Now remember there are a lot of trees here and if you get a house with trees around it you will have plenty of shade and your home will stay cool. waiting for rain tomorrow yeahhh..

[scirocco22]

Yup, as Jen said, A/C not common at all.

One thing about living in western Washington is that even on the hottest days in the summer, it almost always cools down considerably at night so sleeping is not usually a problem although once in awhile when there's a string of 90ish days together, it sometimes gets difficult to sleep. The marine push just sort of drifts in once the sun sets and it literally gets chilly even on those 90+ degree days. Hence, if you leave some windows open and a fan on, you should be comfortable during the night. In most other parts of the country, it stays warm if not hot through the night.

Thing is, as you'll hear many a Puget Sounder say, you'll only really "need" a/c just a few days a year so why even bother putting it in but those who do, don't seem to regret it.

A friend of mine on the eastside had central air built into his house as it was being built. He reflected the same sentiments: "yeah, I only need it two or three times a year but on those few sweltering days we get in the summer, it was well worth the initial money spent."

Same reasoning applied to Seattle's transit bus fleet. It was always a policy of the local transit agency not to buy air conditioned buses because it would only be needed a few days a year and not worth the initial expense nor the maintenance costs. Bus drivers and riders alike sure complained on those hot days that it would have been used had it been installed. The agency even paid the manufacturer on one order, not to included a/c because it was standard equipment on that particular model. Now, all orders for new buses will have A/C included ...technological progress has driven the costs down too.

--'rocco

[chris]

If 2006 is any indication of future summer weather (and you have kids or medical conditions), I'd consider investing in a few window units. They're relatively inexpensive (under $100 each at home depot) and will do the job.

06 was the first year I've been compelled to use A/C. Usually things cool down by 9-10pm but this past summer, that did not seem to be the case.

The second most dry summer on record was in 2006, and it was only second because it rained a few days before the summer ended. It was extremely sunny and enjoyable though.

[compltlyme]

Thise window fans seem to be enough up here. Coming from AC 24/7 I thought no AC would be awful but Love opening those windows!!!

[citizen]

Thanks for all the great replies!

I did notice in my research that Seattle had some very unusual heat last summer. I do believe global warming is a fact, but this coming summer will prob'ly not be so hot.

For instance, look at the Gulf Coast – 2 seasons ago Katrina & Rita, and last year ... none of that stuff! Next year, though??

Oh yeah ... and how about businesses? Supermarkets, office complexes, hotels, department stores, government buildings? They must have central heating and cooling, yes??

[jwb123]

Yep, all the businesses are air conditioned. It's just the homes. ALL homes have heat, of course. You do need that.

I didn't think summer 2006 was all that hot? Or more hot than any other summer? Perspective, I guess. I do agree we had more sunny days in a row than I remember for awhile. July and August are usually very nice.

[Ala]

Glad to see this thread. Seattle is one of the places I am thinking of moving to. But, I hate not having AC.

I lived in Alaska for 6 years. Everyone told me the same thing. "Oh, you don't really need AC here. A fan is fine."

The summers were absolute misery for me. Even after the cold, long winters, that didn't help me to get through the hot days and nights of the short summer. Didn't matter that it wasn't horribly hot. It still was just uncomfortable. Who wants to be uncomfortable and miserable when you go home at night?

And finding apartments, which I have to do, buying a house is out of the question for me, with windows that are even the appropriate shape for a AC unit, is difficult. Fans, for me, were not enough.

That's one of the reasons I left Alaska. As ironic as it sounds, I couldn't stand the HEAT! LOL.