This week’s article is dedicated to my very best friend—my air conditioner. It’s true. I absolutely love air conditioning. I can honestly say my air conditioner is always there when I need it and it makes me feel great after being in the summer heat. (Not that I’m really outside that often.)

Actually, as I’m writing this article I am sitting with a sweatshirt on and feeling a little chilly in my air-conditioned house. Some of you might think that’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard and I should obviously turn the air down. But for the duration of this column, my home will remain in a winter-like state.

I don’t know why I feel that I need to be cold in the summer. In fact, I really wish I was one of those people who loved the warm, humid air. But I’m not one of those people. And I truly cannot understand people who say, “This is the first time I turned on my air all summer” or “The fans really cool off the house” or “Heat just doesn’t bother me.” I just don’t get it.

I’m also really picky about my air conditioning. In the car I need the air to be directly blowing on my face until I feel the need to crack out the gloves. At home, I don’t want to feel any air blowing anywhere near me. The air just needs to magically get cool without me noticing it.

Also, I continuously change the temperature settings on the thermostat even though it automatically changes at four different intervals throughout the day. And in the spring and early fall, my husband, Bill, can often be heard saying, “Susan, it’s 54 degrees outside, does the air conditioning really need to be on?” At that point I will explain that movie theaters or other public venues have their air conditioning on almost all year and it’s not like we have it on as much as those places. Plus our house never cools off properly when the windows are open.

I decided to ask a few area residents their thoughts on air conditioning to see if anyone else shared my views. The first responses are from people whose parties I would definitely attend if invited to a gathering at one of their homes:

“My parents never once opened a window in their house because we all had allergies and asthma. I was always the first one on my block to turn the air on.” Jamie, age 40.

“I love air conditioning! I think it’s one of the top five most important inventions ever made. I guess if I lived along the lake I would open a window once in a while but not in the middle of the suburbs.” Danielle, age 39.

“At home we use the air all the time. Our air is pretty much always on once it hits 73 but we don’t keep it freezing. Although I like opening the windows in the car, sometimes it’s just too noisy, windy or warm outside so I just turn on the air.” Samantha, age 36.

“I think it’s absolutely, positively necessary. It dehumidifies the house and it makes it more comfortable. I have allergies so using the air conditioning instead of opening the windows prevents allergens from coming in.” Randall, age 60.

“I have one thought about air conditioning—I can’t live without it. The air is on from March until November.” My sister, Julie, age “29.”

“How could anyone not like air conditioning? It’s the best! I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through the summer without it.” My mom, Marcia, age “49.”

These next few responses are a little questionable, but I would still probably attend their gatherings:

“If I’m going to work and wearing a suit I’m all over the air conditioning. However, if I’m just wearing shorts and a t-shirt then I don’t really care if the air is on or not. I never use it in my car.” Jim, age 33.

“I would say if the evening temperature is above 72, then the air goes on. Otherwise the windows are open and the super-powered window fan goes on. The fan sucks out the hot air from the upstairs and pulls in the cool air from all the other windows. Ironically, even if the windows are closed you can still feel a draft coming in. The only time it backfired on us was when there was a skunk in the neighborhood in the middle of the night. That was definitely something to remember. The fan also has a nice humming sound.” Jeff, age 41.

These last few responses are from people who should never, under any circumstances, invite me to their homes when the outside temperature is over 70 degrees:

“I like the fresh air. I want to know it’s summer. And I think it’s healthier to be breathing in natural air. To be quite honest, I’m always cold so it’s refreshing to me to be a little warm. Once in a while the air is turned on for a few hours if we have company. Our whole family likes the fresh air. I also like the outside noises a lot. We just run ceiling fans if we’re warm while sleeping.” Suzanne, age 47.

“I prefer fresh air. It’s always nice to have the windows open in the car. Even at home I prefer to sleep with the windows open and the ceiling fan on.” Stan, age 42.

“Air conditioning is nice to have on very hot, muggy days although I very seldom use it. My ex-wife always wanted it cold in the house, like at 68 and I was fine even at 75. Let’s just say it caused a lot of friction. She wouldn’t even open the windows when it was cool outside. I think men don’t mind sweating a little. I’ve only had the air conditioning on twice so far this summer. In the car I like the fresh air blowing through my hair instead of re-circulated air. Plus the air conditioning is ruining the environment.”

Nick, age 44.

“My house doesn’t even have an air conditioner,” Steve, 37.

Although I cannot even imagine anyone willfully living in an un-air-conditioned house or consciously not turning the air on, I really liked hearing everyone’s viewpoints about my best friend, the air conditioner. Do you have any suggestions for future topics? If so, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Stay cool!

© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois