Toby Coleman, one of our reporters, is writing about the weather, and specifically, about air conditioning. We'd like to hear about your A/C habits. When did you turn yours on this year? Do you see your neighbors less once they start hiding in their cool homes? Do you remember the pre-A/C days?
Post here or you can email Toby at toby.coleman@newsobserver.com or call him at 919-829-8937.
My husband and I have not yet turned on the AC and are trying to go as long as possible this summer without it. We also work part-time at home so it can get pretty warm, but we don't like to be sealed up in a refrigerated box; I like to hear the birds and other outside noises. We do have overhead and a few box fans but that's it. We also close the shades and curtains on the sunny side of the house during the day and that helps keep the heat down inside. True, we don't move as fast as we would if we used the AC, but I think it's good to be able to adapt to each season. It can be nice to slow down. We also don't use the AC in our cars. I like to feel that I can take the heat. We Americans are getting so soft and dependent!
when do you turn on your AC?
We don't turn on our air conditioning until we absolutely have to. We haven't yet. We have an attic whole-house fan that pulls the outside air through the house, and that's been fine so far. My husband did install a small window unit in our bathroom (I preferred the unit not be out the front or side window if possible) to cool that and our bedroom. With that, we can use the shole-house fan to keep the house comfortable during the days or evenings when we're home and we can still enjoy cooler temperatures for sleeping without having to run the AC for the whole house.