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It's summertime in the city, whether or not the weather's caught up yet, and it's likely you are currently sitting in a freezing cold air-conditioned office. Yesterday NY1's Pat Kiernan Twittered about a USA Today graphic that claimed "2/3 of Americans say air conditioning a 'necessity'," which actually seems slightly low.
For some older folks to whom it is a necessity ("at-risk seniors"), the New York City Cooling Assistance Program is all set up, giving residents 60-years and older a chance to apply for free air conditioners here. But what about the youthful locals who may be extra-thrifty this year?
Last summer residential customers saw a 22% increase in their electric bill, bringing the average summer month total from $86 to $104. This year another rate hike was approved, however the NY Post says electric bills should be expected to go down by $4 to $9 this summer (still higher than 2007 rates). So, in this economy, will you be turning on the a/c just as much this summer?
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Those of us who are unemployed must choose between health insurance and air conditioning. I do have lots of electric fans.
I only used my a/c about three or four times last summer. I hate a/c and will only use it if it's too hot to sleep without it. I think it's preposterous how cold offices are kept in the summer. The amount of wasted energy to keep an office at 62* is criminal.
I couldn't agree more. I hate AC - it eats up so much energy and produces so much pollution. I have to keep a pair of sock and a thermal sweater at my desk because they keep it so damn cold in my office. The only place I love having it is in the subway...I'd rather not be smushed up against some sweaty dude in a hot sweaty subway car.
Oh man, I love air conditioning.
But no way there are (m)any offices being cooled to 62F. The staff would revolt. I work in a law office in Brooklyn, and in the Summer the temperature is kept around 75F. People start complaining when it gets below that.
I think there's only a handful of days here where AC feels like a necessity.
I've gone almost 5 years without though and it's mostly fine. Although I kinda love going over to that a friend's house with an AC.
when my elderly parents were alive, they sometimes NEEDED the A/C in their home, to be able to breathe and function. as a relatively healthy 52 year old, i have not used A/C in at least 5 years. there is NO reason for healthy individuals to NEED the A/C. it's not the same as winter, when one can actually die from subzero temps. unless you have a medical condition, PUT UP WITH THE DAMNED HEAT AND STFU. use fans, open windows, whatever. you're pathetic if you don't.
and please be sure to put on some deodorant
When it's HUMID outside you need the AC. Opening up the windows and using fans just blows the hot air around.
This summer I only have used the AC 3-4 days tops. The nights have been very conformable. low 60s with no humidity and the daytime hasn't been hot. NYC hasn't been above 85 degrees yet this summer.
And you're pathetic for calling others pathetic just because you don't agree with their A/C usage. I'm from the South (before you say anything, I'm from GA not TX) and the A/C is on EVERY day there because if it weren't, scenes from "Do the Right Thing" would be everyday occurrences. When it's really hot, A/C keeps people from doing stupid things. Maybe you should turn yours on more to keep that anger at bay.
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.
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.
The worst part about A/Cs is the sneaking suspicion I get that someone is purposefully spitting on me every 5 steps
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.
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 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.
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.
no A/C without AC.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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!
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.