I'm almost at my breaking point - it's so humid, I may just have to put on the A/C, special for Shabbat. So not frugal, I know...
But we used to run the A/C at a near-constant 78 degrees Fahrenheit when we lived in Florida. We kept the windows closed to keep pollen and pollution out, and I rarely had an asthma attack. And my kid with asthma rarely had any flare-ups too.
But here, we don't run the A/C like that. If we did, we'd be broke. Seriously.
I have refrained from putting it on, except for a couple of nights in my boys' room when my younger son was having a serious asthma problem. The doctor got him onto some different medications, and he's using the nebulizer a lot now, but he is breathing again, so we're back to using fans and open windows.
But all 4 of my children and I have had issues with asthma since we made aliyah, and I believe it's because of the lack of A/C. We used to use a HEPA filter in the A/C system
and it kept our air a lot cleaner than what we're breathing in right now. But here, we don't have a central air system, so we can't just put in a whole house HEPA filter. And the other ones, like the small HEPA air purifier
I used to have in the U.S. that we used when we weren't running the A/C? There it cost me about $60. Here - 500 NIS or more, so I haven't gone out to buy one yet. Sigh.Maybe I should look into ordering one from Amazon UK...
Try putting the A/C on a Shabbat clock type of timer. It's a good way to help cool the air without paying a fortune.
ReplyDeleteWe have one a/c unit in the main room of our home, and since we live in a caravan (50 sq meters), it can also cool down the bedrooms slightly if the doors are left open.
ReplyDeleteYou might find that putting the a/c on for a period as short as 30 minutes can restore your sanity during the hottest part of the day. (Haven't your husband and kids revolted yet?)
nope. the kids seem immune to the heat, and they drink lots of cold drinks. and my husband gets home when it has cooled off already, so he doesn't notice. On Shabbat in the middle of the day he DID say something though. Although in the end, it had been his call not to turn on the A/C. He doesn't mind heat so much. And he works in Teverya, so home seems a wonderful relief!
DeleteWe have such a high ceiling and a skylight and so many windows without trissim, that trying to cool this place seems to be an exercise in futility...