I’m sure that everyone has noticed that it’s really hot outside. Like July hot but turned up a notch.
As some of you know, I lived off the grid in rural Nevada for 22 years. We had a generator that we ran about eight hours a day (four hours in the morning, four in the evening), scheduling household chores that involved electricity around “gen time”. When you live on a generator, every flicker of a light sends chills up your spine. And the sound of the engine missing is enough to ruin a day. We had wind power in addition to the generator, but the batteries were expensive to replace, and they (there were twelve of them) would only power the lights and television. I can’t tell you how many times my kids “turned off” the house by trying to use a toaster or hair dryer when we were on battery power.
When it was super hot outside, as sometimes happens in Nevada, we didn’t run the gen much, so we didn’t have fans or AC during peak heat hours. Instead we closed all the blinds, shut all doors and windows at around 9 a.m. and didn’t open things back up again until the evening hours. It might seem kind of primitive, but it worked (kind of). People have lived without electricity for a lot longer than they have lived with it, so while what I was doing seemed strange to my friends who had regular power, but it really wasn’t that unusual.
Our fridge ran on propane (a chemical reaction between hydrogen and heated water and ammonia absorbs heat, creating a cooling effect) and was 7.7 cubic feet. Thankfully we had two. If you want to have some sticker shock, price a propane fridge. You don’t get much bang for your buck, but they do last forever. But…if the pilot light goes out, then the fridge warms up. Usually the pilot light would go out because of a build up of ash in the flue, and the solution involved taking everything apart and cleaning it and putting it back together. I got very good at it. During hot weather, the fridge would labor due to the heat, the ash would build up and the pilot light would go out. I checked the fridge several times a day to make certain it was still operating.
I now have the kind of electricity that comes from power lines, but the hot weather has reminded me of how I lived not that long ago. I still don’t have AC, but I have two fridges and they are big and they do not have pilot lights! And I can run a fan whenever I want without stressing the generator. I enjoyed my time off the grid, but during the heat, I’m glad for regular power.
What challenges do the hot summer months bring for you?
Jeannie…What an interesting post! I feel like I learned several new things and especially about keeping propane refrigerators running. I guess that when the oil companies run out of fossil fuel they’ll have to sell more wind and hydro power involving batteries and I hope somebody is perfecting the science of the batteries right now.
I live in a very hot climate and have air conditioning but I don’t run it until it hits 86 in the house which it does every day during the summer. I don’t feel the need although I like to have a fan going all the time.
The full time fan is a good way to deal with the heat—less electricity than AC. I’d love to see fossil fuel companies get more involved in renewable energy!
Thanks for the intriguing post. When I was in Moldova, I visited with my daughter’s house mother. They could only run so many things at one time or the power would go off. I struggle with the heat because of a health condition.
Debra, I’m sorry to hear that you struggle with the heat. Fascinating info about Moldavia. I can see it happening.
It’s very hot on our Mississippi farm so cleaning the barns and shelters has to be done as early as possible.
I hear you about doing things as early as possible!
my dad’s house didn’t have AC until the mid 90’s – it sits on a hill and the windows are situated for the best cross ventilation!
A fan sat in the window and blew the hot air OUT!
Nice! I never thought of blowing out!
Our air conditioner went out a few weeks ago and we were without it for a week until we could get it replaced. My kids did fine in the heat, but I learned just how much I’ve come to depend on it! I was opening windows late at night but shutting them (and the blinds) before the heat of the day. I know we’re spoiled, but I was so grateful when we we got the new one in.
AC is pretty nice!
I live in TEXAS and it is hot here. My house was built back in the 50s wood frame and there is no insulation in the walls. It is on peer and beam and has 26 one pane windows. In the summer it can get up to 90 in the house with the AC running at 75. It pretty much runs all day trying to cool the house down. Fans help circulate the heat so I try not to use them unless they are blowing directly on me. Winters, especially this past two winters, thermostat was set at 75 and the temp in the house never got above 50. I think I know how you felt when living off the grid.
Oh my, Carolyn! You do know. 🙂
I grew up in a house without central air conditioning. Window units in the bedrooms which were only run at night, but they eventually stopped and weren’t replaced.
I’ve had central air since I’ve been married. Which has been a godsend since I’ve been diagnosed with asthma. I have to have it.
I’m impressed you lived off the grid for so long.
It was a long time to live that way. I appreciate regular power a lot. I’m glad you have the AC to help deal with your asthma.
We have had CA for the last 17years, before that we had fans. It was interesting about the propane refrigerators.
Thank you, Kari Jean!
Here in Texas the best we can do is stay indoors and if we need to get out and do chores we do them early. We also go on our daily walk the earlier the better. The poor plants don’t have it that easy over here though. We just try to stay cool in our air conditioned home.
I felt warm reading this, Alicia. Early mornings are my favorite time during hot summers. Other than that, I, too, hide inside.
My house didn’t have A/C until 1994, and I live in Florida! I still have fans in every room, too. In 2004 we were without power for 7 days after a hurricane, and I have allergies so can’t keep the windows open. It was miserable! I do like you, even now, with keeping my blinds closed to keep the cool in and the heat out.
Jeannie – I gotta say. You’ve got some serious cowgirl grit. Raising a family off-the-grid takes determination and dedication to that kind of life. Fascinating stuff!! But I’m glad you’re living with a few more modern comforts. I, too, grew up without central air, but I’ll sign my life away to keep it. LOL.
Thank you, Pam. There were payoffs—my kids only watched TV at certain times and read or played in the creek when the power was off.
Running the AC racks up higher power bills in the summer. I try not to run it up to high.
I hear you, Connie Lee. Heating and cooling = $$
We don’t have AC but we do have fans. Most days opening windows upstairs and down after the sun goes down is enough to cool the house. This week the fans are necessary. I do close curtains during the day and open them at night. I am thankful I have never had to live off the grid. I really like being able to flip a switch or plug something in whenever I want.
It sounds like you have a good system worked out Alice.
For me it really is a case of ‘it’s the humidity not so much the heat.” We lived in Colorado Springs for 3 wonderful years. We did have full power, but still rarely ran the AC. We mad sure the house was well insulated when it was built and kept the south facing window shades closed. If outside for any length of time, you just make sure you are in the shade as much as possible. We live in the South now and have to deal with the heat and humidity. There is just no way to get away from the heat and humidity except with AC. We have a heat pump and it doesn’t work quite as well. Luckily, we have large maple trees in from of the house and the wrap-around porch is in the shade all day. We are on top of a hill and if we sit on the corner of the porch, there is almost always a good breeze. I was in the tropics for three years with no air and sometimes no AC. You do get used to it. I actually found that when we went to the big city and went into large buildings with AC, I would usually end up with sinus problems. I could deal with the heat as long as I stayed out of the sun. You learn to carry and use an umbrella all the time bringing your shade with you. In rainy season it was hot and the humid was 100%. Basically all you could do was sit and sweat. We had no refrigerator. We had electricity, but it only ran the lights and the hot water. You learn to cook just what you need, no leftovers. You end up going to the market several times a week for fresh meat or use dried meat. You can adapt to just about anything. Most times there is a work-around to what you want or need to do.
This is fascinating, Patricia! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I liked hearing that you got used to the heat. Humidity is my deal breaker, and I don’t know if I could handle the tropics.
I got a touch of heat sickness a couple of weeks before I left. It pretty much destroyed my heat and humidity tolerance. Now I stay in the shade or indoors with AC if it is available. Just getting rid of the humidity helps.
By being disabled, I like to look out our kitten door to see the stray cats and kittens which we feed and water. In the hot weather, we run the air conditioning so I can breathe. I miss not being able to see outside, For some this is not a big deal. It can be depressing to be caught up in the house. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
It can be depressing being caught in the house. I’m glad you have the cats to watch. That sounds like fun. 🙂
In 1979, we lived in KC, and only the rich had a/c. It was over 100 every day for a month. We dragged the mattress outside onto the screened-in deck and slept with a fan blowing on us. As a newly-single mom in the 1980s in AZ, I couldn’t afford to run the a/c or to have the evap cooler repaired. We slept outside on the trampoline. It was the coolest place we could find. I also discovered if I slept on my bare vinyl waterbed mattress in my wet bathing suit, it was fairly cool. You do what you must.
Thank you for sharing these stories, Sherry. Sleeping on the trampoline and on the bare mattress is amazing. You’re right—your do what you have to.