Do we really NEED Air Conditioning? (Charlotte, Asheville: rental, how much, hotel)

[philodendron]

We have been having trouble getting a good rental house in Asheville that suits are needs. We finally have three we are going to look at tomorrow. I believe that at least two of them do not have AC. We are moving from south of Atlanta, where it is unthinkable for us to live without air conditioning. However, we know it stays a good deal cooler in the mountains than it does here. We're looking for some objective input. How much will we suffer without AC in an older home just north of downtown Asheville? Thanks!

[daveatgso]

No IMO, but you can always buy a window unit if you disagree.

[philodendron]

Thanks!

[oneluckymug]

If you are moving from Atlanta, you will probably only regret having an AC 5-10 days per year max. Not worth it most likely. I however moved from up north, where even by their standards I loved the cold. At night I turn my air to 60. I sleep with a giant fan 10 inches from my face. During the winter I open the window, turn on the air, and stick the fan in the window to pull in the cold air and it gets down to 45 or so.....and I am STILL warm. You can touch my hands and they are toasty. Frustrating. So I would probably die without air. :-)

The one thing that may cause you to get air is if you move here and have bad allergies. Then you couldn't keep the windows open all the time. Otherwise you should find it more than comfortable most of the time. Once nice thing about here compared to place even an hour east. Most of the time when it's hot during the day, you still get a 20-35 degree temperature drop from the peek of the day to low of the night, along with drop in humidity. It makes the rare heat even more tolerable because you get a break from it.

[drfranklin]

The average number of days annually Asheville reaches 90 degrees or above is 8.
(Compare this to Greenville, SC or Atlanta: 36 and 35, respectively.)

It's all about elevation in Western NC: the city of Asheville sits at an elevation of only 2,134 feet (which is about 1,100 feet more than Greenville, SC). But, on average, Asheville's temperatures are 5-10 degrees cooler than Piedmont areas (Charlotte/Greenville). With elevations > 3,500 feet, one really starts to cool off: 90 degree summer days are non-existent.

For me, any temps > the low 80's are uncomfortable (especially with elevated summer humidity). There's a reason why the Biltmore offers discounts during the summer - no A/C and it can be stifling! (well, from what I heard)

Another reason I would not accept a rental w/o A/C: (again) high summer humidity - I have important paperwork, art, and delicate electronics that would shrivel/fail in any humid environment.

[Seminolepharmd]

I would probably miss A/C in the evenings maybe one month total out of the year here and I really only turn it on just before bed to cool it from 80 degrees down to 75. For the majority of our past 2 summers here, it stays at or below 78 degrees inside of the house and that is very comfortable to me. I would be OK renting a place without an A/C but I would likely put a wall unit in the bedroom to use while sleeping during the summers.

P.S. We moved here from FL and the summers here feel MUCH, MUCH more pleasant to us here.

[Imhere now]

It depends on the house you are renting. Is it shaded by trees? How well insulated is it? As earlier stated, it mostly depends on elevation. We also live in North Asheville, in a new very well insulated home with some trees providing shape. We would not buy a house without a/c, because of the humidity in the afternoons and evenings, as well as allergens in the Spring and Fall, if we left the windows and doors open. My guess is you will want a/c at times. Whether or not you can install a window unit will depend on what the owner will allow, the type of window and adequate power to that location.

[RBinNC]

We've moved up from Charlotte, and use our A/C quite a bit during the hottest times of the day. Although it doesn't get set below 76degrees, we definitely have needed it. It's been very muggy and that's why we've used ours. Also, allergies play a factor...heat, is a relative thing, because I grew up in TX and tolerated it there, since I'm older now, I'm not so comfortable in the humid/heat. No sense in being miserable, so I'd definitely want an A/C.

[Susieisanartist]

We've had houses with and without, between 2000' and 2500' in elevation. There have been about 2 weeks out of every year when we've either run the air or called ourselves crazy for not having any. The rest of the time we haven't used air or missed it. The A/C hasn't been on once so far this summer, but we use a box fan in the bedroom window for sleeping (and creates a pleasant drone that really knocks us out). You'll appreciate ceiling fans; if the house you like doesn't have any, ask if you can install them.

[BrianKnight]

Great question with great replies. Occupant preferences aside, it really does depend on the house. Elevation is a big factor and most homes in the asheville area are not high enough to completely avoid the AC machine. Shade is also a big variable and I would add that West-facing windows are another thing that can be dramatically different from home to home.

As the good drfranklin points out, even if you can survive without AC, doesnt mean your furnishings or certain building components will appreciate it. A little bit of de-humidification goes a long way in our climate. Another option taking the industry by storm is the mini-split heat pump. They are a bit pricier than the window or PTAC heat pumps (hotel style units) but they make a lot of sense for many existing homes and offer very affordable heating in the winter time even at temps below 0. Iam getting very close to putting one in my home, mainly to get off of my dreaded oil furnace.

I coincidentally just wrote a blog post in the WNC Green building blog collective about keeping cool in the summer that goes into more detail about other strategies like weatherization and the night-time flushing techniques which can work really well in our climate for most of the summer. I would post a link but my new username has not earned the reputation needed to do so.. Anyone care to help me out? I might log in under my old name just to slip it in.