How-to Live Without Air Conditioning

Sure everybody likes the convenience of having air conditioning, but who likes to pay for it? My husband and I certainly don’t, and haven’t since 2001. When we first made this choice it was mainly because it would have literally put us in debt. Every since then we have found other ways to beat the heat. Even after we finally got to the point that we could afford to pay for air conditioning we still chose not to do so.

With the cost of energy, food, health care, and other necessities continuing to rise, I know many other people will soon be finding themselves in a pinch if they haven’t already. Since air conditioning is a luxury and not a necessity, I thought I would share how we get along without it.

Here in Arkansas the temperature is often between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit for a month or two. The humidity seems to be up in the 70’s quite often making the heat index rise as high as 110 degrees. The temperature inside our home during July and August is usually up in the 90’s during the night. It gets very uncomfortable needless to say.

It’s really not as hard as everybody thinks it is to go without AC. However, if you can afford it, before you shut your air conditioner off you will want to install ceiling fans in every room. We run all of our fans day and night and we have a total of six excluding the bathroom. Currently, we also have two floor fans for our bedroom and living room. Our highest electric bill today, after a recent price hike of about $15 a month, is about $53.

The real secret to staying cool is the use of water. During the daytime hours we use an inexpensive, one hundred dollar swimming pool from Wal-marts. Since this one didn’t come with a tarp to put under it or a cover for the top, we bought two twelve-foot trampoline covers for twenty-five dollars, which works perfectly. We just tie the two together. So far this swimming pool has lasted us for three years. Now it’s not big and elaborate and some of our neighbors laugh at us because they have a bigger one, but it definitely works and helps up to tolerate the heat.

During the evening hours when the humidity starts rising, it gets a bit tougher. What I do to is stand in a cool shower to bring my body temperature down. Then I wear as little as I have to, and put a cold wet hand towel around my neck, on my legs or arms, or where ever I need. At night when I sleep, I will put a wet cloth over my torso. The hotter it is, the bigger the towel. By doing this I can sleep soundly through the entire night.

Then finally, it is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day because you will obviously sweat more than you did when you were using an air conditioner. Ice cream or other cold treats will also help keep your body cooler. Cold food or cooking out doors will help keep the home cooler as well. Eliminating the use of an air conditioner not only saves you a lot of money, it also helps the environment.