Do you have AC?

[wolf_Q]

This a pointless thread.....;) I was driving home from work today and saw on a sign the temp was 105 degrees. I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to have air conditioning in our house! All we have is a swamp cooler. It's nice if you are standing right under it, but the house has 4 levels it doesn't do much to cool all of them. So do you have air conditioning/central air/whatever you want to call it? ;)

[luvofallhorses]

Unfortunately, no :( but we're thinking about getting it..:p

[kimboe]

Ugh...no but we have a fan...if that counts?

[GoldenRetrLuver]

YES! When you live in The Valley, it's an absolute must.

I remember we had to go one summer without air conditioning.. oh my gosh. Complete torture.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Unfortunately we don't, all we have are fans and they don't seem to do much at all on really hot days...lol

[davidpizzica]

I have a window air conditioner in the front window in my living room. In Pittsburgh it can mighty hot & sticky! Unfortunatly the air conditioner in my car died (darn).

[PJ's Mom]

Heck yes! :p

We live in texas. AC is a must. ;)

[gemini9961]

YES YES YES I live in Florida, we have cental heat and air. All houses built now have central heat and air. It's too hot and humid to not have it. I would die without it.

[Kfamr]

A must in Florida. I'd die without it. We almost NEVER, EVER use heat in the "winter"

[finn's mom]

Yep, I've never lived in a state where we didn't have ac. I know in germany, I don't think we did. But, here, in south carolina, it's pretty necessary. I know I would have hated it in texas without it. i went about a month one summer with no ac in my car, oh my gosh. it was pointless to even shower if i was going to be in my car. i had to drive like a maniac just to even get a breeze.

[wolflady]

Somehow I've managed to live without AC since I have moved to CA, but on hot days like we're having now, I really wish I had it! *sigh*

[anna_66]

Oh gosh yes! I can't imagine not having ac! We don't have central air, but the window ac is awesome!

Ok, I've got to ask Amy...what's a swamp cooler?!

[NoahsMommy]

Yes!! Thank God!!

In the last apartment, the A/C was always dying, so we were without it most of the time....ugh, that was horrible!

[Uabassoon]

I would not survive without a/c here! However I have lived with a swamp cooler and while it wasn't the most comfortable it was livable so I didn't mind if too much. It was at least very economical. My current apartment just has two window units which cool really well, but the problem is they are so expensive. If I shut them off during the day it's way too hot for my kitties. Once I made the mistake of leaving it off and when I came home it was 102 in the house! My kitties were panting and I had to cool them down with water.

So while my house is nice and chilly I have to deal with VERY expensive electric bills, I would rather have a swamp cooler. However I can't wait until I move out of here and into a place with central air so I can actually set the temp, have a decent electric bill and keep my kitties cool.

[gkristian]

no, we don't:(. in summer we go to the beach pretty much every day. it's only a 15min walk

[Rachel]

Don't know how we managed without when I was young, but we did. Thankfully we have only had to use it for a four or five hours on some days. The nights have been cooling off wonderfully and I much prefer open windows to a.c.

My first summer out of college, I lived in an attic apartment with one bedroom and two roommates and no a.c. It's a wonder I'm still alive but then....I was young. I don't think I could survive those living conditions now.

Actually we are far less likely to use our a.c. then our neighbors are. Sometimes when I am outside and it is just such perfect weather....70 degrees, and I hear my neighbors' a.c. running, I just don't understand it. 70 degrees is optimal temperature... you don't need a.c.!!!

[Jadapit]

We also have a swamp cooler. It's 102 here today, the swamp cooler isn't putting a dent in the heat. I'm meeeelting! :cool:

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by anna_66
Oh gosh yes! I can't imagine not having ac! We don't have central air, but the window ac is awesome!

Ok, I've got to ask Amy...what's a swamp cooler?!

http://www.wonderquest.com/swamp-coolers.htm :)

[Uabassoon]

Ok, I've got to ask Amy...what's a swamp cooler?!

I know I'm not Amy, but I know the answer! The are also known as an evaporative cooler. It is pretty much a fan with wet pads on it so it's blowing moist air. In dry climates the water evaporates so quickly that it creates a cooling effect. The dryer the weather the better your swamp cooler will work. If it's raining or high humidity your swamp cooler does nothing! They are fairly popular here in Az because it is a cheap form of a/c. They are very economical which is the biggest selling point, it costs very little money to run it.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

No! I wouldn't use it if I had it. It makes my arthritis worse. The heat does get intense at times though!

[4 Dog Mother]

We do not have central air but window units. However the one in our dining room that cools the entire front of teh house, kitchen, dining room, family room. living room just went out and Carl took it in to be worked on. It is pretty hot and humid here right now. Each of the bedrooms have window units but not ours as we have casement windows and air conditioners for them are harder to find and more expensive. We count on the doors being open to the other two rooms and blowing down the hallway to cool ours off. With Christy and Jasmine here, we haven't been getting very much cool air. Jasmine's door is shut to keep the noise out and Christy shuts her door at night so her 3 dogs don't hog her bed.

Until I hit menapause, I didn't like using air conditioning. Now it's a MUST!!!!

[chocolatepuppy]

We have a window a/c. It's in the livingroom and we use a box fan to blow it into our kitchen. All our rooms meet in the middle of the house so it works quite well, plus our house is small. With the weather we've had lately it's a neccessity! :D

[lisalee]

I've had central air for the past 11 years now and I don't think I could ever live without it. I hate the heat and humidity and get major headaches when it's very humid, it would make me feel sick. Thank god, I have it in my car too. :) Not having it in your car is real torture!:(

[Chica]

Yes, I have air conditioning. Today it was 104 where I live in California. I can't live without it.:) I also use it in my car!!!!:D

[Logan]

I don't think one could survive for long in SC with the heat and humidity with out air conditioning, and I live in one of the coolest spots in the state! About 30 minutes north of us, as you cross over into NC, most homes do not have air conditioning though, as they are in the mountains and the temps are much cooler there. My house is surrounded by trees, too. I have lived in homes that have window units before and those with central air. Although I prefer having open windows as much as possible, and like Rachel, always wonder about people who never open their windows, this time of year, there are no open windows, just A/C running. We run it in the car all the time, too. Even though we aren't as hot as we could be, with the humidity, we wouldn't be able to stand it.

[micki76]

Originally posted by PJ's Mom
Heck yes! :p

We live in texas. AC is a must. ;)

My thoughts exactly. ;)

[GraciesMommy]

Living in TX...you would DIE without it...ours is central air and stays on 74

[Lexi_Lover]

We have AC, but its WAY too cold down here in the basement anyways! Brr.....I'm shaking right now, literally! Guess I'll have to face the coolness...:cool:

[Dakota's Mommy]

As others have said, it is a must in Texas and we used ours often when we were there! Luckily, the house that we just bought has it too because I can't imagine life without it after being so spoiled!

[K9karen]

You betcha! It wasn't working properly last week so I had floor fans and windows open for 3 days in the stiffling heat waiting for the repair man. Despite all my worries, I decided to buy a new condenser since our unit is old and I can't trust it to work well for the rest of the summer. There's a sale going on so my uncle said I got a good deal. In fact they're coming Friday. Humpf! I couldn't get them here fast enough to fix it, but when I ordered a new one, they said I was an excellent old time customer so they can install it immediately!! Money talks. Anyway, the new unit is supposively cost effective so that'll be a huge help, Our electric bills are through the roof. Growing up in our old house,we had window units in the bedrooms. The house was all stone and we had lots of shade so we didn't miss it all that much. Except now I'm spoiled rotten. I'm like Rachel, though, on cooler days with no humidy, I open all the windows and it's lovely. Our family room and baement are always freezing anyway.

[anna_66]

Originally posted by Uabassoon
I know I'm not Amy, but I know the answer! The are also known as an evaporative cooler. It is pretty much a fan with wet pads on it so it's blowing moist air. In dry climates the water evaporates so quickly that it creates a cooling effect. The dryer the weather the better your swamp cooler will work. If it's raining or high humidity your swamp cooler does nothing! They are fairly popular here in Az because it is a cheap form of a/c. They are very economical which is the biggest selling point, it costs very little money to run it.
Thanks Laura for the explaniation:)

[MariaM]

No, we don't. My sister and I have a fan in our room which is nice.

[petslover]

We have AC In our house, but none of our cars do. Roll down the windows for us. haha

[popcornbird]

Yep, we have Central AC, thank God. It is such a blessing. Though we don't NEED AC very often here, and our house tends to stay very cool even on hot days, there are days when it really gets hard to feel comfortable without it. We've only used it 4 or 5 times this summer so far...didn't need it until these past few days. We had it on 74 all afternoon today, but now its off and the house is still cool. I love having central AC. It is definitely a blessing because so many people who live in much hotter areas than we do, don't have this luxury in their homes.

[LoudLou]

Originally posted by 4 Dog Mother
... Until I hit menapause, I didn't like using air conditioning. Now it's a MUST!!!! :D :D

We live in the Pacific NW... The land of rain and cool weather... We ran our AC even in the winter. I can not stand to be HOT... anything over 65 degrees is WAY to hot for me... :o

Hot flashes? I would be extremely happy if I could live in a walk in freezer, right about now!:o

[G535]

No AC here either although it's winter now and we don't need it. Summer can be pretty hot but so far I've managed to survive for over 50 years. I expect people could live without it, after all no one had it before electricity was invented.

[jenluckenbach]

nO CENTRAL AIR, BUT A WINDOW UNIT ON EACH OF THE 3 FLOORS. (oops, darn caps lock)

I guess a swamp coller (which I did not know about until now) would not work here......way to humid!) :eek:

[Maresche]

Central AC put in last May/June. For our first 3 summers in our house, we had nothing and it would get to 110 upstairs easily. Hubby wanted to start a family and I said not without AC, we won't. I'm not going through a summer pregnant without it.

As it turns out we didn't need it much last year, but this year we've already had 15 days over 90 degrees which is crazy for NE Ohio!

[slleipnir]

No...well, my dad does for his room...

[lv4dogs]

I have a/c window units, one of which is broke at the moment.
I have to have at least one a/c unit so the ferrets can stay cool. They do VERY poorly when it gets about 75-80.

Both of my vehicles have air BUT both need to be recharged. :rolleyes:

[boscibo]

Central a/c here - althoguh it doesn't get terribly hot here, it gets humid. I turn the a/c on when I notice the dogs panting a lot.

I have a/c in my car, but I usually always drive with the sunroof open and windows down unless I am going somewhere my hair needs to look nice, or for long stretches on the freeway where road noise becomes annoying.

[Samantha Puppy]

Oh goodness. I cannot imagine being pregnant and not having AC. Even though I'm only 4 months along, the heat is still hitting me hard - especially since Maryland summers mean extreme heat and horrible HORRIBLE humidity.

My husband's car's AC broke and I refuse to go anywhere in it until it cools down. I used to love driving around in my car with the windows down but ever since Nug came into existence and it's above 80, I HAVE to have the AC on.

[caseysmom]

We have it and everytime its on I feel the money flying out the window, last year our bill was close to $400 on one of the hot months.

But...i couldn't live without it.

[Cataholic]

I would perish without a/c (but, oddly enough, I can live without a dishwasher-something most people 'need'.).


I will answer the question that people ask about why on perfectly nice days do people still run the a/c- for efficiency and to keep out the noise of the neighbor's barking dogs! :D

[kuhio98]

No, we don't have AC at our house. But, we live in Anchorage, Alaska. It might get up to 80 a day or 2 out of the summer. (It get's in the 90's in Fairbanks). We keep the ceiling fans going in the summer and turn off all the heat. That usually gets us through. But, I have driven by some houses lately that have window units.

Silly me, I figured most people in the "Lower 48" states (as we call the contiguous US) had air conditioning.

[PJ's Mom]

Originally posted by caseysmom
We have it and everytime its on I feel the money flying out the window, last year our bill was close to $400 on one of the hot months.

We have the same problem. We have a two story house with dual air conditioners. Our bills from June - August run between $300 - $400. :eek:

[ParNone]

Oh definitely. Here in Houston, you go from your air conditioned house, to your air conditioned car, to an air conditioned office, mall, store, etc... The only thing not air conditioned down here is the outdoors, well unless you count all the porches and such that have ceiling fans and misters.

When I lived in New Mexico I had a swamp cooler. That was an eye opener. I remember asking "Well how do you change the temperature?"... "You don't. It's either off or on"... "Uh okay, might as well just have ceiling fans"... :)


Par...

[Suki Wingy]

Yes, one giant one in the main cathedral celinged dining room and my parents have a window unit in their room. I can remember when we only had a small widow unit in our old huge appartment! We hung sheets to keep it cool in the bedrooms and hallway, and used fans in the kitchen and dining room.

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Oh yes we have a/c...thank gosh for it too!!:p;)

[prechrswife]

We definitely have A/C down here. We're in another one of those "can't do without it" kind of states.:)

[joanofark]

YES! I love it! We also have many fans too.;)

[cali]

this is the first house I have lived in that has central air and heating, and I dont know how I lived without it lol over here we get the extremes of both heat and cold, I do remeber at my old ouse, half my winter was spend sitting in front of the space heater lol and I absolutly hate going to my friends house in the summer, she has no AC and does not even have fans, I die in her house, it feels like sitting in an oven. I dont think anything has ever een cancelled because of the cold over here, but plenty of things get cancelled because of the heat lol plain heat is fine, but its the humidity that causes problems.

[DJFyrewolf36]

AC? What???

We have a window unit, a fan and a mini swamp cooler in our apartment (2 bedroom) and I tell you that dinky window unit does absolutely NOTHING about the heat unless you are on the couch directly under it lol. The swamp cooler and the fan are in the bedrooms and do a fairly good job of circulating the air and keeping everyone cooler than the 100 + it is outside.

I dread to see this months electric bill. Those fans and that AC have been running 24/7 because everyone in my house always whines about the heat. (I'm a desert rat, I'll be outside in 90 + weather in long sleaves and be comfortable at that). I do worry about the cats though, especially Remus who is developing quite the fur coat.

Dorian, the lizard, is happy as a clam. Ive seen her move around more this month than I have in all the time that I've had her!

In my car I've got 2/40 AC, 2 windows down at 40 mph lol. It gets bad though after work when its been sitting in the sun for 8 hrs. My temp guage in the car often registers at 150 or more in the inside of the car! :eek: I put a nasty burn on my hand yesterday because my shifter handle is black...and metal!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

YES!!! It's a 'must' for us! some of our familt friends don't so they just come over and kick it at our house!:D

[catnapper]

OMG... I couldn't live without it~

Growing up, dad always only put on the AC when it was 100 degrees.... my brother and I HATED it. We swore we'd have nice cool homes when we grew up, and we do! :D We both keep our AC at 68. Chilly, but wonnnnnderful. I don't mind the electrical bills because I have been happy and comfy.

[cyber-sibes]

Yup, we have air. But sometimes it's hard to convince hubbs that it's time to put it on. I can't stand it when it's hot & humid. I just put a window a/c out in my studio building just for the cat and so I can put the dogs in there on really hot days too. (They usually stay outdoors in their kennel).

[katienoonan]

Where I live right now, we have central air. We are moving August 1st and we will have a window air conditioner. I LOVE it, especially after softball games. We also have an air conditioner in the car. Thank goodness!

[Giselle]

What is this thing called..."AC"?:confused:



















LOL. I live in the Bay Area. What the heck am I gonna need air conditioning for?:p It's 79*F and this is considered a summer high (but yes, I am burning up in 79*F weather).

[moosmom]

I have a window unit that cools my bedroom and living room down. The rest of the apartment is like a steam bath!! I feel SO bad for Parker and Tabitha, although I've been trying to convince Tabitha to come out of the room and hang with us. I have small fans in both rooms for them, just to circulate the air.

[lizbud]

I have central AC too. It was the first change I made after
buying my house. I rented it for five years with nothing but one
window unit in a bedroom. Not nearly enough for hot Indiana
summers.

[CagneyDog]

No :(

[k9krazee]

No AC here...just a lot of useless fans!

[abbersmom]

We sure do!! We had an old central air conditioner when we moved in here & promptly added a new furnace & new AC!! I also run a couple fans to keep the air moving when it's really hot!
I remember when I was a kid & we had NO AC...lucky i didn't get my head caught in a fan I slept so close to it! lol And wjhen we finally got a window unit in the living room we ALL slept in there!!
Gets pretty hot & HUMID in Iowa!

At work, my office is above the DELI & we have the AC & 3 fans running full time...all that heat from the deli rises, while cool air goes down! MAn it is unbeareable some days...so....I go down to the meat cooler to cool off!! rotfl!

[gemini9961]

I am amazed at how many people don't have AC or just have window units. Being in Florida it's a must, there are some people that don't have it (usually older houses) and I don't know how they manage. Last summer with the hurricanes we were without power for days and that meant awful, awful heat and humidity. Just a stale, mucky feeling with no wind to speak of. Absolutely dreadful. I just thought more people had central AC.