Summers without AC

Though summer does not officially arrive until June 21 and recently we have had a few bizarre cold snaps, it is time to get the house ready for the oncoming Virginia summer season.


For many of you, it is simply a matter of switching the thermostat from “heat” to “cool,” but at the Nelson household things are a bit less modern.

My first child did not tolerate the heat well and when she suffered, we all suffered! On a particularly hot and humid day, she began to fuss and fume very early and within hours a large window unit was installed.

In time, she acclimated and the window unit was removed, never to return.

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The “storms” have been pushed up and the “screens” pulled down. This annual early summer practice contributes to a healthier environment and just as importantly, to my pocket book.

There is no mechanical AC here at the farm-just nature’s own. Except for perhaps one week out of the entire summer, it is a comfortable climate.

Frequently, guests comment on the cool temperatures in the house and marvel that it is not the result of conditioned air. My recipe for keeping cool on a hot Virginia day isn’t rocket science, but it may give you some ideas of your own.

It helps if someone 30 to 40 years ago planted trees that now shade the house and capture the breezes. If you are building, think twice before clear cutting the lot!

Porches: big and lots of them. It is like adding several rooms to the house without the large square footage expense of climate controlled space. They capture breezes, shade the house, protect from winter weather and provide a lovely place to enjoy that first cup of coffee or a summer evening.

My cat, Hank, is a huge fan of porches; daily, I open the screen on a window leading to the front porch, and he can come and go at his own discretion. I should tell you that I had to rearrange the porch furniture to stop Scout, the Jack Russell, from using that same mechanism to get in the house, whenever she thought it necessary.

Draw the curtains during the day to keep out the heat and open everything at night to let in the cooler air.

Fans are OK and use very little electrical current; the ceiling fans simply keep the air moving, but a box fan placed in a bedroom window may send you scrambling for a light cover during the night.

And during that one week out of the summer when the heat is stifling and there is not a breeze to be found, consider the following:

• Before bed, reduce your body temperature with a dunk in the pool or creek or consider a serious dowsing with the garden hose.

• Put two or more fans in your bedroom.

• Sleep outside.

• Stay with a friend

• Suck it up and remember how you hated the 15 degree weather last winter.

Until next time, be well.