I love hot, humid weather. When I lived in Houston I never turned the A/C on until I got married. I have no A/C in my house now and never use A/C in the car.
The secret to enjoying hot, humid weather is to have large fans all over the house. As long as your skin is moist, fans do an excellent job cooling you. Because I avoided A/C, the hot weather always seemed very enjoyable.
On the other hand, people who are used to A/C get addicted and are miserable without it. I believe that A/C is a key reason that Americans believe in global warming. The weather isn’t getting hotter, but their tolerance of it has gotten much less.
Hot, okay. Humid, no thanks, especially the humidity we get in the Sound Shore area.
In Arizona on a dry hot June day, the breeze fries your skin because there is no moisture on it.
That’s about right. The breeze here is like a blow dryer in your face.
I once had the misfortune of living in Toca, LA during the summer. I don’t care how many fans you have, the sweat doesn’t evaporate at 99+% humidity.
Three showers a day during the summer.
Give me 40-70% humidity, thanks
You may be right about the majority of Americans who believe in GW. However, I do not and I do use AC.
Proving my point
I agree completely. I live on the south side of Chicago & because of the record cold spring & summer we have had, I did not run my A/C at all this year. I ran window fans to control the heat on my upstairs living area (converted attic) on the hand full of warm days we’ve had. I saved ~$400 on electric bills this year.
Chris
You’d love Darwin in summer then.
You would love the Philippines any time of the year!
I have been there 5 times and only suffered on the first trip because I was not prepared for the heat/humidity combination.The last trip was great even with all that heat/humidity since a light breeze came through the MacArthur resort I stated in.
Good point raised Steve, people do get used to things. For instance air con in cars. Before air con in cars people just used to open the window, same as your fans.
Funny thing is people in the UK now insist on air con in cars, even though our weather is not that hot. And people still do not have it in their homes …. go figure.
Andy
The only time I ever feel hot in the UK is riding the London tubes in July. The air is dead still and millions of people.
The main benefit of AC in cars is to prevent you killing yourself because the windshield is misted up and you can’t see out.
SO true, I have lived in Bali, Indo for past 8 year and since last year i use no AC in the house, only fans. Life is a LOT better, both financially and health-wise. Really.
“people who are used to A/C get addicted and are miserable without it.”
I’ll be the first to disagree with that as I work year round, 8 hours a day, in an open air tin building in the middle of a blacktop yard and appreciate AC in my car and home because of that.
That was an impressive non sequitur
You are probably right about the tolerance part. And like you, I never used AC until I got married. (I have a whole house fan). I never use it in my car.
But I still do not love them! I much prefer the drier heat and a fan. 😉
Last week during a two day hot n humid patch walked from the chiller cabinet in a store outdoors and it felt like hitting a wall. Had not noticed before that. With fans far less of a contrast. Not much of an issue in UK. Spent years on the equator using fans with only a few days were unbearable mostly before storms.
Heat in the Southwest is a dry heat, but so is the heat in the oven.
Well, I’m addicted to A/C. I admit it. I don’t need to ask other countries’ permission to keep my home at “72 deg.”
Agree that if I run a lot in the heat I get acclimated, though the training is suboptimal compared to the treadmill. I really don’t care about my carbon footprint with using the treadmill. But I do emit 44 grams CO2 every mile I run…
I love the summer heat and humidity. My lips stop cracking all the damn time, and the increased bloodflow to the skin helps my circulation.
Interesting points and completely accurate. I loved the outdoor heat during my youth, playing outside as a kid, and playing baseball, football and tennis (lifelong). Grew up in west Texas with mild humidity, but cool southwestern breezes every night near dusk. We had a simple swamp cooler, and a tar/gravel roof and Vermont slate floors in our oil-camp house. Then I graduated high school and moved to our San Angelo ranch. Much more humid without tat breeze at night to cool things down. Bought a large window refer a/c unit (sic), and since that point in time I’ve been addicted to refer a/c.
Gone are the windows down, t-tops out of the corvette youth. Gone are the suntans. Gone are the all-day, all night outdoor energy levels. 30 years of oil business and refer a/c have taken its toll on me and my health. My parents who NEVER have had anything but swamp coolers are both turning 90 (!!!) this year, mom smoking 2 packs a day and dad – an ex-marine – walking 2 miles a day on the ranch. BOTH are healthier than their 3 sons.
I dated a (hot) Mexican woman in Houston for a couple of years who grew up in a small house in Houston with 11 siblings and no A/C. Nobody thought anything of it. We used to have outdoor parties every weekend and everyone had a great time. A/C is trap. I hate getting in A/C now and almost never do.
Same with me. I grew up in Mumbai which is a very hot & humid place. I seldom used A/C but always depended on ceiling or table fans. Now I live in California which is colder & dryer. I’m missing my hot & humid climate 🙁
you are welcome to mine! But you will have to wait a few months for its return. 😉
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