When I moved to my current place last fall, I threw away my old window A/C because it was in bad condition. I haven't bought a new one yet, even though it tends to stay warm and humid in my apartment (poor air flow from one side to the other), because they're expensive.

When I moved to SF from, Washington, D.C., I brought along a window ACU. What a stupid thing to do. I haven't had a need for air conditioning since I moved here. In fact, when I travel outside of SF, I find the air processed through an ACU to be disgusting. Keep it fresh!

^ I wonder how many people use appliances like an a/c unit as a noise whiteout? It reminds me of those stories of Jackie O. running the bathroom sink so nobody could hear her poop.

I don't particularly need AC to keep cool, but have found that its great for blocking out the noise from the traffic outside my apartment.

I sweat more than any human being I've ever met. In situations and environments where even obese people aren't perspiring, I am. It got particularly bad when I was 18. Basically, warm, humid, stagnant air on my skin triggers it, as does a modest amount of physical exertion. It sucks. I get incredibly uncomfortable in subway stations in the summer, and the feeling of a bead of sweat trickling down my side underneath my shirt somehow only seems to trigger more sweating.

I love A/C. Without it, I'd probably move to Canada or Scandanavia or Hokkaido Island - I simply wouldn't be able to sleep at night, or operate in a non-drenched capacity during the day. Whenever the temperature rises above 78F, it goes on; of course, it is always hotter in my building than outside of it. I suppose it is possible that in an A/C-less world, my body would adapt to the steamy, inside-of-a-ton-ton environment, but I sort of doubt it. I grew up in South Florida. One of the reasons I moved to NY, actually, is because it is cooler. And less ridiculous in general.

I find that living in Manhattan I don't like having my window open constantly because of street noise and pollution. A/C is thus a good solution.

Of course, some dirt still gets in through the A/C but it's much less, and I never hear a car horn or other sounds because the A/C drowns it out.

It's unfair to instantly ridicule people who think air conditioning is a necessity. In some cases, it is. For instance, cat owners may need to keep one room air conditioned. Pets can overheat and die much more easily than humans. Shaving them is not an option, either. They don't have sweat glands.

I'll use AC when necessary. If the temperature stays over 80 for more than a couple of days and doesn't drop below 70 at night, buildings don't have time to cool down overnight and you have no choice if you want to be cool. As others said, this summer has been nice and cool so far, so I have four fans running continuously at low speed and it's been comfortable. AC is nice, but it's too wasteful for my tastes most of the time.

The last two years I've been living in Brooklyn I put up with the heat with no AC, but I just moved to the top floor of the house I live in earlier this year. Working from home + black tar roof right over my head means I've been using the AC quite often, actually.

It gets really hot up here. Good thing I don't pay utilities...

Last month? Once. But I know come August it's gonna get somewhere between Thai crocodile farm and 5th ring of Hell so yeah, I'll have the chill on.

no A/C without AC.

Thankfully haven't had to use the a/c at all in the house so far this year. With any luck I may just make do with the ceiling fan and never have to install the window mounted unit.

One thing about my office: Unless the a/c is blowing all the time, we don't get fresh air (except for the executive offices next to windows - which they never open). I don't mind if it's 75degF, but there's no circulation without the a/c. I can tell when it stops blowing because it becomes unbearably stuffy in the cubicle farms, often within a few minutes. I've worked in a pretty wide range of buildings and they all functioned the same way.

I think 2/3 sounds about right. Remember: Over 18 million people willfully live in Florida. Add the rest of the south and that's probably around 1/4 of the country's population.

Can't complain about my building temp at work, always cool. I have two A/C units in my apt and use only one on hot nights.

I don't hesitate to turn the AC on when it's nasty out, but I've hardly needed it at all this year, it's been so cold. That being said if I was an office manager I would refuse to keep it so damn cold. My office seems to have two temperatures: "winter temp" which is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, courtesy of the steam heat; and "summer temp" which is about 60 degrees courtesy of the AC. Why the hell can't we just keep the temp around 75 all year round? I shouldn't want to wear shorts in the winter and my ski jacket in July.

75 is too hot. It's stuffy. 68 is perfect.

The worst part about A/Cs is the sneaking suspicion I get that someone is purposefully spitting on me every 5 steps

BTW, here is a great tip for staying comfortable at home: Have a long soak in the tub in COOL water. You will stay comfortable for several hours afterwards. It's very pleasant.

Get around using electricity for A/C by wasting gallons of potable water? When extreme heat also sometimes means water shortages?

Maybe you're not thinking that all the way through.

Oh, no! I drink it after I have my bath.

Gotta love ConEd. My latest bill was $50 higher than my previous bill even though the usage was almost exactly the same. I wasn't just me, was it? Didn't your bills go way up? And I have not turned on my AC once this year.