To A/C or not to A/C

It's time to start blogging again after an interview with a woman writing an article about green building. I'll update more on what's happened in the past year or so, but the topic of the day is air conditioning. I was so proud not to include central air conditioning in my new house. It uses a TON of energy and is particularly problematic for utilities in periods of peak demand. I opted instead to go with Energy Star ceiling fans in my bedrooms and living room. Intermediate options would have been to buy one or more room A/C units or a ductless mini-split, which I think may be a better application in retrofits than in new construction.

So today is day 4 of 4 over 90 degrees days. And my bedroom is 87 degrees. Am I ready to give in and buy the window unit? I don't think I am yet. The fan makes a big difference. I take a shower before bed and lie right under the fan. It's pretty good. It's not spectacular. But I'm a restless sleeper under the best of circumstances and can probably handle a couple of nights of restless sleep. Maybe 5 days in a row will be my tipping point.

Now something that grabs my attention a little more is the following. Through work I have come to know the national director of Energy Star for Homes. And I was bragging about how my new house is so energy efficient and doesn't have central air conditioning. His response? Not the anticipated "way to go," but rather "big mistake." He told me that at relative humidity above 50 or so, dust mites proliferate at an incredible rate. He recommended installing central A/C or firing up dehumidifiers (Energy Star of course) as minimum step. He commented that human health always trumps energy savings (though perhaps they are not mutually exclusive). I have a lot of trouble with allergies and have since wondered if this might be an issue for me. I did take the step of replacing all my pillows and buying allergy covers for the new ones. Something to ponder. Again, a tradeoff for everything!