Living in California without Air Conditioning
When I came home after softball practice tonight, my apartment was 88°F. That’s what the thermostat says in the living room. My bedroom at the back of the apartment, which bears the brunt of the afternoon sun, actually feels warmer even though the window fan in my bedroom says it’s 84°F. So I’m not sure what temperature it really is, but it’s not cool, and leaving the window fan on all day (blowing air out) no longer appears to be doing much good.
My heater and stove are gas fed which I believe may be part of the problem. They both have pilot lights burning 24/7, and when I get close to the heater, I can definitely feel it giving off heat. Presumably enough I imagine to warm a small apartment by a few degrees on a warm summer day.
I bumped into one of my neighbors the other day who’d just come back from Yardbirds, the local home improvement store, with an air conditioner. He said it was an impulse buy, he’s lived here for a year and finally broke down and got one. I’m jealous. I’d been thinking I might complain about the heat to my landlord. Looks like this may be a problem for me to solve.
On the other hand, not having AC is like not having a TV. It makes me feel kind of hardcore—and earth friendly to boot. Meanwhile sweat drips down my brow even though I’m doing practically nothing.
It’s not humid here, which I guess makes a difference. And in the evenings I open the window in the living room, and it does cool down, but it takes a while. I guess an air conditioner would do the same, though at the cost of bumping up my utility bill. Perhaps I should think more seriously about homebrew air conditioning.
If you actually build an airconditioner out of a trashcan and some icewater like that dude, I will respect and fear you.