Would you buy new house that has no A/C? (sales, sales tax)

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by mczabe

And since several members of my family are plagued by seasonal allergies, we need to be able to keep the house cool/fresh while keeping the pollen out.

I'll go along with this...while we love our whole house fan, if you have allergies, pulling all the allergents IN the house at night is most definitely not helpful. Good sleep is necessary to function and if you spend your nights sneezing and itching that isn't going to happen. That is when A/C is so nice. Fortunately for us, that doesn't happen too often.....

[OneMoreMove]

Originally Posted by mczabe

I stand by my vote.

Hey, I support your right to vote
We must all get a long.

And in a concession to those who love the A/C, I should mention that it's pretty darn hot this week in Denver and the whole house fan doesn't help much during the daytime! At night, no problem we just vent out the house. But right now it's 11 AM and my only option is to close all the the windows and blinds to trap in the cool air from last night - it works, but jeez it's dark in here

But I'm sticking to my guns! No A/C for me

[OneMoreMove]

If hot air goes out the top of the house, then air has to come in somewhere. So, with the outside 83 degrees right now it seems best to just trap as much cool air as possible. That's the trouble with the whole house fain approach or any kind of ventilation-only system - if it's hotter outside than inside you can't do much about it except hang on to that cold air for dear life!

[OneMoreMove]

Again, simple physics answer the question. Heat accumulates at the top of houses, we all know that. To exhaust out the hot air at the top of the house, there has to be an equal amount of air (usually measured in cubic feet per minute) where fresh air can come into the house, otherwise the air won't move.

Thus, if the hot air that is accumulating at the top of my 3rd floor staircase is hotter than the air outside, it would be a good idea to put an exhaust fan up there and blow that air out. That will draw cooler air from outside to replace the exhausted air.

It goes both ways. If the hot air that accumulated at the top of my stairs isn't quite as hot as it is outside, then I will bring hotter air in from outside if I turn out the ventilation fan up there. The whole house will get hotter.

Right now the thermometer at the top of the house reads 86 degrees, pretty warm. The thermometer in the living room is about 75 degrees, since I've kept the windows closed to trap the cool air from last night. Meanwhile, the outside temperature is 88 degrees.

If I turn on the exhaust fan at the top of the stairs, I'll be expelling warm at at the top of the stairs and drawing in even warmer air from outside. I'd rather watch the outside thermometer and when it's cooler outside than it is inside I'll turn on all the fans.

[formercalifornian]

Just thought I would pop in to give another reason for foregoing a/c: our Xcel bill was $55 this month. We used 357 kWh of electricity, well under the threshold for the two-tier rate.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

Just thought I would pop in to give another reason for foregoing a/c: our Xcel bill was $55 this month. We used 357 kWh of electricity, well under the threshold for the two-tier rate.

What are the rates per kWh at each tier?

[Scott5280]

My parents used to live in Ken Caryl Valley where the shadows are longer and the temps generally a few degrees cooler than outside the hogback. I ran the AC quite frequently as the home had several decks facing directly South( heat magnets). Sure maybe didn't run the AC all the time, but was very glad to have it.
Every place I have lived here has had AC.. Do you need AC?..other posters have stated it depends on the house, and where it's located: I agree. If you buy a house with vaulted ceilings facing South and minimal cross breeze, be prepared to suffer in some cases.. FY people as a former broker almost everyone I worked with insisted on having AC, and wouldn't even consider otherwise..think about resale.

[xeric]

I don't think the OP should let resale factor into it. Yes a lot of buyers these days insist on AC but if you are in the position someday where you are selling and can't find a buyer that will offer you full price because you don't have AC, then just deduct the cost of AC from your selling price and let them put it in after you leave. If you're happy without it then why pay for the maintenance for all those years just for a small resale advantage.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

What are the rates per kWh at each tier?

$0.046 up to 500kWh
$0.090 above 500 kWh

We hit 516kWh... not enough over to worry about (though about 30kWh more than the previous 2 months ~ must be the swamp cooler)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

$0.046 up to 500kWh
$0.090 above 500 kWh

We hit 516kWh... not enough over to worry about (though about 30kWh more than the previous 2 months ~ must be the swamp cooler)

Damn that's cheap. The tiers on my current bill are as follows:

Tier 1 - $0.13/kWh - 299 kWh
Tier 2 - $0.15/kWh - 90 kWh
Tier 3 - $0.24/kWh - 180 kWh
Tier 4 - $0.27/kWh - none
Tier 5 - $0.31/kWh - none

We used 569 kWh for the month but more than half of that is the electric water heater I'm stuck with.