‘Don’t Need Air Conditioning’? Don’t Believe It!

The last two homes my husband and I have lived in have been about 10 miles from the coast. Neither had air conditioning when we moved in. We were assured by the real-estate agent that there were “only about five days a year” that air conditioning was needed in San Marcos, in northern San Diego County. The landlord of the West Hollywood-area downstairs apartment we moved into last May said almost exactly the same thing.

If you’re looking for a place to buy or rent in an “in-between area” that is, not right on the coast, but not that far inland — you might hear the same line. Whether it’s urban legend or simply an outright fib, the fact is, it’s probably not true.

We lasted exactly one summer in the San Marcos house before shelling out more than $3,000 for a central A/C unit. The first floor of the house rarely was a problem, but we didn’t sleep on the first floor. Upstairs, the air was stagnant — and hot.

We moved into our current apartment, near The Grove in L.A., a little more than a year ago. Things were tolerable until the week before Labor Day, when a horrific heat wave came to town and stayed seven days. The temperature in the apartment was in the low 90s for a week. It was bad enough for the adults, but I was seriously afraid it might kill my two Labradors. Fortunately, I worked at home, so I was able to take them out back three times a day for a cool hosing-down.

The apartment has bars on all of its windows, and only a couple of them are the double-hung kind that could accommodate a window unit. Most of them are French-door style. We spoke to the landlord about getting central A/C. She said the homes were completely plumbed for it, but she didn’t want to spend the $2,000 per unit to have it installed — even though we’re paying nearly $3,000 a month for a two-bedroom.

So we decided to move. Not having A/C wasn’t the only reason, but it was one of the top three (along with a wanting a yard and a less-crowded neighborhood). The new place, in the same ZIP code, doesn’t have central air, but it has several windows that will accommodate window units. We’re moving on Wednesday.

So for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing research on air conditioning. The best information I found is on consumerreports.org, but you have to have a subscription to get the detailed ratings. There’s some good info on consumersearch.com. The good news is, you really can’t go wrong if you buy a well-known brand. They’re far cheaper and more energy-efficient than ever before. (But don’t buy a portable air conditioner unless you have no other choice; they’re only slightly more cooling than fans, they’re big and bulky, and they cost a fortune.)

Sunday morning, my husband and I drove to Lowe’s in Burbank to pick up our new Frigidaire 10,000 BTU window air conditioner. It claims to cool 500 square feet, and it cost $208 plus tax. It was pretty toasty in Burbank, but it was the last day of the heat wave, according to the forecast, and then it would be adios to A/C-free living. Yay!

My advice to anyone looking to move to a new place: Unless you’re really close to the ocean and positive you won’t need it, insist on air conditioning. (If you’re not sure, ask some neighbors.) You won’t be sorry. After all, with climate change being what it is, it’s not likely to get any cooler anytime soon.

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