Living without air conditioning?

[Amity]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone, expat, lives there without air conditioning? Is it possible? What are the disadvantages - apart from sweating!! - ? What do you do instead? Fans?
Amity

[cavalier]

No way I could do it. I am already grumpy enough -- my wife would throw me out if I got any grumpier.

[Asdracles]

Depends a lot about the person and how used are you to the heat and humidity. Do you come from Finland or Egypt?

When I arrive to SG, I hardly could survive to weather. Now I'm quite used and problem is just opposite, some too cold air-con.

About the residence, I live in an aircon place, and hardly use it. I live in a kinda hill, unit is in 17th floor, and if I open the windows I have always fresh air running around, much better than aircon.

However, is some other locations, this can't be possible. You must check. The higher floor, the less you will really need aircon. Of course is always nice to put the room cool quicker, but you can survive without it.

In my first flat, I didn't have such a good natural ventilation, no air-con, and a fan did some work. You won't feel such a coolness, but you kill the heat

[cavalier]

I suppose there are a lot of (local) people that go without it so it's possible. For example, my inlaws never use it except when I visit.

[Amity]

I am originally from Perth Western Australia, spent my 20's in Melbourne and 30's in London - so a bit of everything on the weather front, though not humidity.
I was really asking as I wanted to know if you could get used to it and if the alternatives - fans... worked ok.
Does everthing get moldy if you don't air condition because of the humidity?
Does the air conditioning help that anyway or do you need a dehumidifier too?
Thanks for the tip on living higher up in the block for the breeze - will keep that in mind when we start looking!
Hmm, yes not actually asked the husband about his grump factor...

[durain]

you will climatise to it...

[Amity]

Thanks Cavalier, that is exactly it -they do and is it really that bad? What do they do to cope??? In Perth we knew to close the windows and doors first thing in the morning to keep the cool of the night in - then fling them open in the evening to cool and clear the house, what do the locals and expats without do?

[cavalier]

They cope because they are used to it. They use fans when it gets very hot. They do have problems with mildew on their clothes every once in a while.

The temp of your flat will also depend on which way it faces.

[Callalily]

Hi
We only use air con on very hot days (as I dislike being in an enclosed space for too long), otherwise ceiling fans are brilliant. When it is cloudy, it is quite cool here and there is often a pleasant breeze. No air con at night apart from an hour or so in the children's bedrooms. We have only been in Singapore for a few weeks and the heat is bearable. I may change my mind at a later stage.

Lily

[micknlea]

We only use aircons to cool down our rooms after the afternoon sun has been on them and to get them ready for sleeping*. We do have ceiling fans in all rooms and use those at night and during the day if we are in the rooms.

We aren't high up and blocked by other buildings so not a lot of a breeze for us. In fact unless you live along the coast quite often there is no breeze to be had even higher up.


*My husband likes the aircon, I don't, but then he works in an aircon office all day and has to dress for work so there is a big difference. It has taken him a few years but he has now acclimatised and only has the aircon on when it is really hot and sticky at night, so we compromise a bit.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Well, I'm from a mid-north atlantic state in the US where we have -14°C winters & 42°C summers. I've been in Singapore for 26 years now and till today, I've never had airconditioning in my home (except for one year but we never used it - it was physically there though). I've always used ceiling fans and have never suffered. I rarely get sick (never actually) and my kids were born and raised without aircon (one is 19 now and the other is 24). Ceiling fans are a much more healthy option and keeps our pores open and therefore more able to cleanse/detox your skin. Healthy perspiration is a lot different than BO!

One thing I have noticed however..... I perspire a lot less now that I've lost 25kg over the last 6 months...

[nhonho_88]

My friends usually use air conditioning only on the hottest day. Don't always use it because it makes your skin dry and you can gets sick if going outside hot, uuuuu

[Amity]

Thanks for all the replies and advice everyone, I really appreciate it.
I was dreading the thought of moving there and feeling I would have no choice than to be hermetically sealed into our flat.
Cheers,
Amity

[boffenl]

Well, welcome from the hermitically sealed! I installed the three aircon units in our three room flat before my husband and daughter arrived. I don't think it has been off for more than 4 hours at a time since my husband works at home. He's from Canada and can't last long without the cool.

It's set between 24 and 25 degrees, and yes our energy bill is astronomical! On some hot days I'd even like to aircon the bathroom. But that's just us--you'll find your way. We've been here a year and a half and have now thought of moving to fans during the day but aircon would certaibly be on at night.

[aussiemeg]

The only time we use aircon is for 1 hour before the boys go to bed and for the DOG as he is from Tasmania and so we have it automatically go on at 10am and off at 3am in the room he sleeps in. How spoiled.

I have never used aircon since we moved into a house and after 3 years now pathetically take a cardigan to restaurants if we can't sit outside.

No need to worry

Megan