AC, but HP is the answer.

If the swamp cooler is roof mounted, they are prone to leak around the perimeter where they enter the house. It is no fun to go up and uncover it in the spring and cover it in the fall. If you do not cover it, you will be cold in the winter.

If that is all someone can afford, it can be better than nothing, but I would not go in that direction. With the blower running 24/7 in the heat of summer, the $ figures quoted for swamp coolers vs A/C may not be correct.

The only swamp coolers I know are large, 4'+ fans sucking moist air from a large pan of water, with the simplicity of a good old two-holer.

I had to search to learn that they make a modern self-contained unit, which is obviously what you are referring to. I wonder if they have tried to modernize the two-holer - possibly a three or four?

Before discovering the new versions, I was going to ask if you considered the name "Swamp Cooler" and why you would possibly consider using it inside a home.

Next thing, someone will probably take a loaf of bread and cut it into slices and then wrap it up.

We used swamp coolers outside and with flowing water because of one word - "mold." Might still apply to the new, fancy ones.

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I can't imagine one being used for a home, unless it's the 1940's.

Most of my objections to swamp coolers have already been listed by others. There is one, however, that hasn’t been included. For a swamp cooler to work, you must leave a window open in the room you want cooled to draw the cool air. Are you comfortable, from a security viewpoint, with leaving windows open? What about when you’re asleep or away?

AC is so much better on so many different levels.

We live in the Desert and electricity is expensive. I put in a swamp cooler 15 years ago after our monthly electricity bill was $300. Our Summertime bills are never over $90/month. The house stays cool (I sleep under the covers during the Summer months) and we like the moist air.

We run the A/C a few times a Summer when the humidity rises to the point we feel hot.

I like it.

It’s been a long time since I lived in the Denver area, but unless you’re center city, Denver still cools down in the evening and night.

We lived in the Arizona desert for quite awhile and had both swamp cooler and central air. Effective until monsoon season, then worthless. Comments about PIA maintenance are true.

Given swamp or air in Denver I’d say air. I responded “You’re not asking the right question.” We live east of Cheyenne. Climate is similar, though not the same. We opted not to put Central air into our house and haven’t regretted it. We installed a whole house fan. Frankly, we find we don’t turn that on very often. It seems like there are just two or three weeks that are warm at night, the ceiling fans—especially in the bedroom take care of that. I haven’t felt like I made a mistake in not installing air up here. Like I said, it’s been a long time and Denver metro has changed a lot, maybe you need it down there in the big shitty.