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Comment by QuarterRoy | Hacker News Reader

Before electricity they had things like sleeping porches which were just like what the name implies. After electricity and before AC, they used an attic fans. These are giant belt driven fans with an electric motor that have a sort of trap door in front of them - usually with some sort of mesh covering the trap door (I’ve owned two houses in the southern US built in the early 1900s with these fans).

In the summer months, you’d open all the windows, open the trap door, and turn on the fan. Historical homes were also built with crank windows above the doors to also help increase circulation when the attic fan was on.

It’s also about what you’re used to. My grandparents keep their central AC on in the mid 80s - which to me is very uncomfortable but they are in their late 80s and this is what they’re used to.

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> My grandparents keep their central AC on in the mid 80s…

I always would set my AC to 78 during the Phoenix summers, the difference between that and the outside temperature was enough to keep me happy. I’d also have to mostly avoid businesses that kept it to a more “comfortable” temperature because I’d get cold and I don’t like being cold…which is the main reason (behind the electric bill) for my choice, I absolutely refused to pay to be cold.

I remember I was carted down to the basement of the VA hospital to get X-rays during the summer and I was literally shivering the whole time I was down there, they probably had it set to something reasonable like 72.

—edit—

To answer the actual question, I talked to old people who grew up in Phoenix and they said it wasn’t all that bad back in the day. The heat island makes a big difference and there was a lot more agriculture surrounding the city keeping the temperature down.

Anecdotally we're nearing or reaching historical highs thanks to global warming, so in part people who lived in the South as I do didn't have to quite deal with such high temperatures. Even so my house which was built in 1936 has very high ceilings, multiple windows with window screens in every room, a whole house fan that creates a nice breeze in the house by drawing in outside air which it vents into the attic, and two screened attic vents that are 4-5 feet wide and around 10 feet tall. The house was very much designed to cool by moving lots of air. Add in the shade from a pecan tree and it can be quite pleasant. I'm still running the AC as we speak because even with all that moving air it's still humid.

Oh wow. I forgot about the attic fan. Haven’t lived in that house for 14 years but wow - can’t believe I forgot about that. Those things were AWESOME! Shame more homes don’t have them now.

I live in a one bedroom city apt, 2nd floor, just under the roof. I'm getting very warm summer temperatures.

I've installed a powerful king air 20 inch window fan, and enjoy a warm, but nice breeze in all rooms, all day long. Perfect.

In the market for new window fans - what model numbers? Had two Comfort Zone CZ310R 3-Speed’s that failed after 5 years in 2 weeks of each other.

Replacements are nearing 3 months and the motors are whining.

Inflation seems to have hit small electric motors hard. Resigned to spending more to replace them again but want something good. Anyone know of any reliable/ durable window fans?

I have four of these units going on 6 years:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000065DK8

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