AC hate

[skatemommy]

Ok there are some eating establishments (here in Michigan) that blast AC and don't offer al fresco dining. I abhor chattering while the AC is blasting. Last we went to Chick-Filet and I ordered hot soup to get warm. And I do love me their chicken. OK rant over

 

[skatemommy]

And does get hot here next month. It's what we Michganders live for 3 months out of the year. Then fall is glorius and then winter

 

[LilJen]

I would be happy if places just pulled back on the AC a bit. It need not be 55 degrees inside, folks! But pretty much every commercial establishment seems to go Arctic inside when it's hot outside.

 

[quartz]

June 5th - turned heat on in my house.
June 12th - turned ac on in my house.
Last week I was wearing sweaters and boots, and this week I am in sandals and tank tops.
It's such a roller coaster spring, its hard to know what to do!

 

[Vagabond]

I've never lived anywhere that had air conditioning.

 

[Simone411]

@Vagabond, you would beg for A/C where I live. I knew that June would bring hot weather sooner than usual because April was like summer, and May was a mixture of both winter and summer. Of course I'm talking about the temperatures here.

I had to recently get a new A/C due to a surge after the power went out because of horrific storms, winds and tornados. Summer has already arrived here in Louisiana. Forget waiting for June 21st which is officially summer.

The high for the next week and past that will be in the lower 90's to mid 90's. Those high temperatures usually begin in July, and by August we get temps that reach 100F or above. I'm afraid with the way it is now that those 100F will begin in July.

So around here, A/C is a welcomed must in the restaurants, eating establishments, and even in the grocery stores.

 

[skatesindreams]

^^^
I couldn't live in Florida without Air Conditioning.

 

[Simone411]

Oh yes, Florida. Then you definitely know how it is, @skatesindreams. <3

 

[FiveRinger]

I live in STL. My air has been in for about a month, give or take. It's been over 80 degrees for a while.

It has been so cold at work in our office that we have space heaters going. We wear jackets and sweats to work. It's ridiculous!

 

[Rogue]

Air conditioning to get the temperature down to a bearable level - yes. Air conditioning that turns indoors into an arctic zone - no. I get tired of having to wear a sweater at work when it is over 90 degrees outside.

 

[Vagabond]

@Simone411 I think there may have been non-functioning air-conditioning in my student housing in Philadelphia. Living there was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Other than that, I have lived in temperate parts of California and Great Britain.

 

[MsZem]

If there are any air-conditioned spaces in Paris, I have yet to locate them.

Israel, OTOH, is air-conditioned to what my friend used to describe as "Dubai in August" temperatures, which even Dubai in August doesn't really require.

 

[skatesindreams]

We tried to do without using air conditioning for several years due to the $$$$$; after the misery we went through, that ended!

 

[manhn]

I have never been inside a restaurant that is too cold. But it doesn't take much to warm me up. Anything remotely spicy, I start to sweat.

Cold stores? Yes.

 

[BittyBug]

Overuse of AC is a crime against nature. I understand certain places would be inhospitable without it, but as a whole Americans have become a pampered lot who expect to never be uncomfortable. 50 years ago AC was an exception and somehow people managed.

Fans, shades and shade trees, awnings, adjusting your hours and your clothing - there are natural responses to hot weather.

 

[purple skates]

I'm wearing a sweater at work right now.

 

[Lizziebeth]

Bitty Bug is right. Americans seem to overdo air conditioning. It is like a meat locker in every office and I have to wear long pants to go shopping or I would freeze. I only use A/C when it is really really humid.

 

[smurfy]

I love AC and think it is the best invention ever (ducking for cover).
I work with people that have heaters on in their offices when it is below 73 degrees in our offices and they have sweaters on.

Not to defend, but knowing how at work once it gets hot, it takes forever to cool it down (I work in an office that is in a 100+ year old former factory - and the temp control is either way too hot or too cold).
- do stores/restaurants and places with people coming and going - have the AC high, as once it heats up, it is hard to bring the temp down when it is so hot outside?

It has been over 90 degrees F here in Connecticut for the last few days.
Yesterday I was very warm at work. Today, it is cool. I just hate high humidity with temps over 85 - makes me lazy.

 

[Vash01]

I live in Arizona. Our temperature predictions for the next 5 days are (all in deg. F):

104 (Thurs)
108(Fri)
112 (Sat)
115 (Sun)
117 (Mon)

Today it's a very pleasant 97 degrees here, but we still need the AC.

Without an AC we won't be able to live here. The invention of AC started the move from other areas of the country to here. It is not a luxury. It is a necessity here. All buildings and all cars are air conditioned during summer (and heated during winter).

Of course we could be more prudent in its use, but that applies to most things. Quite often the temperature is too low in some areas of the building, so I always keep a sweater in my drawer. In movie theaters it is usually cold for me, so I do carry a sweater or a jacket there too. However, what's too cold for one person can be just fine for another, or even a bit too warm for yet another. So it makes sense to keep the temperature on the low side (one can wear a jacket but can't take clothes off, especially at work). If I get tired of being indoor, I just step outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air.

When carried to extreme, it wastes energy.

As one measure, there is a sign on both entry doors "Please use the other door". By keeping one out of two doors, there is some energy saving. At home we program our thermostats to maintain cooler temperatures when we are home and use higher set points (by 5-6 degrees) when we are not.

There are environmental concerns, obviously, but I am grateful that we have AC everywhere in this part of the country. Otherwise I wouldn't have moved here. I love not having to shovel snow in winter.

 

[skatesindreams]

50 years ago AC was an exception and somehow people managed.

Fans, shades and shade trees, awnings, adjusting your hours and your clothing - there are natural responses to hot weather.

The extreme humidity which is common here often makes it downright dangerous to work in the heat of summer.
Heat related illnesses and deaths are a real problem for children and adults.
Instances are reported on a daily basis.

 

[Buzz]

Summer is only a couple months here so I never cared for air conditioning when I was younger. I am now seriously considering getting air conditioning for the first time because I just don't have the same tolerance for the extreme heat I used to.

 

[Susan1]

I live in Arizona. Our temperature predictions for the next 5 days are (all in deg. F):

Today it's a very pleasant 97 degrees here, but we still need the AC.

Back in the 80's I went to Tucson in October. It was in the 60s here (Ohio) when I left, 95* at 11 a.m. when I got off the plane in Tucson. I was totally comfortable in jeans and a 3/4 sleeve sweater. I had to wear a windbreaker when we went up in the mountains one day. Came home a week later to 38* at 8:30 p.m. My mom brought my winter coat in the car with them to pick me up at the airport.

But we get 30* temperature changes in 24 hours here anymore. I can wear a different weight nightshirt/pajamas/socks/not every day for a week at a time.

Last we went to Chick-Filet and I ordered hot soup to get warm.

Besides the sitting and freezing waiting for the food, it gets cold from sitting in the cold air before you can finish it. Plus, the shock of going into the overly cold air from outside makes me break out in a sweat (female thing?) - more than going from cold to hot outside.

I'm wearing a sweater at work right now.

It used to be year-round for me, and a space heater that I kept up on the desk pointing at my hands. It's the cold drafts coming out of the vents in the ceiling when the air is on or when the heat is not running. Funny, one time I was leaving for lunch and got in my car and put my hands up on the dashboard to warm them up. I looked two cars down from me and one of the female VPs was doing the same thing! She had an office with a door, and had a space heater and a throw she kept over her legs because she didn't have a thermostat to control the room. And she hated to have to close her door because it got even colder.

p.s. But, yeah - "it's not the heat, it's the humidity". I can sit in this house when it's 90* and sunny and be comfortable, but there have been times it's been 70* and raining in the summer when I put on sweats.

 

[Vash01]

We have dry heat, which is much more tolerable than the 90 degrees with humidity elsewhere.

 

[Vash01]

Overuse of AC is a crime against nature. I understand certain places would be inhospitable without it, but as a whole Americans have become a pampered lot who expect to never be uncomfortable. 50 years ago AC was an exception and somehow people managed.

Fans, shades and shade trees, awnings, adjusting your hours and your clothing - there are natural responses to hot weather.

Only up to a certain point. When it's 115 degrees outside, those shade trees and adjusting hours don't help. We have 100 degree temperatures even at 10 pm.

Overuse of anything - not just AC- is wrong.

 

[Simone411]

Through the years, there has been climate change especially in the southern states. I can remember before my teen years which was in the 60's, we used an attic fan and floor fans during the summer. It kept it pretty comfortable.

During the present time, the humidity factor also makes it very uncomfortable. There's always been humidity in Louisiana even with the 90 and 100+ temperatures. You can become dehydrated very easily with this type of weather because the humidity will make you sweat profusely. It wasn't pleasant at all when I was without A/C a couple of weeks ago. The evening temperatures were close to 90F, and adding humidity made it horrific. I had the attic fan and floor fans going, and all it really did was blow that hot humid air around in my home.

 

[BittyBug]

I live in Arizona. Without an AC we won't be able to live here.

I managed in AZ for 3 years with only a swamp cooler. Granted Tucson not Pheonix, but still.

The invention of AC started the move from other areas of the country to here. It is not a luxury. It is a necessity here. All buildings and all cars are air conditioned during summer (and heated during winter).

It's only a necessity because Americans perceive it to so. How do so many people in India manage without AC?

The extreme humidity which is common here often makes it downright dangerous to work in the heat of summer.

Because homes are built for AC rather than natural cooling protection.

I don't disagree that extreme heat is dangerous - there is no doubt. But there is a lot of room between perfection and extreme heat. JMO. But the day that every person on this planet who lives somewhere with hot weather insists on having AC is the day this planet dies. It's not supportable.

 

[Simone411]

I managed in AZ for 3 years with only a swamp cooler. Granted Tucson not Pheonix, but still.

It's only a necessity because Americans perceive it to so. How do so many people in India manage without AC?

Because homes are built for AC rather than natural cooling protection.

I don't disagree that extreme heat is dangerous - there is no doubt. But there is a lot of room between perfection and extreme heat. JMO. But the day that every person on this planet who lives somewhere with hot weather insists on having AC is the day this planet dies. It's not supportable.

I tell you what. You are more than welcome to stay with me for a week during the summer with these hot temps and humidity and we won't use the A/C at all. Because of climate change, the summer temperatures aren't as bearable as they were when I was around 9 or 10 years old and I can verify it. We might have to stay in my stepsister's pool all the time because that's what it will take to stay cool.

 

[gkelly]

I prefer to be in a cold rather than a hot environment. I wouldn't spend so much time in ice rinks were that not the case.

I do use AC at home but try to be judicious about when to turn it on, where to set the thermostat, and when to open windows instead.

At work the temp is kept a little cooler than I like all year round so I keep a collection of sweaters in my office.

 

[skatesindreams]

Your concern for the planet is admirable.
However, I have every right to do what is best for my health and comfort, during hot weather, as appropriate.

 

[BittyBug]

We might have to stay in my stepsister's pool all the time because that's what it will take to stay cool.

That sounds quite excellent.

Your concern for the planet is admirable.
However, I have every right to do what is best for my health and comfort, during hot weather, as appropriate.

I never said no one should ever use air conditioning. I entered this thread by saying that "overuse of AC is a crime against nature." And I stand by that.