Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
It's thoroughly OTT how pervasive AC is over there.

They consume so much goddam power.

If its hot, sleep under a sheet. If its really hot, switch on a fan.
We do hog a lot of power for A/C, but it's the only way to fight the damn humidity. Without A/C when it's 80+ in the house, everything gets damp, even fabrics and wood. We live in a valley so there's often no cross-breeze at all, just stagnant wet heat. No piddly fan blowing humid air around changes that.

S'pose it depends on the region....in Michigan we didn't have A/C but a whole-house attic fan to suck the hot air out, with cross ventilation from windows. Shade trees helped keep things cooler. I've also been in Arizona when it's 105 in the shade, and people would say it's tolerable as a "dry heat". That's bull, of course. But homes with thick adobe walls, shaded windows or special glass, and tile floors were 20 degrees cooler, even after baking in the sun all day.