It’s been pretty hot here in Atlanta; the temperatures have been in the 90s and the heat indices well over 100. But my office has been so cold that some people are breaking out sweaters. I sometimes wear long sleeves.

Yet nobody has really opposed turning the air conditioning off. Down, perhaps, but not off. Part of this is justified as we do have a rather large server farm in the building. But part of it is because air conditioning has become something we consider a necessity.

The Washington Post recently printed an opinion article opposing the use of air conditioning, and as someone who lived in a house without air conditioning (in the South!) for a few years while growing up, I agree that it’s not a necessity. It’s a luxury, and a relatively recent one at that¹.

I’ll admit that I do use my air conditioning, but my use is definitely in line with Georgia Power’s recommendations for saving money². Even in the midst of this heat wave, my central air is set on 80°. Most people shudder at that thought. I shrug and turn my fans on.

So the backlash against Mr. Cox’ comments is pretty startling to me. Apparently the “right” to air conditioning is something that many people hold near and dear to their hearts.

I’m not particularly sure that’s a good thing.

“We found that going in and out of air conditioning always made you feel like it was too hot outside, so you ended up sitting in your easy chair eating pretzels,” he said. But being uncomfortable indoors forces them out [...]

“When it’s too hot to just sit here we might go swimming or ride our bikes or walk along the canal path,” said Mr. Focazio, who noted that he usually loses about six or seven pounds each summer, which he attributes to an appetite diminished by the heat, and an increase in exercise³.

The interesting thing is that so many people pine for the “easier times” of the 1950s and 1960s. Air conditioning certainly wasn’t universal then, and houses were often built to account for that. These days, high ceilings and large porches are considered quaint, old fashioned — and luxurious. Many people don’t stop to think that they might have been practical.

After all, there was still plenty of living possible without locking ourselves into refrigerators just because it was hot. Sometimes I actually even send up a little prayer of thanks that I had to “suffer” without air conditioning for a few years; and yes, I do plan to turn my air conditioning off next week while I’m out of town.

1. http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mvigeant/therm_1/ac_final/bg.htm
2. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/electricity_sav.php (Georgia Power’s site has the recommendation, but it’s embedded in a rather bandwidth-heavy flash application.)
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/garden/23air.html?pagewanted=2&fta=y