Yes, it will be hotter, but how you feel depends much on where you live. In Cancun, my home was always breezy (I needed heaters in winter), and about 10 degrees lower than downtown. So I almost never used A/C during the day, always at night (minisplits in each room), and NEVER got a bill higher than 650 pesos for 2 months for a 2-br apartment on the beach!!! I just moved to Tampa, the thermometer (on weather.com) says , 31 in Cancun (feels like 35), 32 in Tampa (feels like 38 ) OMG!!!! I am dying... and I love hot weather. I have the fan on, almost useless. If I remember correctly, last year the heat hit us all of a sudden, like that, and the summer was very hot, not so much it seems, we are only May 2. So get prepared. Ok, let's go to the A/Ced mall
jenleib had an excellent experience with her place, it sounds like, and reflects the difference that being a little out of town, and on the beach, can make. When choosing a place to live, it's worthwhile to also consider the heat load that the sun will put on it, as that will really affect how comfortable the place feels, and how much a/c you will need. For example, an apt on the top of a complex will get direct sun; an apt with a large, southern exposure will also be subject to a greater heat load. The difference this makes is significant: I need less a/c in the afternoons, when it's hottest outside, because my apt, which is not on the top, becomes partially shaded from the sun, after around 2 PM; whereas, I get full sun, directly on my walls, in the mornings.
Yellow, You ain't seen nothin' yet. I may disagree with V on the fans and shutting down the a/c but my apt is smaller than his. It was brutal last summer and I experiemented with keeping the a/c on all the time and playing with the thermostat if I was going to be out long. Not saying I did not turn it off if I left early and came back late. My theory, and I am no physicist, is that once the inside is cooled down, the concrete walls, uninsulated here pretty much everywhere, also cool down, and seem to therefore require less time and less energy to cool down just by dropping the thermostat a degree or two. My electric bills are always reasonable. The other thing that makes it possible to be more miserable here is that homes and businesses seem overly concerned with the cost of electric and simply keep it off or the temp setting so high that it might as well be off. Same with cars / taxis. Dudes, if you got it, use it. And jenleib is right. Hotter in Florida than Cancun, BUT. the whole world in FL has a/c and generally keeps it blasting away. Insulation is better but I keep a couple of clocks, a frig, and pool and spa pumps at my house in FL, which I seem to be seeing less and less, and my bill there is higher in terms of total dollars. I never bothered to see the cost per kwh. It is what it is. There are a lot of adjustments you will need to make and dealing with the a/c issues of others is one of them. In your home you control you own destiny. Windows and doors that seal properly can help, as do good floor and ceiling fans, and good quality window treatment. Good luck.
I think it's silly to leave a/c on for pets. A ceiling fan might be ok, I often leave the fan in our bedroom on all day since the dogs sleep on the bed most of the time. I think it's cruel to trap pets in one room regularly, unless they are sick or quarantined for some reason. Trapping animals in a confined space is a great way to make them neurotic, The looniest and most dangerous animals I've ever known were ones that were routinely trapped in a kennel or small space. If your dogs have long hair you might want to clip them for the summer. Cats do just fine here without a/c, as evidenced by how often you see (reasonably) healthy street cats here (quite often). Your cat will shed and then will be just fine without a/c.
Yellowsubmarine: let's see... I spent a lot of time at the movies. Would sleep naked with a spray bottle next to me and two fans turned my way and spritz when I woke up. I'd take at least two cold showers to get through the night. I'd alternate between my bed and my hammock. I'd never, ever walk in direct sunlight...and avoided as much as possible going out midday (unless I was on my way to the movies). Can't speak on the pet issue...my dog was born in Cancun so didn't really have any issues. Plus, he spent his entire life out on the patio where it was actually cooler than inside. I thought he'd have issues adjusting to the weather in New England, but he was fine. It was funny though...when he was a little baby, we'd take him for a walk midday and the sidewalk would get so hot that he'd cry and not want to walk. So we'd carry him. This'd be an issue now as fully grown he weighs about 60 pounds! But thankfully he's been thrilled with this climate...don't think he'd do well if we brought him back to Cancun.
I've lived here for 5 years with no A/C. If you happen to be without A/C like me, I recommend buying one of those big floor fans from walmart, and propping it up on something right next to your bed at night. Make sure to clean it every week or so. When its just a little dirty, it does no good. I also wear a tank top under shirts so that if I sweat, it doesn't show through as much.
Living without a/c You ladies are troopers. It wasn't that long ago that nobody had a/c in their homes, and we survived, if not thrived. My grandmother, born in 1892, was an "early acquirer" about everything, and was one of the first people I knew to have a/c in her home; then, in her car. It seems to me she got her first window unit about 1954; her first car a/c about two years later.
To cool or not to cool.... T.J. wrote: I understand you're thinking on this, and of course what we're doing (which can be fun, after all) is intuiting what will work best. [Mixz1 may be able to offer us something more scientific!] My line of reasoning is this: any cooling of walls that takes place as a result of being in contact with your a/c generated cool air is incidental, largely unavoidable and unfortunate consequence, rather than a net benefit to the process: what you're really aiming at is to cool the air in the room, and circulate it enough for the occupants to feel comfortable during the time the room is occupied. Anything beyond that represents a loss, I would figure. Of course, if your goal is have the place in a state where it will reach the point of maximum comfort quickly, then what you're doing makes a lot of sense: my experience with small apts (80 sq meters) is that it's not necessary, it taking but a minute or two for the small units we've had, so far, to cool a room when we get back, after being out.
My pets seem to be adjusting pretty well I am just hoping they wont need more than a fan or two during the summer while I am away.. if they do need an a/c I understand the idea of putting them into one room but as Rivergirl said confinement isnt a very good way to go unless it was a very short period of time and even then if its that short of time I wouldnt need the a/c for them.. So I will just take it as it comes and figure it out as I go I'm sure they can adjust but if not I cant let them cook! Thanks for everyones help and ideas!
