where are you again? I;m on the Sf Bay and we have nature;s air conditioner here, maybe a little too much in the mrnings...oh ocean air...

In the 50's F here at night in the blue ridge of VA. I'm not sure we've made it to 90's yet this summer for daytime high. Air is in pretty good condition here straight up.

All of our neighbors have hot tubs, extra fridges and air conditioning... whereas we have a root cellar and a ceiling fan. There's a debate about splitting all the utilities evenly on the ranch because of that vast power use difference, but we're all on the same electrical bill so to avoid a fight we've just kept it even.

Maybe someday I might get AC for the first time. Never had it in my life!
(but I grew up in coastal CA).

Here's a thought:

If a community refuses to have AC because of its power usage, it should be aware of the hidden costs. And ask is it worth these trade-offs:

Few people nowadays are willing to give up AC, totally. Hence, a community limits its ability to grow.

This means the IC movement is hampered in its ability to grow.

This means more people remain in the mainstream, using their cars, etc. (Public transportation is not an option in many places.)

If an IC had 1 good sized room for AC, running it only 4 hours a day, the energy costs and environmental impact would be offset by the greater number of members who no longer lived in city apartments, driving their cars to work, buying individual appliances, etc.

And the plastics would deteriorate more slowly, releasing less harmful vapors.

Members with health issues would be more likely to stay.

A few hours in AC provides some of us with a psychological boost!

Consider.

DB