Good evening everyone!

A quick question: Do any of you live without using airconditioning? If so, what cooling-off tips would you recommend?

One of my family member's is overweight and is easily affected by the heat (menopausalL), another family member has exhertional asthma. We're trying to find ways of cutting energy consumption, and the airconditioner would be a big one.

Thanks!

-- Deb Mc. (not@this.time.pls), July 22, 2001

Answers

I live without air conditioning in my home.

I sweat a lot.

I would suggest you consider ridge vents and radiant barriers to keep your home tolerable in the summer. If everybody can get along, you might consider a smaller unit just for a smaller area. It is expensive to keep rooms not being used cool. This should also help your big unit last longer.

The bad time here is from about 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. I try to be in my air conditioned truck or my air conditioned job during those hours. Maybe everybody could get a job at Dairy Queen or Walmart during those hours for 3 or 4 months.

At night, I truly prefer the breeze to air conditioning. If there is no breeze, I much prefer my window fan on low to air conditioning.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), July 22, 2001.

We get up early and do our work before the heat of the day sets in. Drink LOTS of water. Open all windows at night to cool the house down, then close up early in the morning and close all blinds and shades to keep the sun out. In our upstairs we use a window fan that can be put on intake at night to suck in the cooler air and on exhaust during the day to suck out the hot air. Be very strict about opening and closing doors, go in and out quickly. We use one on the north side of the house if possible. We're fortunate enough to have a walk out basement which stays fairly cool, usually. However, the past week we've put our window ac unit in the basement and run it sparingly down there, which is where we sleep in the summer if we have to. Do not use your oven to cook. Eat cold foods or cook on the stove top quickly. Don't do anything to heat up the house unnecessarily. And, personally, I'd put the overweight person on a diet for their own good.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), July 22, 2001.

5 weeks without rain,80 to 90's, 60 to 100% humitity, I am just going to have myself frozen and then thawed at winter. we do not have AC and the best way is usually we just suck it up and bite the bullet at times like these and go to the movies in town,or spend 2hrs grocery shopping instead of 20 minutes, go to the lake,etc. we do not push ourselves and things that can wait to get done get push a side. But don't jeopardize anybody's health or life just to save a buck or two,in the long run it just ain't worth it.

-- TomK (tjk@cac.net), July 22, 2001.

I recommend a whole house fan. They help two ways. They blow all the hot air out of your attic and they draw cooler air into your house through open windows and doors. The method I use is closing up the house early in the AM when it's cooler. Late in the afternoon I open the house up and turn the fan on to cool things down. Depending on the temperature I may shut it off before I go to bed and just use celing fans or, when it's warmer, just leave the whole house fan run all night. That works quite well except when the humidity gets too high. That's when I crack under the pressure and turn on the AC for a while. I've been trying not to run it all the time this season and it's really shown on my electric bills. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), July 22, 2001.

This works for me. Try taking a cool water bath in early afternoon, makes you feel cool and comfy rest of the day!

-- woodsbilly (coleenl@penn.com), July 22, 2001.

We use ac, but also line our windows with reflective coated foam and open the two attic crawl spaces to drive the heat up and out and use ceiling fans. Our house stays 72 to 75 degrees and our utility bill is usually under $120 during summer months when the temp is 85 to 90. I have heard the car heat reflectors work good also and can be bought for a dollar at dollar tree and dollar discount stores.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), July 22, 2001.

Yeah, yeah, I know...why is someone from Maine even bothering to respond to this thread?! I grew up in Baltimore. We got that lovely 90 degree weather with 100% humidity and no rain. Yuck! Living in Maine I decided to make window quilts for my windows to keep the cold out in the winter. They are just as effective at keeping the heat out in the summer. I keep the window quilt closed on the sunny side of the house and it makes an enormous difference. Much more effective than curtains.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), July 22, 2001.

Hate to rub it in, but the weather report tonight was about summer returning with normal temps in the mid 70's after a week of cool 60's. If it weren't for the extreme political liberalism and high taxes, this really would be the greatest place to live in the U.S.

-- Skip in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), July 22, 2001.

Lie in the shade and pant. (Join the dogs- they know a good thing from instinct.) Or, Jump into the shower with swimsuit on and go around wet til you dry off, when you do it all over again. (Thats my little daughters favorite method.) Or just bear it and get cranky. That's my method.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 22, 2001.

Hi Deb, Do all the necessary chores early in the morning is the most important. Put in a window unit in ONE room only and when you can't stand it any more go to that room and cool off just for a tad. The problem with air conditioning is that you get use to it and then can't take the heat at all anymore. I never had air cond. until I moved to Florida. EVERY place here has air. Now I can't stand it any where without! Our new homestead in VA is without air and it will take a while to re-adjust my internal thermostate -- something I am dreading!!

Just a note about the post about putting that overweight person on a diet. The poster is obviously a skinny person who has no clue! I aplogize for putting that way and I don't mean any disrespect, but for there are reasons why some people are overweight and it is not as simple as putting someone on a diet. I have a dear friend who is very overweight and is the most generous, giving person in this world. No one understands what she goes through because of her weight. She has been overweight since childhood and suffers dearly -- both physically and mentally due to it. No one wakes up one morning and says "I think I will eat until I am fat". My friend has tried every diet in the world. For some, there are genics,emotional problems, etc. I would rather have an overweight friend who is kind, thoughtful and considerate of others than a skinny friend who is mean, ill mannered and inconsiderate (not meaning the poster here..I am sure she is a very nice person, just doesn't understand). For some it is more complicated than a diet. Hey, some of us may not be overweight...but we all have SOMETHING that we carry that needs attention and the "just do it" approach is not that easy! Please don't misunderstand, I am only trying to shed some light and mean no disrespect to any one or to thier opinion.

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), July 23, 2001.

Karen,

I think that needed to be said (and you said it very well) concerning the post about putting the overweight person on a diet. Anyway, you don't put someone else on a diet - that's like "making" someone quit smoking. It doesn't work.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), July 23, 2001.

Go to the Weather category. There is a recent, extensive, thread there about living without A/C.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), July 23, 2001.

Dear Deb, Karen, and everyone else: I apologize sincerely. I did not mean to offend anyone with the line about putting someone on a diet. I will reword the last line of my response to this post: Personally, I would help the overweight person to diet in any way I could, as I said "for their own sake". I understand that being overweight and going through menopause at the same time the summer heat is hitting must be very difficult and if that person were in my household I'd do all I could to alleviate their discomfort, as it will benefit them in the long run. It just seems to me that personal weight is something we DO have control over and Mother Nature's weather is something we DON'T have control over. And, for the record, I'm not all that skinny and most people would certainly say I've got plenty of clues.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), July 23, 2001.

Im sorry, but personal weight is not something a lot of people have that much control over. You inherit a lot of how your metabolism will work. And "helping" someone to go on a diet is just as helpful as shoving a mirror in their face and telling them they dont measure up. It doesnt help. Trust me, I have been there.

How about instead, to concentrate on validating them as a person, and simply getting involved in their lives, their interests, drawing them out of their slump of depression and inactivity? Now, thats true love. Anyone can "help" someone go on a diet, but it takes an unselfish person to truely help someone feel that their interests and personhood are worth pursuing.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 23, 2001.

Good evening everyone!

Karen and all, thanks, I appreciate your help.

My mom used to be *very* skinny, in fact, until just a few years ago. At that time she quit smoking, had two injuries where she had to be treated with steriods, and finally had some high-stress family issues to deal with. She gained ~ 70 lbs. and has tried to lose the weight, but has found it extremely difficult.

She knows of the health risks involved, both of my grandparents have diabetes and have had heart attacks. Sometimes though, no matter how hard one tries, the weight just doesn't come off. *That's* why I'm asking questions now, so that I don't imperil her, or my brother's, health, with the airconditioning bit.

Humans lived without airconditioning for ages, so I'm sure we can again, but it's not easy with high-risk family members...

Best wishes to all, and thanks for the good ideas!

-- Deb Mc. (not@this.time.pls), July 23, 2001.

Here's a suggestion on the "diet thing" ... from recent personal experience. I got up one AM (ok honestly, several), and looked in the mirror and was totally disgusted with what I saw. I didn't want to look at myself, and was getting really bummed about it. My wife brought home the book "Protein Power" from a used book sale at the library, and I began to read it.... and something clicked. It is a superb text that explains a LOT about how various eating patterns work, how to lose weight and get healthier by systematiclly reducing carbs and increasing protein in your diet.

Let me say a couple of things ... before the naysayers chime in ... 1) I'm not selling anything, including this book. 2) I've been doing their plan for about 6 weeks, and I can see VERY noticable results. My pants are embarassingly loose, and lots of "me" isn't there any more. Yee haw!! 3) I'm NOT hungry all the time, and actually enjoy eating the way they recommend in the book. 4) There are also other benefits to this plan than losing weight ... reduced cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, etc.

Anywho, not to push anything in anyone's face (I hate that), but it really does work. A friend of mine has also been doing this sort of diet for a long time, and has seen LOTS of people that have had good, lasting results.

The title is "Protein Power", the authors are Eades & Eades. Take a look at the reviews in Amazon.com...

(Thanks for putting up with my rambling ...)

-- Dave_MN (peasedj@sparc.isl.net), July 23, 2001.

Hi protein diets do work , but I had a hard time doing it.I disagree you can help someone with a diet .Help them plan meals , go for a walk together .Bring over a snack that fits in there diets .Alot of people need to exercise more and hate doing it alone.Take long walks and enjoy the company .

As for dealing with hot weather I bitch and whine , but then again thats what I do when it hit -30 in the winter.Guess Hubbys right I am never happy !

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), July 23, 2001.

Skinny dipping. (although the lake's getting so warm, hardly getting cooled off.)

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), July 24, 2001.

Another thing you can do is just get a window air conditioning unit and put it in a bedroom and keep it on low. It will be cheaper to run and you can go in that room when it is the real heat of the day to cool off and it will also be there for when you sleep at night.

A long term solution that can help is planting trees around your house that will eventually shade it in the hot summer but still lose their leaves in the winter when you want the sun to warm your house. Obviously that won't help today but it will help the later tomorrows.

One suggestion on the weight issue. Look at what they are eating and see if there is any one item that could get cut out that could have an effect over a period of time. I have been about fifty pounds overweight for about ten years and have tried a lot of ways to lose weight, some with some success and some with none because I couldn't stick with them. However, recently I realized that my excessive problems with heartburn were related to drinking milk which I absolutely love. I have cut out all dairy products except allowing myself a little bit of butter and guess what? The pounds are slowly melting off. That meant that in addition to not drinking milk, I stopped having mashed potatoes because they were made with milk and I don't have ice cream once or twice a week, I don't have bowls of sugared cereal for dinner when I want to and I stay away from chocolate (okay I cheat occassionally with the chocolate). Since milk is used in quite a few fattening things, I have cut them out. I have recently decided to cut back on carbohydrates as well to speed up the process a little more and that is working well. So far I have lost fifteen pounds in two months. I am not looking to do it too quickly because I don't want to injure my health so I am contented because I am continuously going in a downward direction week by week. And the heartburn? The only time it is a problem now is if I eat something fatty like a pork chop or if I drink coffee or sodas so I pretty much stay away from those as well. I rarely have to take an antacid now and I am much happier. Good luck!

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), July 25, 2001.

I walk around the whole summer with a wet towel around my neck...it helps A LOT...when it dries just put it under the tap again. I find as long as I keep my face and head cool the rest of my body doesn't seem so hot.

-- psp (pisscopis@dr.com), July 25, 2001.

We find that one window unit AC can be helpful at the hottest, most humid times. Especially at night when you are trying to sleep. When we lived down south (Alabama) we ran the AC in one room only and we all slept in the same room, kids on the floor.

The other suggestions look good for during the day. A cool shower really does help. When the effect wears off, take another. Get the necessary work done early and spend most of the day at the library. Take needlework or something if you don't want to read.

We put porch shades on the west facing front porch and let them down when the sun starts to hit the house walls. Outside is sometimes cooler than inside. This evening, I sat in the shade and breeze and read a book while our kids and the neighbor kids played together in the yard (I have to supervise and it is a good excuse to sit and read).

Also, remember, This too shall pass. In a few months somebody will post a question about how we cope with the cold and the best ways to insulate. :)

-- LBD, Maryland (lavenderbluedilly@hotmail.com), July 25, 2001.

I use the wet towel method too. If it's really nasty, I use frozen towels, and replace as they warm up.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), July 26, 2001.

walmart (and other places) carry "tube" bandanas with acrylic crystals sewn in the tube. maybe you've seen them. anyway, you soak the bandana in water, the crystals soak up the water, swell enormously, then you wear it around you neck. definately the poor man's air conditioner. cools the blood going into your head. really works. you can make your own by purchasing the crystals at the garden supply (they're used to help soil hold water.) might be worth buying a pack or two of the crystals and making several.

too many more--some already mentioned: cold shower, cold wet towel on the head, feet, arm pits. freeze milk jugs, put one in a washtub of cold water, stick your feet in. makes you think and feel cool even before you put your feet in. reset activity to late night into early morning. siesta during the heat. forget the puritans' schedule. a banket over the vehicle's glass if it has to sit in the sun at anytime. will cut 30 degrees or more from the interior. make a nice mud puddle in the shade, and walk around barefoot there. psycologically cooling, and another excuse for hosing off the feet. when i was a kid, i loved the mud.

when working outside, wear big brim straw hat, and hose yourself off regularly, or pour a bucket of water on the head. Cook Outdoors! eat cold foods. turn the hot water heater off. if convenient, move the fridge and freezer to the covered porch. they put out alot of heat. hose off the roof of the house occasionally. sit outside in good shade with drinking water and cool rags handy. frozen milk jug in a washtub again. poor man's cooler. ("milk jugs bust when they freeze." ans: "who cares?") get the hot air out of the attic somehow. drink cold icy drinks, ice cream, popsycles, snow cones, etc. they really do cool the innards and the mind.

if your humidity is under 65-70% (i think, not sure) a swamp cooler will work. those are cheap to run. they even blow a cool"er" air in highish humidity, if you're willing to take what you can get. a fine misting nozzle on a hose/pipe will also cool a litte area or person outside.

many long summers spent in the deep south, 100+, high humidity, no rain, blazing sun, etc. (don't know beans about really cold winters, snow, ice, etc. i'd probably perish there!)

-- dave (davidnl@c4.com), July 26, 2001.

just a few more, i promise! if your house has an asphault shingle roof, strongly consider painting it with thick white paint. asphault shingles hold paint, and there are roof paints. glossy white is the best. that will cut the heat gain, and not cost much. that combined with a fan in the attic will help considerably. covering your windows is a great idea, as mentioned. if you have real shutters, those are good--a shade on the outside is very good. keeps the sun from ever getting to the glass. (old timey awnings worked, before air conditioning stole everybody's common sense.) an attic fan run at night will cool your house down quite a bit, and it is cheap to run and not expensive to buy. indoor cooking really heats a house in the hot summer. high watt light bulbs put a good bit heat, as do halogen bulbs which are hot. the computer puts out heat. lots of little things add up. rugs make the house feel warmer in summer just like in winter. if you can keep trimming a degree or two here and there, it'll mean 10-20 eventually.

-- dave (davidnl@c4.com), July 26, 2001.