Down here, the rich people have whole house backup generators to keep the AC running when the power goes out.

I never had central a/c till I bought my current house 5 1/2 years ago, and I'm a tad shy of 66 years old.

I don’t think any sane person could live in south Texas without ac. I grew up in the Midwest and we were poor. During summer it got so hot and humid that it would be hard to sleep. We had one window unit ac in the living room but couldn’t afford to run it. A handful of times during my childhood my mom would turn it on for a night and we’d all sleep in the living room with sheets over the doorways to keep the cool air from dispersing. That was the greatest thing when I was young, we never had ac in our car.
Congrats Dave

My house was hit by lightning a couple of weeks ago and we lost our upper zone. After getting it fixed the capacitor blew this week and it was down again. My kids just went in the basement and slept down there. They were amazed when I told them I didn’t have AC as a kid until I was almost in middle school. Until that point I lived on base housing and it just didn’t exist. I agree with the above poster from Texas. We had over 2 weeks of heat indexes in the 110 and up range here in Virginia. The night after the lightning strike my upstairs thermometer showed it was 88 degrees. Modern houses (like mine) are designed with AC as an afterthought so they aren’t built to maximize airflow and keep houses cool.

quote:

Originally posted by davetruong:
My wife and I chuckled at dinner saying we feel a little richer with having AC LOL! I keep on walking by my Nest thermostat and chuckle.

David, are you an Edison customer? Local municipal power? Buckle up. You’re new bill will be an eye opener.

If you haven’t already, look into attic and wall insulation, windows, weatherstripping, window shades, shade trees, and rebates from your utility.

If you’ve got the Nest, I assume the salesperson mentioned these energy efficiency efforts.

And finally, solar panels.

Congrats! I will always think about the days when I was a kid with no air, the humidity just sucked the life out of you. It’s one of life’s most needed little luxuries! Enjoy your nice cool sleep!

I lived in SoCal about 15 years ago, but I was further inland against the foothills where it was about 15 degrees warmer than the coast so I had AC.

Every time a coworker or friend would move to one of the coastal cities I'd advise them to purchase a window AC now. The reason is everytime the Santa Anas blew (wind flows off the desert not the ocean) all window ACs and fans would sell out. I got a text from one friend, I ignored your advice and I've been regretting it the past two days.

Nice! I find I'd be hard pressed to live in a spot without AC. I can make way without it but it makes everything better. Far easier to sleep and be comfortable.