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Post by fairweatherfan on Aug 14, 2023 23:36:11 GMT -5
As a counterpoint to massiveshibe's thread about the coldest place you can live without air conditioning, I ask you all what is the hottest place you can live without air conditioning. I'm sure there will be a lively discussion about this topic, as some users have strong opinions about this topic. |
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Post by srfoskey on Aug 15, 2023 0:13:52 GMT -5
Can and would willingly do are two very different things. People live in India and Pakistan without AC and don't die, but there's no way in hell I'm ever doing that. I wouldn't willingly live anywhere with hotter summers than Portland, ME or Cheyenne, WY without AC.
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Post by desiccatedi85 on Aug 15, 2023 0:29:32 GMT -5
It depends on factors such as ventilation and insulation, but I'd set a hard limit of 80ºF mean temps, or even upper 70s, as the hottest I can take without AC assuming good ventilation, as indoor temps above the low-mid 80s would turn uncomfortable for sleeping. Mild nighttime temps are also important for going without AC to cool things down inside. So somewhere like Sacramento CA or NYC would be about the limit for me, but Sacramento would be more comfortable due to the cool nights.
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Post by greysrigging on Aug 15, 2023 2:01:33 GMT -5
No strong opinions per se.... I don't use AC at home whatsoever....
Now I'd be dishonest if I said I have never used it.... of course I have..... I have spent a considerable time in my working life on remote Outback Australian mining and construction sites... the workers accommodation units, called 'dongas' here, are all AC'd and do we use 'em ? Hell yeah, after a day toiling away for a month at a time in +40c heat, the 'donga' and the AC set at 24c is a blessed relief. There is no natural airflow in construction camp 'dongas' so the AC is a must.... and for 9 months of the year ( in the Pilbara ) it blows cool air at a 24c setting, then in June-Aug it blows warm air.... these are reverse cycle inverters.
I'm old enough to remember working over on Groote Eylandt at a Manganese Mine in the Gulf of Carpentaria ( Northern Territory ) and the 'dongas' with 2 blokes to a room were sans AC... was fucken tough during the wet season... lol.
So yeah, I can and do use AC where necessary... ie visitors up from down south who are un acclimatised to the deep north 12.4*S tropics, or if entertaining a ladyfriend ( so thats a never lol )....
My house is fully AC'd... I dont use it personally... never mind the 5k a year power bills for those who never turn it off.... I'm OK without....oh on the filthy wet season nights say 28c-30c and 27c-28c dp's I might be tempted to turn on the bedroom AC, but haven't done so for 2 or 3 years now.
A few beers every night, the ceiling fans set on 'flat chat' speed, yeah/nah, I don't switch 'em on.
I have a big kick arse 3.5 hp splitty in the living room ( installed it about 6-7 years ago when I had a new ( ish ) lady friend living here )... she's long gone so it only gets a run if I have family or friends visiting up from down south. All the bedrooms have split inverters, 1.2 hp systems and my office has an old 40 year old window rattler I scored off my parents... still works, but it doesn't get used either.
Tropical designed houses in Darwin have louvered windows for airflow and my house is pretty much shaded by the jungle garden.... having said that the indoors temp in the afternoon is always within 1c of the outdoors temp... so a 35c day at the Airport, it will be 35c indoors.
And the house is slow to cool down... often 3 or 4c warmer at dawn than the overnight min temp.... both wet season and dry season.. so a Dec 28c min will be 32c indoors at dawn most likely... and a 14c-15c min in June will be 18 - 19c in the living room at dawn.
Speaking of which... I need to venture downstairs to the beer fridge to prepare myself fully for the AC-less evening ahead...lol !
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Post by firebird1988 on Aug 15, 2023 6:15:13 GMT -5
Nowhere equatorward of 42° latitude, unless at high elevation, like Flagstaff, or marine moderated, like the immediate coast in California
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Post by tommyFL on Aug 15, 2023 6:22:38 GMT -5
Literally anywhere, as people have been doing for millennia
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Post by AJ1013 on Aug 15, 2023 6:37:38 GMT -5
If the indoor temp is above 68F when I’m trying to go to sleep AC is needed. Whether that’s the case depends not only on climate but also home construction. Yes, it’s possible to survive in hot places without AC but it’s miserable. It’s also possible to survive eating only raw potatoes. Would anyone with alternative options do so? Obviously not.
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Post by Benfxmth on Aug 15, 2023 6:44:00 GMT -5
Can and willingly are two different things, but in the real world, there's pretty much no limit to which I'd happily go without A/C...I personally don't care for it and don't ever have trouble sleeping the vast majority of summer nights here
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Post by MET on Aug 15, 2023 6:45:17 GMT -5
About 23°C indoor temps - I simply don't sleep well at all at this level or higher.
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Post by B87 on Aug 15, 2023 10:52:03 GMT -5
Brisbane, but in a high rise so I could just open the balcony and the breeze would do the rest.
I think I used AC once in 3 years.
Mining camps are another story, it would always be on in the summer there.
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Post by fairweatherfan on Aug 15, 2023 20:14:26 GMT -5
Technically speaking I could live just about anywhere without air conditioning, but in hot climates air conditioning would be nice to have. Personally that threshold might be a mean monthly temperature of 22C, Koppen’s definition of a hot summer climate. Of course I would also appreciate having AC on hot days in cooler climates, though I probably would not use air conditioning enough to justify a large investment in cooler climates.
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Post by firebird1988 on Aug 16, 2023 5:58:37 GMT -5
Technically speaking I could live just about anywhere without air conditioning, but in hot climates air conditioning would be nice to have. Personally that threshold might be a mean monthly temperature of 22C, Koppen’s definition of a hot summer climate. Of course I would also appreciate having AC on hot days in cooler climates, though I probably would not use air conditioning enough to justify a large investment in cooler climates. You would die (or be heat exhausted constantly) if you lived here without air conditioning. Indoor temps in July would be over 100°F without AC |
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Post by Benfxmth on Aug 16, 2023 6:05:07 GMT -5
Technically speaking I could live just about anywhere without air conditioning, but in hot climates air conditioning would be nice to have. Personally that threshold might be a mean monthly temperature of 22C, Koppen’s definition of a hot summer climate. Of course I would also appreciate having AC on hot days in cooler climates, though I probably would not use air conditioning enough to justify a large investment in cooler climates. You would die (or be heat exhausted constantly) if you lived here without air conditioning. Indoor temps in July would be over 100°F without AC An A/C-free life is still doable even in Phoenix of all places, especially with the right strategies and/or good building design... web.archive.org/web/20160822160613/http://archive.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2009/08/08/20090808acless0809.htmlThe temperature reached 103 degrees inside my home last week, and it could get just as hot this week. We have central air-conditioning, and there is nothing wrong with it.
We just don't use it.
My wife and I resolved not to use air-conditioning (or heating) in our home for the entire year. For nine months of the year, this is no great feat. But during the summer, it gets a bit . . . sticky.
I've accepted that being inside my home means being wet, either from sweat or water I've sprayed on myself to keep cool. I usually opt for spraying myself, but sometimes I'm just not fast enough.
Almost everyone who hears about it has the same response: "Are you crazy?"
I've been called many variations of the word "insane." (You can find the most insulting ones in the comments of my blog, "The Air-Conditioning Strike," at acstrike.azcentral.com.) Brushing aside the name-calling, I'll explain my motivation.
I'm doing this for the environment. It's simple: Much of our energy comes from burning coal and other processes that produce greenhouse gases and other dangerous pollutants, not to mention that they use huge amounts of water. I know some people don't believe in climate change, but I say large amounts of waste and pollution are bad, no matter what you believe. Until our products and energy are produced and consumed in sustainable ways, I'm doing my part and politely asking others to join in.
We open windows, use box fans and rely on lower nighttime temperatures to help cool our home. We've survived the Valley's hottest month on record with a glass of ice water in one hand and a popsicle in the other (or, for one particularly hot weekend, by conveniently being out of town). We've learned, through the comments on my blog, that people care a lot more about our cats than about us. And we've realized that we actually kind of enjoy being AC-free. Really. |
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Post by firebird1988 on Aug 16, 2023 6:55:41 GMT -5
You would die (or be heat exhausted constantly) if you lived here without air conditioning. Indoor temps in July would be over 100°F without AC An A/C-free life is still doable even in Phoenix of all places, especially with the right strategies and/or good building design... web.archive.org/web/20160822160613/http://archive.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2009/08/08/20090808acless0809.htmlThe temperature reached 103 degrees inside my home last week, and it could get just as hot this week. We have central air-conditioning, and there is nothing wrong with it.
We just don't use it.
My wife and I resolved not to use air-conditioning (or heating) in our home for the entire year. For nine months of the year, this is no great feat. But during the summer, it gets a bit . . . sticky.
I've accepted that being inside my home means being wet, either from sweat or water I've sprayed on myself to keep cool. I usually opt for spraying myself, but sometimes I'm just not fast enough.
Almost everyone who hears about it has the same response: "Are you crazy?"
I've been called many variations of the word "insane." (You can find the most insulting ones in the comments of my blog, "The Air-Conditioning Strike," at acstrike.azcentral.com.) Brushing aside the name-calling, I'll explain my motivation.
I'm doing this for the environment. It's simple: Much of our energy comes from burning coal and other processes that produce greenhouse gases and other dangerous pollutants, not to mention that they use huge amounts of water. I know some people don't believe in climate change, but I say large amounts of waste and pollution are bad, no matter what you believe. Until our products and energy are produced and consumed in sustainable ways, I'm doing my part and politely asking others to join in.
We open windows, use box fans and rely on lower nighttime temperatures to help cool our home. We've survived the Valley's hottest month on record with a glass of ice water in one hand and a popsicle in the other (or, for one particularly hot weekend, by conveniently being out of town). We've learned, through the comments on my blog, that people care a lot more about our cats than about us. And we've realized that we actually kind of enjoy being AC-free. Really.That sounds like hell, I'll continue to use my AC thank you |
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Post by Benfxmth on Aug 16, 2023 17:22:52 GMT -5
An A/C-free life is still doable even in Phoenix of all places, especially with the right strategies and/or good building design... web.archive.org/web/20160822160613/http://archive.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2009/08/08/20090808acless0809.htmlThe temperature reached 103 degrees inside my home last week, and it could get just as hot this week. We have central air-conditioning, and there is nothing wrong with it.
We just don't use it.
My wife and I resolved not to use air-conditioning (or heating) in our home for the entire year. For nine months of the year, this is no great feat. But during the summer, it gets a bit . . . sticky.
I've accepted that being inside my home means being wet, either from sweat or water I've sprayed on myself to keep cool. I usually opt for spraying myself, but sometimes I'm just not fast enough.
Almost everyone who hears about it has the same response: "Are you crazy?"
I've been called many variations of the word "insane." (You can find the most insulting ones in the comments of my blog, "The Air-Conditioning Strike," at acstrike.azcentral.com.) Brushing aside the name-calling, I'll explain my motivation.
I'm doing this for the environment. It's simple: Much of our energy comes from burning coal and other processes that produce greenhouse gases and other dangerous pollutants, not to mention that they use huge amounts of water. I know some people don't believe in climate change, but I say large amounts of waste and pollution are bad, no matter what you believe. Until our products and energy are produced and consumed in sustainable ways, I'm doing my part and politely asking others to join in.
We open windows, use box fans and rely on lower nighttime temperatures to help cool our home. We've survived the Valley's hottest month on record with a glass of ice water in one hand and a popsicle in the other (or, for one particularly hot weekend, by conveniently being out of town). We've learned, through the comments on my blog, that people care a lot more about our cats than about us. And we've realized that we actually kind of enjoy being AC-free. Really.That sounds like hell, I'll continue to use my AC thank you Nobody's telling you what to do niggar |
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Post by 🖕🏿Mörön🖕🏿 on Aug 16, 2023 20:34:27 GMT -5
Vostok
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Post by Steelernation on Aug 17, 2023 0:54:17 GMT -5
Not sure, I could probably be fine in Fort Collins without AC but not somewhere cooler but humid, AC is mostly good for getting rid of humidity. Obviously with consistent 90s I’d want it even with dry.
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Post by Ethereal on Aug 17, 2023 1:28:10 GMT -5
I'm heat intolerant. Probably a place like Berlin, Seattle and even Paris may be the cut off point. Warm summers there where you can be solely dependent on fans (even though they can be prone to heatwaves). In Australia perhaps Hobart, as anywhere north is prone to a number of 40C days. I can dare try Albany in Western Australia, despite its susceptibility to a lot of 40C days.
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Post by cawfeefan on Aug 17, 2023 6:23:56 GMT -5
For most of the world, the cutoff would probably be somewhere with similar means to Melbourne.
Since Australian summers are variable and prone to heatwaves, the threshold would be lower - probably Hobart or Portland
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Post by fairweatherfan on Aug 17, 2023 9:34:21 GMT -5
Nowhere equatorward of 42° latitude, unless at high elevation, like Flagstaff, or marine moderated, like the immediate coast in California How about on the San Francisco Bay? |
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