by Allison Nicole Shultes
The steady hum of central air conditioning could be heard from Jane Billings’ back porch as temperatures climbed into the high 90s, but the sound didn’t come from her home. A resident of Swarthmore since 1988, Jane refuses to install central air, raising three children without the luxury.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans pump almost 129 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year to cool down their residences and businesses, and spend roughly $22 billion doing so–more than every other country in the world combined. Approximately 20% of our energy cost goes towards air conditioning, and the percentage of Americans using air conditioning has increased from close to 40% to 88% in the past 40 years. Moreover, air conditioning use is expected to increase tenfold worldwide by 2050, producing a huge strain on the environment.
Instead of cooling her home environment, Jane has adapted to the local climate. Her attic has two fans that circulate cooler nighttime air throughout the house. The bedrooms are all equipped with fans, as is the screened-in porch, which offers cool breezes during family dinners. When her children were younger, trips to the local pool in the evenings cooled them off before bedtime.
For scorching hot nights, opting out of clothing and sprinting from a cold shower to the bedroom offers relief for Jane. For guests visiting her home, she recently installed a window unit, used when the heat becomes dangerous for visiting grandparents and elderly company.
For Vicky Heustis, local mother of four, the decision to go without a/c arose primarily out of health concerns for her children. Living in Florida for many years, she noticed the ill effects of moving in and out of air conditioning from the heat. “You never really adjust to the heat if you’re always in the air conditioning,” she said. To help family members cool down enough to get to bed, she employs many of the same tricks as Jane – late-night showers and optional clothing, as well as strategically placed fans. Neither Jane nor Vicky’s children complained about their hot houses growing up. “I’ve definitely heard my kids say, ‘We grew up without air conditioning’… and there’s some pride in their voices,” Jane said with a smile.
In addition to environmental concerns, Jane’s dislike of a/c stems from what she feels to be a loss of community during the summer months. “When I first moved to Swarthmore, about a quarter of the houses had air conditioning,” she said. “Everyone would be outside. You’d hear the screen doors slamming as kids ran from house to house, people would be in their driveways and yards… now everyone goes home and locks themselves inside their air conditioning. In the wintertime, when everyone’s out shoveling, it’s cold, and people deal with that and bond over that, but in the summer, everyone’s shut inside their houses with their central air going.”
Although slightly sweaty, Jane seemed to brave the heat well. “There’s nothing wrong with slowing down,” she said. “You don’t need to get everything done when it’s really hot. You don’t need to cool your house so you can cook dinner. Don’t cook dinner – make a salad or sandwiches… It’s not the most comfortable thing, but you don’t have to be comfortable all the time.”
For more tips on how to use less air conditioning and energy this summer, visit our recent aFewSteps.org article: Five Summer energy savings Tips.
Alli Shultes is a student at Swarthmore College and a summer intern for aFewSteps.org
Share or Like our article on Facebook or via email!