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Wednesday, August 6, 2003 No climate control? No kidding Lack of air conditioning a breath of fresh air for some homeowners
By
MARIANNA RILEY
Look closely at Tim and Wanda Michels' two-story brick house and it's clear that they make good use of their shady, north-facing front porch in University City, Mo. Comfortable butterfly chairs, small tables for iced lemonade, a book in progress and muddy shoes recently kicked off attest to a lifestyle that's more outdoors than in. Step inside their house and feel the temperature drop a few degrees on this slightly muggy day. But the windows are open and no fans are in evidence. There is no air conditioning here. "How did people live before air conditioning?" Tim Michels asks, and answers his own question. "They acclimated. When you allow your body to acclimate, your creature comfort levels adapt with it. You don't have such a severe requirement for absolute temperature control." In many areas, the un-air-conditioned are a distinct minority. For their home, the Michelses rely on an attic fan that sucks the warm air out of the house at night. The fan is in the second-floor ceiling. They turn it on at night when the outside temperature drops below the inside temperature. The Michelses also have ceiling fans in their kitchen and dining room and, when needed, they'll bring out oscillating fans for other rooms. Tim Michels is an energy consultant with his own business, Energy Solutions Inc. He specializes in telling business and industry how to improve their energy efficiency. Understanding how heat affects the thermal mass of his home is key to Michels' ability to keep the house comfortable. Heat moves through walls slowly, reaching its peak six to eight hours after the hottest time of day, depending on the density of the walls. Sometime around 8 or 9 p.m. is usually the time to turn on the fan. For sleeping, the Michelses position beds beneath windows to take full advantage of air movement. But once the heat hits with full vengeance, how do they cope? "We eat lots of popsicles and watermelon," Wanda Michels said. "I go more frequently to the pool. We eat mostly salads and we don't have many dinner guests." "We sweat a lot," her husband adds. "I go around like my father did, with a towel around his neck. But there are often just four or five days when the humidity and temperature are so high it's out of my comfort level." And he claims there have been no such days in the past two years. "For a possible few such days a year, do I want to spend $25,000 to air-condition my house?" Some people draw the drapes and close up rooms as it gets hotter. Not the Michelses, who prefer to be as open as possible to the outside. "It's only summer part of the year, and I just hate to miss it," Tim Michels said. Similarly, John and Harriet Davidson don't have air conditioning in their home near St. Louis. Davidson, a recently retired physician, and his wife employ some of the methods popular two generations ago: closing windows and drawing drapes during the heat of the day, then opening up windows as the night brings cooler air. They mourn the loss of a few of the century-old trees that surrounded their home.
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