No Air Conditioning? No problem.

It is high summer. July. The hottest month of the year. Just far enough past the summer solstice that the warmth from the close up sun is now effecting us. And the drought, while not over by government reports, has subsided with regular rainfall. This, of course, leads to humidity.

So how is it that we manage to live without air conditioning? Believe it or not, it is only the last 20 years or so that cheap, subsidized electricity has created the opportunity for cheap air conditioning. But with a solar power system and a limited budget, we don’t have it. And neither of us grew up with air conditioning.

We manage rather well but utilizing some simple equipment, techniques, and planning. Here’s how we do it:

• Our house is designed using Passive Solar principles. An overhanging front porch on the south side of the house shades us from the summer sun. Minimal west windows reduce the heat gain in the afternoon.
• Plentiful windows provide much needed fresh air and ventilation. These windows are often closed just before the heat of the day begins (around 1 or 2 in the afternoon) to prevent further heating, particularly on the west side of the house. They are reopened in the evening to allow our earth-filled concrete slab to release any heat and cool with the night air.
• Fans, both ceiling and portable are used to move air and keep us cool.
• The kitchen oven is not used. Instead, we focus our summertime meals on those requiring no cooking or stove-top cooking. We have switched to flat breads like tortillas as they can be cooked on the stove. Any yeast or raised bread is baked on the odd cool day and frozen.
• We try and schedule work in the cool morning or evening and rest in the heat of the day. An afternoon siesta under a ceiling fan is always pleasant.

Additional ideas for keeping cool include adding a sleeping porch, building an outdoor summer kitchen, and growing grape vines on an arbor over an outdoor deck or patio. We also plan to grow goards, beans, and other vining plants up to the front porch roof to provide additional shading and transpiration.

There is also evidence that the human body is able to adapt to very warm weather by utilization of heat shock proteins. NPR ran an article on the subject last summer during record heat waves across the country. Most people today go from air conditioned homes to air conditioned autos, to air conditioned workplaces or stores. Their bodies forget how to adapt. Often times thermostats are set lower in the summer, around 65 degrees, and higher in the winter, around 75. Changing these settings to 80 in the summer and 70 in the winter would go a long way to reducing your energy usage and helping your body to cope with the changing temperatures.

Speaking from personal experience, our bodies are very able to adapt and even thrive in warm weather. Sleeping is easier. And our health is better as toxins are released from our bodies due to perspiration.

So don’t rule out solar power and independence just because you think you need air conditioning. Turn yours off, open the windows, and take it easy this afternoon in front of a fan or under a tree and see how you manage!

August 1st, 2008