How long does it take to get use to no A/C? (Hilo: house, to live)

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Here in Virginia today the dew point is 63 F humidity 77% temp
70 degree real feel 72 degrees. No wind. I have the central A/C going. I’m assuming the conditions aren’t too far in Puna than that. How in the world do you get use to no A/C?

We don’t need the A/C when doing daily things, but to sleep we do like it cool.

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

Here in Virginia today the dew point is 63 F humidity 77% temp
70 degree real feel 72 degrees. No wind. I have the central A/C going. I’m assuming the conditions aren’t too far in Puna than that. How in the world do you get use to no A/C?

We don’t need the A/C when doing daily things, but to sleep we do like it cool.

I can't tolerate being hot when trying to sleep. For us, altitude and an area with lower humidity made all the difference. At about 2,500', we need a blanket and comforter on the bed at night, even in summer.
I don't know how you can sleep at night without AC at low altitude.

[Arktikos]

During the warmest months in Hilo-July, August, September and October-the average low is 69 degrees.

If your home has adequate ventilation I see no use for AC.

My place is at 700 ft. I've never been uncomfortably warm at night, in any month. Ideally for me it would be mid 60's, which it is frequently. Actually, this past winter was a bit on the chilly side. Several nights were below 60.

Leeward side at sea level seems noticeably warmer, perhaps partly due to lack of air movement. It wouldn't be ideal for me but I would probably get used to it.

[TwoByFour]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

Here in Virginia today the dew point is 63 F humidity 77% temp
70 degree real feel 72 degrees. No wind. I have the central A/C going.

You have the AC on when the temp is 70? Yikes!

At this moment (7pm local) on Maui it is 82 deg, 63% humidity. We don't have AC and it feels OK to me, but we do have a bit of trade wind breeze blowing through the house.

[rya96797]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

Here in Virginia today the dew point is 63 F humidity 77% temp
70 degree real feel 72 degrees. No wind. I have the central A/C going. I’m assuming the conditions aren’t too far in Puna than that. How in the world do you get use to no A/C?

We don’t need the A/C when doing daily things, but to sleep we do like it cool.

depends where you live and time of year. In hawaii, windward sides of the island is normally 50-60% humidity year round. Temperature varies, but you can see interior temperatures of 85F easily. The trade winds make a big difference as far as "felt" temperature, design of your house plays a big part in this. Without the trades, you will suffer big time.

I mentioned it in another thread, but personally I just run the ac whenever I'm home if it's hot. I'm getting too old to sweat it out night and day and I have a really good job so I'm not going to live like a pauper if I dont have to. Be prepared to pay triple your virginia electricity bill assuming your usage is the same.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by TwoByFour

You have the AC on when the temp is 70? Yikes!

At this moment (7pm local) on Maui it is 82 deg, 63% humidity. We don't have AC and it feels OK to me, but we do have a bit of trade wind breeze blowing through the house.

We don’t need the AC on during the day unless it gets above 90, but at night to sleep 70 is not comfortable sleeping weather especially when the dew point is above 65 degrees.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by rya96797

depends where you live and time of year. In hawaii, windward sides of the island is normally 50-60% humidity year round. Temperature varies, but you can see interior temperatures of 85F easily. The trade winds make a big difference as far as "felt" temperature, design of your house plays a big part in this. Without the trades, you will suffer big time.

I mentioned it in another thread, but personally I just run the ac whenever I'm home if it's hot. I'm getting too old to sweat it out night and day and I have a really good job so I'm not going to live like a pauper if I dont have to. Be prepared to pay triple your virginia electricity bill assuming your usage is the same.

We pay on average during the summer months $130 a month and that is to cool off a 3100 sq ft house and we are careless about leaving lights on. The argument I get into with my wife is keep the central AC on all the time, but set the temp higher during the day and turn the temp down at night. You see, when you leave the central AC off during the day, inside the house starts to get warm and that includes the walls and ceilings. When the inside temp of the house gets up to 78 degrees, it takes a long time for the house to cool off and the central AC has to work a lot harder and using much more electric. Still, $130 isn’t bad to power a 3100 sq ft house. We wouldn’t even get a house half that size in Hawaii. We don’t want anything bigger than 1500 sq ft.

[Arktikos]

Have you tried sleeping with less covers? AC with temps around 70, regardless of humidity, seems quite unusual to me.

Easy solution for Puna would be to live at location above 1000 ft. Again, ventilation is the key. Typical mainland house with small windows non strategically placed and shuttered at night is a losing approach in Hawaii.

[rya96797]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

We pay on average during the summer months $130 a month and that is to cool off a 3100 sq ft house and we are careless about leaving lights on. The argument I get into with my wife is keep the central AC on all the time, but set the temp higher during the day and turn the temp down at night. You see, when you leave the central AC off during the day, inside the house starts to get warm and that includes the walls and ceilings. When the inside temp of the house gets up to 78 degrees, it takes a long time for the house to cool off and the central AC has to work a lot harder and using much more electric. Still, $130 isn’t bad to power a 3100 sq ft house. We wouldn’t even get a house half that size in Hawaii. We don’t want anything bigger than 1500 sq ft.

Out here, $130 is a low charge for a single family home, and that's without AC or frivolously using energy. I think my estimate is good, if you were to run exactly the same in hawaii, you'd look at triple the bill.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

There's a reason why so many of us on the BI have solar electricity in some form. Last year the average cost per kWh on the BI was 37.5 cents; in New York City it was 8.40 cents. You can do the math from your NY bill to see what a similar usage would cost in Hawaii. Our bill went from almost $200 a month to $26 a month, and we don't even use AC.

Agree that location matters. We are near South Point at an elevation of 1200' and get steady trade winds. We have never needed AC, but sometimes in the summer we need to run the ceiling fans to help keep the air moving when the trades die.