No margin for air

If your memory is not impaired, you might recall that it gets hot here. Eventually. Sometimes it gets hot and stays hot.

And when that happens again, we all will witness the resumption of an overheated debate that has divided the Spokane area for years.

Is air conditioning necessary here?

In a region that enjoys arguing about seasonal choices, it’s our summertime stand-in for the annual throw-down over studded tires.

How you answer says a lot about you – at least according to some on the other side of the issue.

There are those in the “No” camp who would have you believe that “Yes” people are profligate energy-wasting wimps.

Likewise, there are some in the “Yes” faction who dismiss “No” people as cheapskate Luddites who could probably use a shower.

Others politely view this as a matter of personal preference.

Let’s call the first witness.

“For years my husband and I lived in the East Central neighborhood house I grew up in without air conditioning,” said Jennifer Roseman, director of communications and development for the Sisters of Providence in Spokane. “In the hottest part of the summer we would move mattresses down to the basement rec room, taking the two kids with us so we could all get some sleep. After one too many nights of waking up with little feet in my face I decided that enough was enough. People say there aren’t enough hot days and nights in Spokane each year to warrant air conditioning, but when you multiply them by a decade or two, cooler air is well worth the investment.”

Rebuttal?

“No, we do not need air conditioning here,” said Dave Reynolds, a customer service rep for Aronson-Campbell, a maker of precision cutting tools for industrial use. “There are only about three weeks during the hot part of the summer that we would use it, and if I could get my neighbor to plant a tree in the right place it wouldn’t be needed at all.”

Of course, sometimes this often-polarized discussion rages under the same roof.

Hank Greer, a self-described computer geek, is an example. He is no fan of air conditioning. Still, he has it.

“I think it’s unnecessary,” he said. “I do everything I can to keep from running it at home. Insulated window shades and well-placed fans keep the house at a comfortable temperature. I open the windows to bring in the cool night air. And I go round and round with my family who think the AC is there to use if you have it.”

Apparently a lot of people around here are, in fact, using theirs.

“We are still a winter-peaking utility,” said Avista spokesperson Debbie Simock. “But our summer load has increased. It’s getting close to equaling out.”

Part of the explanation, without a doubt, is increased air conditioner use, she said.

Though air conditioners have become more energy efficient in recent years, they still suck a lot of electricity. That makes them expensive to operate. And, big picture, their widespread use during heat waves can put local utilities in the position of having to at least consider buying costly supplementary power from outside sources. That would have an impact on customers’ bills across the board.

Simock herself does not have AC at home. “It’s not that bad,” she said. “Considering what I grew up with.”

That would be the steambath conditions of South Carolina.

When it comes to comfort and perceptions of summer weather, it’s all relative.

Nonetheless, a lot of local new home construction includes air conditioning as a standard feature. More than a few people shopping for a house in Spokane consider it a must.

Realtor Patti McKerricher Boyd recently had a couple express interest in a vintage home that did not have AC. They wanted to retrofit the place with central air. “This was a deal breaker if it could not be installed.”

OK, when it comes to heat index, no one is going to confuse the Spokane area with Alabama or Arizona.

We experience low humidity and it almost always cools off at night.

Still, there are those who don’t want to hear our summers described as “mild.”

“If we didn’t have AC, I wouldn’t be able to live in the Inland Northwest,” said transplant Barbara Smith. “We came here from the West Side, and wished we’d had it there, just always thought we could tough it out. It is so much hotter here. If you want to be hot, go outside.”

Reasonable people can disagree about whether it is a necessity.

“I’ve lived in Spokane 60 years without air conditioning,” said Lew Wilson, a lawyer.

National Weather Service meteorologist Milt Maas has lived in Spokane almost 30 years, sans AC. He said he has been fine.

People who regularly spend long stretches in truly hot weather can become physically acclimated to an extent, said Dr. Rocky Kerr, who works at Sacred Heart Medical Center’s emergency room.

But this region’s up-and-down summer temperatures would not seem ideal for accustoming us to, say, 95 degrees.

Now certainly there are people with health conditions for which their doctors recommend air conditioning. And, of course, some local residents simply could not afford it.

For most people, though, the deciding factor seems to be an attitudinal tolerance for warm temperatures. That can be a highly individual matter.

One person might think our summers are nothing some iced tea and cool jazz can’t handle. Someone else might prefer to press hard on the button that says “MAX COOL.”

“My oh-so-skinny husband believes that you don’t need air conditioning here,” said Maria Washington of Spokane. “I believe that for about 2.5 weeks you might.”

The debate goes on.

Brett Steinauer is a longtime salesman at Fred’s Appliance. More than once, he has seen several days of hot weather send sweaty customers staggering into the store.

The No. 1 concern for people thinking of buying an air conditioner?

“It’s a sleep issue,” said Steinauer.

Perhaps that rings a bell.

Summer isn’t just a dream. It’s coming.

How to deal with it is up to you.

Just remember. Whatever you elect to do, you aren’t just coming up with a cooling strategy.

You’re choosing sides.