Houses without Air Conditioning (San Jose, Santa Clara: apartments, rental, appliances)

[thetrb]

We currently live in a house without A/C and it gets terribly hot in the afternoon. Yesterday at around 9PM it was still 90 degrees inside our house. Even at midnight it was still >85 degrees. To a large extent this is probably also because the house we're renting has wooden windows, so very bad heat insulation.

My question is: How do others deal with this and why is there such a large housing stock without air conditioning in this climate? Most single family homes I look up on Craigslist for rent don't have air conditioning. Townhouses on the other hand usually do have it.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I lived in Santa Clara for 10 years before moving away 2 years ago. I got a window air conditioner. Problem solved for about $150. Put it in my bedroom and got a big industrial fan that blew the cold air into the living room.

They aren't needed very often, and for landlords it's another thing to have to keep up. You might want to let your landlord know if you're going to put one in. I managed apartments in Santa Clara, and at first we let tenants put their own window or portable air conditioners in, but they wouldn't always install them correctly and we had some water issues. Then, the owner finally accepted that people in this century don't like to be uncomfortable, LOL, and so he finally just put some in and maintained them himself so it was done right - and raised the rents.

[bigdumbgod]

Portable AC. Plenty at Fry's, Home Depot, etc.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by thetrb

We currently live in a house without A/C and it gets terribly hot in the afternoon. Yesterday at around 9PM it was still 90 degrees inside our house. Even at midnight it was still >85 degrees. To a large extent this is probably also because the house we're renting has wooden windows, so very bad heat insulation.

My question is: How do others deal with this and why is there such a large housing stock without air conditioning in this climate? Most single family homes I look up on Craigslist for rent don't have air conditioning. Townhouses on the other hand usually do have it.

I live in a 2nd floor apartment and I just sweat it out. It helps that my building is better insulated than average. The first day of a heat wave usually isn't that bad. It's the 2nd and 3rd days that are a drag. Since there isn't that much need for air conditioning, it's not a big deal.

If we would plant more trees, it would further reduce the need for air conditioning:

Our City Forest

[thetrb]

Hmm, portable AC is a good idea, however I'm not sure if we can install that in our wooden windows. Will check it out.

[dogandcat]

We have A/C but almost never use it (to save money). It's South San Jose...

- Ceiling fans in every bedroom + kitchen/dining room -- cheap to use
- Carefully close all windows with curtains -- it is the must!
- Mature trees at front and backyard

[BayAreaHillbilly]

From the coldest point in the diurnal cycle (typically 6AM or so) until the sea breeze kicks in (or if no breeze, until dark), keep windows closed with window coverings drawn. When sea breeze kicks in (or dark, whichever comes first), open window coverings and windows. Repeat.

Also, minimize lighting and use of electronics / appliances / cooking during daytime hours.

[mossly]

You have my sympathy. A couple of years ago I went a few weeks without AC in a relentlessly hot location - we were waiting for our landlord to get together the funds to replace a 30 year old central unit that was beyond repair - and I had fans in every room. They helped a bit, but it was still uncomfortable.

My mother survived a summer in Florida with a portable unit only, but she lives alone and could literally just plop the unit in front of herself all the time - if you have kids etc. and need to keep their rooms cool as well as your own, it's harder.

I feel you on the hot house, too. We are fortunate to have central air in the home we're renting right now, but on the summer days I don't turn the AC on, trying to save energy, it gets really hot in here really quickly. Closing the shades etc. only puts off the inevitable for a bit - it hits 90 degrees in here at 6pm instead of 4pm, and I end up caving and putting the AC back on. I think some houses are just better at holding heat than others, and as already mentioned here, trees play a big role.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by thetrb

We currently live in a house without A/C and it gets terribly hot in the afternoon. Yesterday at around 9PM it was still 90 degrees inside our house. Even at midnight it was still >85 degrees. To a large extent this is probably also because the house we're renting has wooden windows, so very bad heat insulation.

My question is: How do others deal with this and why is there such a large housing stock without air conditioning in this climate? Most single family homes I look up on Craigslist for rent don't have air conditioning. Townhouses on the other hand usually do have it.

Get a window unit for your bedroom, so you can sleep at night. And btw, wooden window frames are considered to be good insulators; a lot of people spend major bucks, when they can, toreplace their aluminum windows with wood. Not sure how synthetic compares.

[Wintermomma]

You have my sympathy. Our first rental here was old house with leaky windows and no AC. "Everyone" says you hardly ever need it here. They are right, but when you need it you need it! Our first electric bill was $400 from all the fans running and we were still miserable.

I am sorry you are suffering like this, it should get cooler as the week goes on.