The Seattle Air Conditioning Lie
**Updated with Crime Links
I believe the majority of the residents in the Greater Seattle Metro area during the summer live a lie. The lie in question is that Seattle is temperate enough to not require air conditioning. It’s a complete and utter lie, one in which Seattleites continually repeat to ourselves so that we will eventually believe it. During the month of June, 15 of the 30 days had a temperature > 75 degrees. In July, it’s 21 out of 31 days that are expected to be > 75 degrees. Of those, 16 of the 31 days are expected to be > 80 degrees. Any apartment exposed to this heat for fourteen hours (sunset is around 9pm) heats up like it's under a magnifying glass. I’m not exaggerating here; I cannot be comfortable without a fan on me during the day and to go to sleep in our apartment. It’s sticky, our windows only open a solid 7” and we face west which maximizes our exposure to sunlight. Last night, the only way I fell asleep was by putting a bag of ice wrapped in a towel underneath me. It's that bad.
The weird part is that every feels the desperate need to propagate the myth. Some examples:
BGold said that you don’t need air conditioning, yet a couple of weeks ago I was at his apartment around midnight and I was sweating it was so hot. He had his porch door wide open but it wasn’t enough. When I asked him how he could possibly go to sleep in this heat, he did finally admit that he uses an oscillating fan on his bed. Since when have fans and open windows been a good thing? You end up getting insects (especially at night as they are attracted to the light), in the city you hear almost constant street noise and you’ve also opened yourself up to theft. Examples:
It's common sense to keep doors and windows closed and locked, but "the basics are the things that people mess up the most," says Seattle Police Officer Duane Fish. His department recently arrested two burglars with more than 100 break-ins between them. "Their primary method of getting into the home was an open door or window," Fish says. Link
December 20 - Burglary - “Suspect entered a residence through an open window.“ Link
December 21 - Vandalism - “The suspect entered the residence through a window and left after seeing the victim.“ Link
December 26 - Burglary - “Suspect arrested after entering a residence by climbing through a window.“ Link
June 29 - Jeanette and Jon Elkins are warning their Kent neighborhood to keep windows closed at night, despite the hot weather....The Elkins are speaking from experience. They left the rear window of their home open Monday night. At 2:30 in the morning, they found out why police cautioned against leaving windows open without stops or wooden dowels to keep the opening so small a person could not climb through. At that time, while one of their two daughters was already in bed with them, a noise woke up Jeanette. She told KOMO 4 News she thought: " 'Who's there? Is that our other daughter coming in?' And then I realized he was hooded. And I went, 'Oh my God!' Like, 'Jon, someone's in our house! ' " Link
July 6 - Arson - “Police and fire personnel responded to the 5000 block of Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, where someone had thrown a lit firecracker through an open window and onto a bed.“ Link
July 13 - Burglary - “...The suspect had entered through an open bedroom window.“ Link
Another friend who shall remain anonymous repeated the air conditioning myth. Luckily his fiancé was there to nudge him towards telling the truth and to stop perpetuating the myth. Besides having all their windows open, they have a ceiling fan installed in the bedroom that they keep running all the time. His fiancé admitted to getting very warm during the evening waking up and not being able to go back to sleep because of the hot temperature
BrianKel at least admits his place gets pretty hot and sticky and admitted that his place ends up feeling like a sauna. I was playing Xbox Live with Brian the other day and he mentioned that he and his roommate were playing in the sauna and were wearing towels and were pouring water over coals. Sadly, I know that he isn’t lying J
I drive in these people’s cars and they all have the air conditioning on, if you look around during high traffic, the majority of cars are using air conditioning to stay cool in stop and go traffic, yet, for some reason, the need for A/C disappears when you park at home and enter your house. It’s baffling.
The Good News
Me and the Mrs recently bought a new house (in BrianKel’s neighborhood too) that's currently under construction! The first thing we asked for was air conditioning (it doesn’t come standard in any houses in Seattle). While we did have to pay for it, I can tell you it’s the best upgrade we got for the house.
I can’t wait until next summer when the outside temperature is 85 degrees and our new house will be a chilly 55 degrees. I’ll be in a itchy wool Christmas sweater making hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows over a nice fire and laughing at my sweat-drenched neighbors standing in front of their windows waiting for that breeze to come.
Comments
Anonymous
July 29, 2004
I'm another Seattle resident. I've grew up here. Throughout the 80s and the 90s, in general, I don't think Seattle really need air conditioning.
However, ever since 2000, I am constantly being surprised by the great heat; I don't have any statisics, but it just doesn't seem like the weather that I grew up to know. There seems to be much less rain (especially the spontaneous start and stop rain that used to be so typical) and it seems a lot hotter overall.
Since 2000, I keep thinking that I really should invest in air conditioning, but then I recall the previous 20 years where it wasn't needed and that it might just be a fluke... but this is the 4th year in a row! I've been keeping a fan and a spray bottle next to me all day long lately, even some nights.
I definately think that you made the right choice in getting air conditioning for your new place.Anonymous
July 29, 2004
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July 29, 2004
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July 29, 2004
I'm from Michigan, and while I don't think we have the same "myth", much of the same logic applies here as well.
I don't buy it; I love my A/C and keeping my house cool enough to easily fall asleep at night.
A/C is man's second greatest invention.Anonymous
July 29, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
btw, I love hearing from my friend Ian Frearson who lives somewhere in Seattle... but he's from Alabama too.
The window unit a/c's, fans, occiliating and ceiling units... haha.
Poor guy. Come back to Alabama and enjoy some sweet tea with our cool air.Anonymous
July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
Why be uncomfortable? Even when i go camping I take the right gear. A/C is neccessary if it's over 90 degrees on your home and you have pets.Anonymous
July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
Save the enviroment and go through a little sweating for the one or two months a year you actually need A/C in Seattle.Anonymous
July 30, 2004
So your argument for A/C is that you need to close your windows to protect your home from burglars? Realistically, if someone wants in your home they will find a way in with or without an unlocked door.Anonymous
July 30, 2004
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July 30, 2004
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August 02, 2004
What the heck is he thinking » It’s not the heat, it’s the people complaining about the heat.Anonymous
August 02, 2004
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August 11, 2004
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August 16, 2004
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August 23, 2004
Feh! I haven't had air in Chicago for the last 5 years, or Madison for years before that. What's wrong with a fan or two for a few weeks? I won't say I didn't sweat, but you dont need A/C. You want it. In Dallas, you pretty much need A/C. In Bagdad. Arguably in places with no cross-ventilation. The thousands of deaths in Europe last year probably resulted from construction that wasn't designed for the heat. Similar thing happened in Chicago a few decades ago when a heat wave killed 600+ people. I can't see that happening here. So sleep with an oscillating fan, and open a window. Chicago probably has more crime than Seattle and it worked for us. Or buy an air conditioner and run it a few weeks. Whatever you want.Anonymous
May 11, 2005
why do so many people consider a luxury a necessity nowadays? if you can make it through two months (july and august), then you can make it through twelve months without air conditioning.
using air conditioning creates the conditions where more people will need air conditioning, because air conditioning makes it cooler inside, but hotter outside.
if you multiply that by millions of people, it is simply a fact that everyone using air conditioning makes it hotter for all those who don't use air conditioning.Anonymous
May 27, 2005
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June 24, 2005
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May 15, 2006
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May 17, 2006
Amen Dan. I've lived in Seattle for six years with my wife (a fellow blue badge) and we tried to live the lie, but this year I think we're gonna break down and get a/c installed. I work in a home office and you are 100% on target; our uber-insulated house bakes at 80 degrees all day long and it's a cooker inside by 5pm, so much so that halfway through the day I'm packing up the laptop heading for the nearest air conditioned coffee shop. Moreover, the house gets to a peak 81/82 degrees inside and won't cool off to 70 degrees until 4am the next morning, just in time for the sun to come up and start baking it again.Anonymous
June 27, 2006
July 2004 - The Seattle Air Conditioning Lie - Another summer, another big increase in the number...Anonymous
June 27, 2006
My house enjoys shade from trees and intelligent airflow. I work at night and rest in the day. Intelligent fans can do a lot of what A/C does with a lot less cost. Try the stuff the pioneers understood before blasting the problem with the energy cannon. Rah rah we can, but I'm not so sure we should.Anonymous
July 03, 2006
I, too, trusted the locals prior to moving here ... and believed a/c would not be needed. Certainly, I realized the temps would get into the 80's, however, I did not realize my condo would BAKE! It's like an oven. In response to Astrila's post, I recently purchased a Sharp portable a/c unit from Costco. It works great for cooling down (very cold) a moderately sized room.
Note to anyone considering relocation to the Seattle area: If you are used to a/c, you'll be miserable without it. It really heats up, no matter what others may say.Anonymous
July 16, 2006
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July 20, 2006
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July 21, 2006
MoveAnonymous
July 22, 2006
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July 23, 2006
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July 24, 2006
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September 26, 2006
I just got this site doing a search for "air conditioning, seattle" because our furnace broke down and I wanted to price out for a duel heat/cool air conditioner system.
I grew up in Los Angeles and my husband makes fun of me that I can't take the heat. But even he believes that its getting hotter (global warming). I can't take the heat here because where I grew up there was always air conditioning and I lived near the ocean, not a sound, where it cooled off to 50-60s every evening.
In terms of burglaries, even in L.A., we opened windows in the evening because of the cool down and my parent's preference for fresh air.
So air conditioning here we come!Anonymous
July 11, 2007
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July 12, 2007
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July 14, 2007
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July 25, 2007
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January 13, 2008
Hi! Seattle has far cooler sumemr nights than Los Angeles! What are you talking about! The warmest average low temperature is 57 degrees, in August,Anonymous
June 30, 2008
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December 17, 2008
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March 26, 2009
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July 27, 2009
I agree. Seattle is miserable in the summer. I have lived in Colorado and Texas and the summers got much hotter and lasted longer. But our homes and bodies where prepared for it. Now there is no air conditioning and my body is not use to handling this heat. People in Seattle that don't need air conditioning, are the same idiot locals you see walking around in the pouring rain with no hat or umbrella, and wearing shorts.Anonymous
July 27, 2009
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July 28, 2009
It's wet and humid in Seattle, been there quite a few times. Regardless of the temp - need A/C to control the humidity. -Tampa,FLAnonymous
July 28, 2009
if I had my way I'd ban air conditioning all together. It's the biggest wast of power on the earth, and way too much finite resources are burnt up provided it. Nuclear, geothermal, wind, solar, etc. can provide power needed for air conditioning, dolt. I hope you big tough guys 'heaving boxes' also live without other modern conveniences like antibiotics and indoor plumbing.Anonymous
July 29, 2009
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June 30, 2013
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June 30, 2013
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July 31, 2013
@GoGoBear: I couldn't agree more with you! There are at least 2 new apt complexes coming up in Redmond. I called both of them to ask about A/Cs. Both mentioned they don't plan on having A/Cs in any of their apt units. One of them has already started pre-leasing (they have their pre-leasing mobile office and you can hear the A/C on when you pass by on Cleveland St), guess what the price is for the cheapest apt? >2K per month + parking, but no A/C! The pre-leasing agent said that they'll allow portable A/Cs in apts. I'm strongly considering renting in a luxury apt complex that has central A/C in the apts.Anonymous
July 21, 2014
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