have you turned on your air conditioner yet?

[demtenjeep]

we just did today


wanted to not have a 300 dollar utility bill, but it is hot

[FarCenter]

1. Usually try not to until July

[caraher]

2. We've been weaning ourselves

We're in Indiana so you may be someplace much hotter, but last summer we turned it on just once. I think it's harder if you work someplace aggressively air-conditioned; if you just acclimate you can probably take more heat and/or humidity before you feel like you have to switch it on.

[Toucano]

12. "Agressively air-conditioned"! I like that expression

There's a lot of truth in what you say about acclimation.

[Skittles]

3. LOLOL

um....Texas

[onehandle]

6. ditto-ish

um....Georgia

[Manifestor_of_Light]

48. Thirdly ditto...in Texas.

It hit 95 for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

:shrug:

It won't be really tolerable until November.

[awoke_in_2003]

39. Yep. Although I just...

turned it on last week. I am on a corner lot and get real good breezes. I also have awnings on all S-E-W facing windows. I am always the last on the block to kick it on.

[Skittles]

45. honestly

this is the latest I can remember doing the first-time A/C thing in all my years in Texas

[awoke_in_2003]

57. global warning is a hoax

:rofl: I agree, though- it has been mild so far (which means it is about to get VERY bad)

[Skittles]

58. that was the longest spring I remember, and this is the mildest May

yes INDEED

[azmouse]

4. We've had the a/c on for a little bit the past few weeks.

The first 100 degree was on Friday here in the Phoenix area and then a cool front came through and it's barely 70 today!
Weird weather.

[Catshrink]

5. Last weekend

This weekend is cool but it will get nasty later this week. I have turned it up (or is it down) and use a fan on me. I installed a programmable thermostat so it's 87° when I'm gone during the day and 84° when I'm home. My maximum bill last year was $160, lower than most people's. Without the supplemental fan I'd be pretty miserable though.

on edit - in Arizona it's a dry heat so I can get away with these temps. If we had humidity I'd set it lower.

[csziggy]

53. Yeah, we keep setting the thermostat higher, but to lower the humidity the AC runs

The way our system works, if the humidity is above the desired point the AC comes on and lowers the temp 3 degrees. With 80% humidity during the day, at night even if the house cools off on its own, the AC comes on. Some mornings the temperature in the house has been around 72 - much, much lower than we have it set. But with the collectibles, negatives, antiques and such we own we cannot let Florida humidity get out of hand. Too many of these things were mildew damaged before we got them.

[jaxx]

7. Yeah at 9am today when it was already 79 and humid.

I hate to turn it on so early, but that's mother nature's call. ;-)

[LiberalLoner]

8. Yes.

[Robb]

9. Instead of a $300 utility bill

...we have a 100 year-old cottonwood out front that shades the house and works fantastic.

That said, I probably put the equivalent dollar amount of my time into picking up leaves, seeds, branches, and what-not. It's a big tree, takes three adults to put your arms around it. :D

[Codeine]

10. Twice so far this year.

Eventually it'll be 24/7, but I'm holding out as long as possible.

[jillan]

11. Hell yes - I live in Arizona.

[erinlough]

13. First time in Michigan today!

And, the first time I was ever glad about having to. I invested in a geo-thermal system this year because we needed a new furnace and with the rebates it made it affordable. I have to say it cut my winter bills over 50% and they tell me the air conditioning is even lower priced. I am about ready to retire and I felt it would be a good way to keep our future bills down and be responsible environmentally.

[Toucano]

14. Nope.

Don't have it.

Don't want it.

Don't like to be subjected to it.

[Wwagsthedog]

15. Hell yes - I live in Texas

[tammywammy]

28. Same here. n/t

[NoPasaran]

41. Another Texan in airconditioned comfort here

[yella_dawg]

73. Same here.

A month ago.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. 90 degrees in Chicago, but tis a wet heat.

2-nite you betcha. it is so bloody humid and hot that the dogs are suffering as much as we. At least to dry out das air, we just switched it on.

[Catshrink]

20. The humidity in Chicago is nasty.

I lived there 15 years, the last 8 without AC. I don't know how I survived it. Fans, lots of fans.

[awoke_in_2003]

43. I remember summers in Cleveland...

when it got above 90 it was unbearable. 105 hear is tolerable.

[givemebackmycountry]

17. Florida

It was 91 today in Orlando.
It's 78 right now and humid.

I SO want to open my doors and window but I can't.
Cause, I'm in FLORIDA.

[recoveringrepublican]

18. I live in Florida, it's been on for a month now....I hate it, but our bills aren't that high. nt

[City Lights]

19. We did today. We couldn't figure out why it wasn't getting cooler in the house.

Then my husband realized he hadn't removed the cover yet. :blush:

[pipi_k]

21. Air conditioner? What the hell is that?

Oh yeah...I remember now...


Nope. Not yet. Maybe for two weeks in mid-August. We're surrounded by trees, so it's typically 5 to 10 degrees cooler here than in the city.

In fact there were a couple of summers when we didn't turn it on at all.

But last year the furnace was on well into June...it was so wet and cool and rainy here.


But that's the Hilltowns for ya. :)

[conspirator]

22. Why don't you install solar panels to produce electricity to power the air cond.? n/t

[cornermouse]

25. Got an extra $25,000 to help cover the cost?

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. Not yet. And not for a while, probably.

Hoepfully not for another month.

[femmocrat]

24. Not yet in PA.

Maybe this week if it goes into the upper 80s as predicted.

I do not have AC at work, however. It's going to be sticky-- UGH!

[RB TexLa]

26. I live in Louisiana and Texas, so yes I've turned it on.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

27. Yes. Chicago was very suddenly hot & muggy today.

I'm not acclimated to that yet so I wimped out and switched it on.

[stevedeshazer]

29. Hell, in the Pacific Northwet we still have the heat on. It's like 52 in Portland today.

It's been raining like hell for days with no end in sight.

[postulater]

30. I'm a block from Lake Michigan and get lake breezes.

We rarely turn it on, preferring to leave the windows open.

Used it about three or four days last summer.

[Cleita]

31. No, nor will I because I don't have one.

I do live on the coast so it's cooler, but we do get our 100+ days here. When that happens we are out there dying of the heat and watering so our gardens don't die. Fortunately, here it cools off a bit at night. I think we use too much water on those days trying to cool down and save the gardens, but what can we do? :shrug:

[EFerrari]

59. Same up here in the hills.

I have a ceiling fan that moves hot air around, though!

lol

This year I need to get a wading pool for the dogs because they are both water dogs and they need to get wet. When Mom still had her doughboy up, I'd sneak the dogs into the pool when everyone else was in town. But that's gone and we need a different strategery this year.

[Cleita]

61. I'm seriously thinking of getting one of those kid wading pools to fill

with water, when it really gets hot, and staying in it until things cool off. However, I have a feeling the dogs and other critters will want to join me. :rofl:

[JitterbugPerfume]

32. I turned it on today

I try to kep it off as much as I can

[flvegan]

33. Florida. Had it on starting a month ago.

[Fla_Democrat]

34. Welcome to sunny Florida

dats a yes. :evilgrin:

[greendog]

35. Don't need AC. Don't need a fan. Keep a jacket handy all summer.

:)

[LeftyMom]

36. No, We've had the coldest, wettest spring in living memory.

Normally here it quits raining around mid-March and doesn't rain another drop until sometime in October or November. It's rained pretty much weekly right up through yesterday, which is absolutely unheard of- our weather is normally almost laughably predictable and it should be sunny and 90 or so this time of year.

[SidDithers]

37. At work, yes. At home, no...nt

Sid

[madamesilverspurs]

38. Nope. And I won't.

For one thing, I covered the thing with a garbage bag to keep parking lot fumes from sucking into my living room.

If it gets unbearable, I have a couple of half-gallon milk jugs filled with water and frozen, and I put one of them in a dishpan and set it in front of my table-top fan and let it cool me while I work. Usually brings the room temp down a few degrees in the process. Crude, but it does what I need it to, and it doesn't cost anything close to what turning on the AC would cost.

--

[eShirl]

40. we haven't even put our air conditioner in the window for the last 5 years

not sure it would even still work if we did

luckily, we've had lots of cloudy/drizzly cool days in Maine for the last 5 summers

[tnlefty]

42. Yes.

It's set on 80 and it was 91 outside today.

[Critters2]

44. No. I have an attic fan, and will probably turn that on tonight.

I try not to use air conditioning. It's just too wasteful of energy.

[Greybnk48]

46. The little window jobbies in the bedrooms just today. It's 91 in NE Wisconsin

today and we're going to have a mini heat wave for a couple of days (humid too). Whew!!

[OhioChick]

47. Yes. Too damn humid here n/t

[NutmegYankee]

49. I don't have an air conditioner. Lovely Coastal Connecticut!

[pipi_k]

76. I used to vacation in Niantic/Old Lyme

Beautiful place

:)

[HughMoran]

50. I have a CRICKET in my house chirping like mad!

Why do I say this? It's been so warm this spring, they are getting in now versus in late August. This summer is going to be a long one.

[CLANG]

51. I did it at about 11am today. It was HOT today!

[proteus_lives]

52. Yep, my building pays for it!

:woohoo:

Igloo all summer long!

[Catherina]

54. Haven't used it in over 7 years

If you can tough it through one summer without using it, it just keeps getting easier. The house we're in now doesn't even have it so temptation is impossible. Open windows, ceiling fans and lots of ice water help.

[IDemo]

55. Record low temps and snow on the foothills this weekend

Not that it would matter, since we don't have AC.

[TalkingDog]

56. In NC. Never use it, even in August.

And trust me, it aint the heat, it's the freakin humidity.

We were too poor to afford one growing up. The higher ed. schools I attended were typical in that the older school rooms had little in the way of AC. As a student living off campus I couldn't afford to buy one, much less pay for the power. And so on and so on. So I've lived half a century with no Air Conditioning.

I have worked in Overly Conditioned spaces. Don't like them. Waste of money. And it's not particularly healthy for most people (IMHO) excepting those with breathing issues.

That said I did break down 3 years ago and buy a movable room unit because I was forced to work on the 2nd floor of my house, in a small room on the SW side of the house in the middle of the day.

Once we got the basement floor poured 2 years ago, the unit went downstairs to deal with humidity issues after several rainy wet weeks. Now when I want to get cool, I just go into the basement, where AC is unnecessary. When that gets too warm I can always go to the movies, the mall or the grocery store.

[DRoseDARs]

60. It snowed today. Again. In Reno. It's almost June. Fucking enough already. n/t

[laughingliberal]

67. Yes. Carson City, here. nt

[backscatter712]

62. Don't have one in my current apartment.

I live in a basement apartment, which makes things a little cooler, plus I use the strategy of closing the blinds & blocking out sunlight on hot days, opening the windows in the evening & using fans to cool down, that sort of thing to keep the temperature tolerable. Except on the really hot days, I can keep the apartment reasonably close to 72 degrees.

[cherokeeprogressive]

63. I live in So. Cal. and do not have one. Actually, it snowed 5" at my house today. n/t

[Maru Kitteh]

64. First time yesterday, and again today.

[shanti]

65. nope, and it's very unusual for these parts

apparently, it hasn't been as consistently cold for as long for 50 years. i usually turn the heater off by march, but have still used it off and on.

[laughingliberal]

66. We have a low of 30 predicted for tonight. So, no. nt

[Loudmxr]

68. None of you have girlfriends who think perspiration destroys her beauty.

I'll wager that none of you have girlfriends who think rain destroys her beauty either.

She grew up on a TROPICAL ISLAND!!!

I've been there. Its rainy. There is no hot water there because the water is HOT already.

Heck my genes say its not raining until cars start floating away. Then its RAINING!! But then again I am just once removed (twice on my mother's side) from Ireland.

I suppose that it is a cultural difference and I am a California man. She feels a different heat.

So let the A/C blast and I have a happy house with my cool, dry, asian gang girl.:hug:

[RedCappedBandit]

69. Long Island - not yet

Might go without. Spent the last few years at college and never had AC.. wasn't really that bad, although I was a bit further up north.

[Blue_In_AK]

70. Don't have one.

Don't need it.

[Solly Mack]

71. No AC in my house. Use multiple fans when it gets too hot.

[demtenjeep]

72. I would like that

but my dear spouse would not

[greencharlie]

74. not yet... it's a long and chilly Spring here in SoCal. nt

[kiranon]

75. Have no AC. On coast just south of San Francisco - in the 50's today.

[Old Troop]

77. Well.... I told it I loved it.