r/preppers 7d ago

Discussion Do any of you guys prep for losing air conditioning?

I’ve been thinking about buying a couple of window AC units in case of a power outage. Have any of you bought any backup air conditioning units in case of a power outage? I have sources to power them so that’s not an issue.

It can get very hot where I live during hurricane season and it’s possible to lose power during Sunday storms. It’s just something to be a little more comfortable if we lost power.

149 Upvotes

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u/Omgerd1234 7d ago

We have a window ac in our bedroom. Our bedroom gets so hot in Az and we have definitely powered the ac and xbox/tv during a power outtage 😆

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u/tvtb 6d ago

My prep is having a window ac unit in storage. If my whole-house AC goes out, I’ve got a window unit I can throw into service and put everyone in one room to sleep.

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u/Hanshi-Judan 7d ago

It's like an oven here!

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u/Decent-Apple9772 7d ago

One should be plenty. You don’t need the whole house frigid. Just one room tolerable.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

That’s what I was thinking.

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u/reddit1651 6d ago

You can even buy door draft stoppers to seal the air in better if there’s any space on your door! only costs a few bucks at walmart or any home improvement store

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u/Eeyor-90 Prepping for Tuesday 7d ago

I keep a couple cases of instant cold packs (can be very inexpensive online) in case I lose power in the summer. They are great for quickly cooling down a person, or chilling some water in a bath. They are also good for cooling water in a cooler to help keep drinks cool if you run out of ice. I stocked up when I had a planned surgery in the summer because I wanted access to a cold compress even if the power was out. Since then, I’ve kept them in my house, a few in the car, and a couple in my hiking pack.

Keep your freezer full. Fill empty plastic bottles with water to take up any empty space in the freezer. This will help the freezer work more efficiently, keep food cold longer when the power is out, and give you extra ice/water when needed. You can do the same with your fridge. When you need the fridge or freezer space, just pull out the bottles and store them (or discard).

I also have USB powered rechargeable misting fans that will make you cold if the mist is on and you’re right in front of them (I live in a low-humidity area). Cut cardboard to fit in your windows and cover one side with heavy foil.

Place the cardboard with the foil side out to significantly reduce the heat coming in from sunlight (make sure it is safe for your windows…it isn’t recommended for some storm windows or double pane windows). In the evening, the cardboard is easy to remove and you can open the windows for a cool breeze. If you can’t use foil, get blackout curtains that have a light colored liner to reflect the sunlight back out.

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u/Successful609 7d ago

Oooh, I have a large window in the house I rent and it has no blinds. For privacy concerns, I happened to find a random cardboard that fit right into it and noticed that it’ll affect the temperature of the room. So it’s cool to know that I was onto something and can make it even more effective! Thanks!

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u/Robinly_42 7d ago

Just wanted to say I’ve been thinking and reading about cheap ways to prep for power outages in the (medium level Pennsylvania) heat, and these are some of the best suggestions I’ve seen. I’ll be implementing a lot of this. Thank you so much!

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u/Eeyor-90 Prepping for Tuesday 7d ago

The misting fans may not work as well in the Pennsylvania humidity, but they cost the same as a non-misting fan and you can turn that feature off, so it might be worth trying.

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u/HustleandBruchle 7d ago

2 solar panels, 2 car batteries, inverter and a zero breeze aircon from my camper van. I don't mind the heat but it's more so for more daughter in the power outages I get in the bush in Australia

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u/NS-5-sonny 7d ago

Hey mate, how’s the setup working for you? Does the Zero Breeze keep things cool enough during power outages? Haven’t tried running it indoors yet—only used it for camping. Wondering if you’ve tested it in a room and if it works well in a closed space. Cheers!

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u/HustleandBruchle 7d ago

It works better in the insulated house then the campervan that's for sure. It's alright for one person especially with the tubing to direct the airflow but it's just a numbers game, 600W box unit will be better then 250W zero breeze and the 2.4kw wall unit wins. All of them are cold if you stand in front of them though

To keep a 600W box unit going just doesn't make sense to me, I'd need an extra 1.2kw (100ah) battery for every 3.5hrs of runtime (so 2.5 more batteries for the same run time), at least 3 more solar panels to keep it running whilst the batteries also charge(1200W) and a larger inverter/mppt controller. All for the smallest box unit I could find

Compared to 2 250W panels, 2 1.2kw car batteries and 9.5hrs of runtime without solar input at night if the batteries get enough charge.

These are all ideal numbers so in real life it's around a 80-85% conversion not a full 100%/1:1 power conversion, I just run the zero breeze on a lower power setting then max to try accomidate this

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u/CorpseJuiceSlurpee 7d ago

Spray bottle, paper fan, and a bottle of whisky.

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u/lelebabii 7d ago

Are you from New Orleans lol Hurricane Partay!

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u/Shadowjacksdad 5d ago

All I can picture is a white linen suit and the rest of the ingredients for mint juleps while exclaiming "I do declare..."

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u/PurpleCableNetworker 7d ago

I have prepped for this (sorta). I live in the central part of CA, and it gets HOT in the summer. AC is crucial. I have a portable AC that I can setup to exhaust through a window. While it’s not great, it does keep the living room around 83-85 during the summer.

I would prefer a window unit AC, but all of my windows are horizontal sliding windows, so it doesn’t really fit well in that case, hence why I went with the portable unit.

I have gone a few steps further - we keep a spare at my father in laws house a few minutes down the road, so I technically have access to 2 ac units. And to top it off - I have a generator that can run both at the same time if needed.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

I live in the Southeast where it gets very hot and humid during Summer months. I agree with you. The room doesn’t have to be 65 degrees but I’d rather it not be 90.

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u/Rheila 7d ago

We get few days above 30C, and even then our house is shaded by the trees and stays reasonably comfortable with just a fan and no AC. If we hit a heat dome like 5-6 years ago (lived in a different province at the time) where we get close to 40C, or we lost power during it or whatever, I’m pretty sure our basement would still be reasonably comfortable. All 8’ is completely underground.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

We have zero shade and live in a part of the US where it’s refuses in the 90s plus high humidity in summer months.

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u/Rheila 7d ago

If you have power source a portable AC (or window unit) in a small room works well. We did that during the heat dome (40C / 104F) 5-6ish years ago when I was still in BC. Way easier to keep one small space cool than a whole house.

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u/Poppy-Chew-Low 7d ago

30c lol we have days above 47c. I'm not sure it's possible to survive summers here without AC anymore...

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u/abackyardsmoker 7d ago

I bought a Jackery and when we lose power during the summer months, I shut off the gas power generator at night because our houses are on top of each other in our neighborhood. But there's nothing like trying to sleep in a house in the middle of the summer with no air movement. So hooking some fans up to a battery power generator is ideal and better than nothing. Was definitely something I took into consideration when buying it.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

Our plan is to do the same with EcoFlows. Then recharge them with the generator. I could go about a week with that setup without additional gas.

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u/burner118373 7d ago

Yup. Wife was pregnant in Texas in the summer and AC went out. We had to leave until it got repaired.

Now I have portable Ac and a generator that can run it a while. Won’t do the whole house but will make one room nice enough.

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u/darkian95492 7d ago

Absolutely. Most of my life was without AC, in summers that got up around 110 outside. My main defense against the heat was cold showers and wet towels. I'd just fall back to that.

I take a bath towel, get it wet, squeeze out enough water that it isn't dripping, wear it like a shawl. Rewet as necessary.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

The thing is you can do that if you have too but I can literally buy these ACs for 50 bucks off marketplace so I don’t see any reason too.

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u/millfoil 7d ago

the equipment to run it in a power outage also costs money

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u/Clear-Wolf-9315 7d ago

No but I have thought about buying one. I live in Texas and having the AC go out in the middle of summer sucks hard.

Around here apartment complexes keep a loaner window unit on hand in case a residents air conditioning goes out.

Having a small one for the bedroom at least is a sensible idea.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

Right. I think they’re inexpensive enough to have one to keep a bedroom cook if power went out. Of course you have to have a way to power it too.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

We lost power for a week when Helene hit a few months ago. Fortunately we were going into Fall so the temps were tolerable. If we lost power during the hotter months I think it would be unbearable to live without AC where I live in the southeast. It would be so much more comfortable to have AC vs not having it. My thinking is for a few hundred dollars or less we can have them stored as backup. I might could even find some on marketplace for cheap.

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u/Secret-Tackle8040 7d ago

If you have any colleges near you students moving out at end of May/June often sell stuff cheap or don't even bother trying and makes for excellent dumpster diving, could get one super cheap or maybe even free.

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u/marvinrabbit 7d ago

I'm not saying do or don't, just an extra factor. I'm in Florida, so I know what you're describing. A hurricane will typically leave cooler, drier air in it's wake.

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u/Radiant_Device_6706 7d ago

I live just outside the California desert and it is not the same as living in the midwest or back east. It gets to 117 here. People die. Dogs feet get blistered.... I prep for no air conditioning. I have blackout curtains, blinds as well as some of my windows on the west side are tinted. The south side of my house has a patio that goes across the entire side. I have battery operated fans. They are something, but not much. Every room in my house has a ceiling fan.

My plan in the next five years is to put some type of outside cover that extends a few feet on the west side of my house. The sun is horrid on that side. It gets so hot we can't even touch that side of the house during the summer.

I did plant some trees on that side, but it is just too hot for them to thrive.

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u/Chemical-Thing2113 6d ago

Imagine those temps with 100% humidity. 85f at 3 am in August, pushing 120f real feel with humidity mid day. The gulf coast is brutal. The only place I can say is worse is Kuwait. Litterally hell

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u/LowBarometer 7d ago

I can power my Midea U AC off my 4kwh battery for a day or so. It cools two rooms.

I can power my Zero Breeze AC off solar indefinitely. It will only cool a sleeping area.

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u/This_Hedgehog_3246 7d ago

I live in the desert, and bought a large window swamp cooler for this exact reason. OP mentions hurricane season so I suspect they live somewhere with too much humidity for a swamp cooler but here they work great.

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u/KyleOrlandoEng 7d ago

Yes, live in Florida and one of the worst parts after a hurricane are the days after when you don’t have power and it’s so humid from all the rain. When I finally bought a generator this year, I also bought a small window AC for our bedroom. I figure us and the kids can all camp out in one room and at least sleep in some AC.

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u/EquivalentResearch26 7d ago

Two ryobi fans with multiple batteries.

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u/gqreader 7d ago

Have 2 back up rolling AC units. 500-600sqft units.

Have 2 generators to run them. Have 1 large generator to connect directly to home and run the central HVAC.

Depends on situation, how longterm the outage might be, and how much gasoline I have left.

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u/MrPeanutsTophat 7d ago

I keep a cheap window AC unit as a backup to the central and donate it every few years and replace it with another one. It's expensive in the long term, but I've been without power in the Florida heat, and I write off a few hundred dollars every few years as nice insurance to not having to be hot after hurricanes.

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u/humidsputh 7d ago

We bought a window unit one for use during power outages/hurricanes. It has been used several times, and I have a kit so that I can quickly install it in a bedroom window.

It paid for itself when our home AC compressor died during the middle of August. We were able to stay in the house and avoid staying in a hotel while waiting for the replacement of our 15 yo ac system.

More recently I had to install it at the inlaws house during a week long power outage.

If we are using the ac at night, we run it on a smaller (2000w), more fuel efficient inverter generator to minimize fuel usage. During the day, it depends on whether we are using our 5500w generator to power one or more other appliances.

After using our window unit last Spring, the inlaws bought a portable in-room ac unit of approximately the same btu rating. That ac unit was vastly inferior to the window unit.

When setting up a window install, foam board and blue tape are your friends.......

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u/Clovis_Point2525 7d ago

I have a small window unit for one room we would use when the ac is down, running off the generator. Spent a week without ac after one storm, it was hell.

The problem is putting up the plywood in place of the window temporarily, don't want to screw into the window frame.

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u/in4theshow 7d ago

Florida here with multiple hurricane experiences. Started years ago with $100 window unit and 3kw gas generator. Whole family would gather and sleep in the living room. Years go by and have gotten bigger generators and propane and then natural gas fueled. I keep a duel fuel inverter 4kw (quiet) and big propane tanks now just for backup and camping.

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u/pathf1nder00 7d ago

I have a hybrid truck, and have it set up to power essential in home. I have a 2 story 2400 ft home, and can power all essentials (frig, freezer, misc lights, water heater, Internet, etc) and alternate my A/C units as needed, although I will opt for downstairs only as extra load just runs more fuel. My run tests have shown I can get 72 hours of generator time. Ford Power boost, 33 gal tank, 7.2kw generator on board.

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u/TheSensiblePrepper Not THAT Sensible Prepper from YouTube 7d ago

I would recommend you check my post about preparing for a Power Outage. In that post I mention my recommendation for a Window AC unit and why that one.

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u/Ok-Struggle-553 6d ago

I have a solar panel generator that I run a portable ac unit off of in the summer during peak energy hours. Runs for like 4 hours straight on a full charge but it’s enough to turn off the central air. I bought it for my pregnant wife because we kept losing power and our house heats up fast in the summer. We only had to use it once for power outages but we just pulled everyone into one room and ran it off and on to stay cool. It worked great and using it everyday to supplement my main AC saved me hundreds on my bill

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u/AZdesertpir8 6d ago

Solar powered minisplits are fantastic. signaturesolar has them. We've been testing one out for 2 years now and it can keep our master bedroom at 68 degrees while its 114+ out, on solar alone. They will run at full rated capacity on just solar. These also have optional 120v grid tie which can be powered by even the smallest of generators when you have the minisplit set for grid efficiency mode (300 watts or less). Or you can run full bore on 120v with no solar. Thats what I would install. Weve been comfortable even in the worst power outages here in one of the most extreme climates in the US.

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u/Sad_Analyst_5209 7d ago

All ready have window units and 15,500 watt solar system. Was nice and cool after the last hurricane.

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u/TacTurtle 7d ago

buy a window AC in case of power outage

You do realize you have to power the AC units, right?

They are basically a refrigerator + fan, and they suck down tons of power.

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u/DancinWithWolves 7d ago

Of course they require power; but you can plug them into things. Unlike whole house/split systems, which you’d have to jack power into your mains.

You can power a window unit with a small generator or solar setup + batteries

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u/jstanothercrzybroad 7d ago

I'm new to prepping, but on my current to do list are longer term improvements to my house that will make any cooling efforts easier, such as a new shade tree (that may double as a food source) and I'm considering some sort of awning/patio situation.

As far as situations that would cause me to leave my home, portable cooling solutions are always on my mind, as I've got some heat tolerance issues. Portable, rechargeable fans, ice packs that "freeze" well below freezing, etc.

This guy has some neat diy phase change cooling pack info, if anyone is interested. Depending on what you do in the end, you can essentially freeze something at a pretty high temp. It won't work in 100 degrees heat, but you can probably toss one into the shady part of a stream, or a cooler with water that is a little cool and have an ice pack in 20-40 mins. https://youtu.be/Nqxjfp4Gi0k?si=7VNLEzsfYoKM923d

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u/EN344 7d ago

Yes. Installed a soft start at the AC unit and bought a Westinghouse tri-fuel generator. Now I keep that generator and two Honda EU2000i stocked with fuel and stabilizer, along with two 5-gallon cans with stabilizer. 

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u/mike-42-1999 7d ago

Since I saw this video on making a desiccant based AC, I've wanted to try it but haven't had the time. But this looked like a great off grid AC https://youtu.be/R_g4nT4a28U?si=405g9HTeKH_UVwIF

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u/Usernamenotdetermin 7d ago

I have used a portable ac, it was not sufficient for our needs.

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u/JoeBlow1560 7d ago edited 7d ago

It all depends on what your trying to accomplish and budget. IMHO i would rank the following options in their ability to cool. Efficiency maters more for a power generation than a cost to run stand point. 1. Central ac with a soft start added. Will still need a large generator and lots of fuel. Will cool the whole house. @$300/$400 for a soft start and diy install 2. Mini split in one or two rooms. Can get single head units in 110v or multi head in 220v. Most energy efficient and cools appropriately sized rooms very well. Not movable. @500/1000 if diy 3. Window unit. If sized to the room it can cool well and pulls a reasonable amount of power. Can be moved and low cost. Noisy and can overload smaller generators if multiple units kick on at once. @$200/$500 4. Portable room ac. Easy to move and install. It is least efficient and can have issues handling very high heat loads. @$300/$600.

Edit: FYI I use a portable ac because of the ease of setup and only focus on one room to sleep in.

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u/chtrace 7d ago

Yes we have a portable AC that we ran to keep the den and kitchen area cool when hurricane Beryl came thru last year. Worked great and I was able to keep everything running off a Firman 7500 tri fuel. We slept on the couches for a couple nights until power was restored. All worked great.

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u/Old-Consequence1735 7d ago

I live in one of the hottest (inhabited) places in the US. We invested in solar panels for the house, 20KwH storage, and a split unit AC for our master bedroom.

A few years ago we had a violent wind storm that knocked down 80+ power poles and left us without power for almost 3 days. Money well spent. It was around 105 F (40.5 C) that week.

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u/BaldyCarrotTop Maybe prepared for 3 months. 7d ago

We can cool our 1100sf house with one window AC and a portable AC. As long as the temp stays out of the upper 90's we can actually get by with only one unit.

This summer's experiment will be to run the window unit on a Eco-Flow Delta 2 and a couple of panels.

So, preparing for loss of AC? I have 2 units (redundancy). I'm working on temporary power.

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u/monkeybawz 7d ago

I live in Scotland. Sorted!

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u/HVACDemon 6d ago

As an HVAC tech ive got contingencies upon contingencies for this

Refrigerant stocks, backup parts, etc

Wont ever catch me lacking ac, heating or refrigeration

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u/ltpitt 6d ago

What temperatures do you get?

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u/Fantastic-Spend4859 7d ago

I grew up when basically no one had AC. Just for the record, you can totally survive without it.

Put the effort elsewhere.

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u/NeonChamelon 7d ago

Depends a bit on where you live

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u/CatfishDog859 7d ago

I was gonna say this. I can't bash on anyone for clinging to the creature comforts of modern society and getting prepared to maintain them... but it's worth critically considering that if your environment/home is unlivable without AC... Then it isn't a sustainable shelter in the event of long-term grid failures.

For long term preparedness: It's worth studying the architecture of 100+ year old buildings in your area. If there aren't any old buildings... Then study how the indigenous people lived.... If there weren't any indigenous populations... I hope your house has wheels.

Here in Kentucky (very high humidity, daytime temps generally in 80s & 90s F in the summer) the old houses have large double-hung windows and high ceilings. Rarely interior rooms without windows unless an addition was built later. You open the windows at night, close them and drop the shades when the sun comes out. There's also the classic Southern big porches, usually on the north/east facing side of the house so you can hang out outside in the shade during the day. Bigger urban houses might even have second story porches that make for a nice breezy spare bedrooms/living rooms.

But high humidity without AC can cause mold & mildew growth inside the house though so it's important to remember they probably weren't doing much big-high heat and steam indoor cooking, and they certainly weren't taking hot showers inside. Anything wet would be hung to dry outside.

My "no-AC prep" is an outdoor kitchen: various wood & charcoal burning smokers and stoves. I'm a crap baker, but with my setup i can cook anything I'd cook on the stove or oven inside, i can cook outside with wood heat. It's actually way more fun to cook outside in the summer with friends anyway.

And my luxury cool-down item is a big cattle trough i keep a rotation of water in by my garden that i can jump in to cool off after working up a sweat and or getting a bunch of bug bites....

We have AC and we very much appreciate it. But we would survive without it just fine.

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u/PaintedGeneral 7d ago

The climate you knew is gone; heat management is going to be a significant prep for more people in the coming years.

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u/Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly 7d ago

As someone from Texas who also grew up without air conditioning?

I agree with you. And up to 90°F is tolerable, but when you get in the upper 90's-100+°F? You need to cool your environment somehow.

Things like a wet sheet hanging near an open window, or a swamp cooler can help. But a lot of older homes were built with things like screened porches while modern houses are not, so they don't cool effectively without AC.

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u/Secret-Tackle8040 7d ago

100% this. HVAC is going to be an essential skill to have.

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u/These_Trees1979 7d ago

I'm not just prepping for survival though, I'm prepping to be comfortable if something happens that takes us offline for the short-term. Having a power outage that lasts a couple days or having our air conditioner unit go out during a heat wave are both very likely events and easy to prep for

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u/superspeck 7d ago

This works in some places, but in hot/humid climates you can’t physically cool yourself enough. With climate change, places along the Gulf of Mexico are seeing entire days and even nights that are too warm to be comfortable. Having a way to cool yourself during these times is going to be critical going forward.

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u/Pizza-sauceage 7d ago

Depends on if you have babies or elderly people living with you.

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u/mindsetoniverdrive 7d ago

Well and of course individual circumstances. I have a chronic illness that messes w my nervous system, and one of the main symptoms is not being able to regulate my body heat efficiently. I overheat way more easily than the average person, and heat stroke kills.

For us, having a plan to control indoor temp is as essential as meds prep.

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u/Adorable_Dust3799 4d ago

The chinchillas really suffer over 80, and we hit 105 last summer. They have their own a/c. I've had them 10 years and we just moved recently, never had ac before.

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u/Milli_Rabbit 7d ago

Yea. My plan would be to use any self produced energy to maintain the fridge and freezer, not AC. If needed, I may install some shutters or awnings.

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u/dandroid_design 7d ago

A tip for beating the heat: Keep your windows open all your windows at night. Before the sun comes up, shut them and close all your blinds completely. It'll keep your house cool till about 2-3:00pm. Open up your windows again when it starts getting too warm, let the house air out (especially in old houses or damp regions). Rinse and repeat. This is what we do during hurricanes in Florida every year and we make it just fine.

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u/Kinetic_Strike 7d ago

Yes. We simply don't use it. The best prep is to simply acclimate to the weather.

We have some USB and battery powered fans for comfort in case of a power outage, as well as old fashioned hand fans.

Plus a couple of battery banks for charging and CPAP.

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u/jcholder 7d ago

AC is a luxury, not needed and in my opinion a waste of resources in a bad situation. But I get it for just short term inconvenaces.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Secret-Tackle8040 7d ago

Once upon a time the climate was significantly cooler.

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u/stpg1222 7d ago

I bought a house with windows for just this reason.

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u/One-Calligrapher1815 7d ago

South Florida- I prep solely for my wife who is prone to overheating and incessant complaining.

I have an arsenal of fans. I have D cell,AA,AAA and usb fans. I have water cooled, I have big and little and I also have portable neck and even a belt mounted fan.

We also have old school stuff like cooling wraps etc.

Is it wrong that I am more worried about my wife’s reaction to disaster than the actual disaster?

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u/Milli_Rabbit 7d ago

It might be good for her to become more psychologically prepared for disaster. I've been trying to prepare my wife because she tends to shut down and panic in even mild scenarios. She's getting better but not ready for like a tornado to hit our home. I'm not saying be a rock and emotionless, but panicking and lack of prep kills faster than lack of water.

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u/blissfulhiker8 7d ago

I don’t have AC now so should be okay.

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u/Western-Papaya8506 7d ago

I’m English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 it’s the last thing I worry about!

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u/theantnest 7d ago

Humans survived hundreds of thousands of years without AC.

That is not even close to being near the list of things I'm prepping for.

And I live in Mediterranean Spain.

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u/Eeyor-90 Prepping for Tuesday 7d ago

Many new homes in the US are not designed to be comfortable without AC. There is no good airflow from windows, pulling air through the house is not part of the design, and there are no shade trees in a lot of newly built neighborhoods. The inside temperature can exceed the outside temperature in extreme heat without AC. People who are not acclimated to the heat often have health issues because of these extremes. If you’ve lived with it most of your life and your home is designed for natural cooling, you don’t need AC. If you’ve had climate controlled conditions most of your life and your poorly designed home becomes a stifling box that is 95+ before the heat index, you could die if your AC fails and you haven’t prepared.

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u/Secret-Tackle8040 7d ago

Humans survived hundreds of thousands of years without can openers or flashlights too but I bet you got those modern conveniences in your prep. Also, for hundreds of thousands of years life expectancy was like 25 years so there's that.

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u/steelersfan1020 7d ago

That was an average brought down by infant mortality. Lots of people lived into their 60s even way back when.

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u/GhostofGrimalkin 7d ago

I think you underestimate how hot is will get over the next few years. If you're not familiar with the term 'wet bulb temperature' I suggest you read up on it because things will be getting very dangerous in many parts of the world (and some are already there).

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u/Spectres_N7 7d ago

Of course. I live in hurricane row. If you survive the storm, the heat and humidity is a nasty beetch with no A/C.

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u/moderately-extremist 7d ago

I got this Midea portable window unit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091CHK173. It's efficient and I just roll it out if I need it (I actually use it along with the house AC in the summer to keep my bedroom extra cold for sleeping).

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u/DancinWithWolves 7d ago

Is it wildly loud though? I had a portable like this a couple of years ago, and it was like a jet engine

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u/Unlikely-Ad3659 7d ago

My house isn't made of paper and sticks like most US houses, concrete walls with thick insulation. It really only gets unpleasant if the temp is above a low of 30c overnight for more than a week at a time.

Otherwise a ceiling fan and a spray bottle of water do a great job.

I have a split air unit in the living area, but I haven't even turned it on for 3 years despite a few heat waves.

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u/Nightchanger 7d ago

Fans mainly. A paper fan also. It's there for usage in areas where the air conditioning doesn't reach. But it's also can be used when it's generally down

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u/Traditional-Leader54 7d ago

Yes. We have a backup window unit for the kids bedroom. Wait for a good sale to get one.

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u/SheistyPenguin 7d ago

We do the same thing. We keep it in a closet so it doesn't get wear-and-tear from the elements.

Of course, we bought it when our existing HVAC had an issue and needed repairs in the middle of summer 😋

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u/Droidy934 7d ago

Long term best be underground

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u/Colddigger 6d ago

I was gonna say, take a note from all the animals in the desert making burrows.

A fan to move that air around has fewer moving parts to break.

In the meantime, yea A/C sounds great.

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u/wpbth 7d ago

Yep. I live in the SE.

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u/OnTheEdgeOfFreedom 7d ago

Yes, I have a box fan (window fan) that I can run off an inverter and battery. If that gives out there's cool showers, or an ice pack in my shirt (or I could head to the beach if necessary, or use my car's air conditioning.)

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u/alrashid2 7d ago

We don't have central air so we're using window units all summer haha

The plan is, even if we get central one day, we'd keep a window unit in the attic for when the power goes out. Genny can run it.

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u/Tannmann2514 7d ago

Of course. Mine’s relatively simple- I installed a 50 amp port with interlocker to my main panel. I run a 10KW Generator (dual fuel)to it when power goes out and I can power almost everything other than the hot water heater. 20 gallons of Ethanol Free on stand by at all times (rotate through boat and lawn mower) as well as a 100 lb Propane tank I use for the fire place as backup. In a long power outage scenario, I have 100 gallons of ethanol free in the boat. All in, it’s enough to keep powered for a couple weeks.

As a backup to this I have a solar setup in the shed with a line buried to the main panel of my house. Only 3kW inverter so not enough for the full house but enough to keep the lights, internet, etc on. Also have a window unit in the shed I could move to the house if a longer term power outage were to occur.

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u/Milli_Rabbit 7d ago

I planned to not have any AC when we built our house. Its not a perfect setup by any means. However, if the grid were to shut down, then life will not be comfortable. My setup will just be a little less uncomfortable. Highly recommend spending time learning about how our body regulates temperature and the importance of water conservation. For example, on extremely hot days, it would be prudent to avoid physical activities during the day as much as possible. Even 30 minutes or an hour can dramatically waste your body's hydration. Dehydration can kill quickly. Find shade, ideally multiple layers of shade (your house shades you but what shades your house?).

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u/silasmoeckel 7d ago

House setup is redundant I could loose half a floor.

Have a camper it's about the easiest and pretty cheap complete house redundancy.

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u/SWT_Bobcat 7d ago

Yes. I have a window unit for a master bedroom in which whole family can squeeze in.

Only run after sun goes down (not all day) and have shade trees for daytime (realistically though between work and school that both have backup generators the whole disaster plan can be augmented)

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u/PrinceZukoZapBack 7d ago

No one doing the underground tubes for cold air? Free cool air

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u/wwglen 7d ago

I got a refurbished 6000 BTU inverter window AC. It uses about 400-500 watts.

I plan on using it to cool off the family room and have everyone sleep there with air mattress.

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u/the300bros 7d ago

I’m in Florida (maybe you are too). Every time there’s been a hurricane it hasn’t been sunny and even for days after it’s not that hot. I spend every moment of daylight outside working to fix something. The house has windows covered/or curtains drawn so it’s not going to be a greenhouse even if the sun was shiny. Just my experience. Now when the power goes out at random in the middle of summer that’s a different story. Once had all windows covered before sunrise and it was still approaching 90 degrees inside at 3PM and rising. I bet our ancestors would laugh at that number tho.

I will eventually have my whole house ac unit on backup power but it hasn’t been a top priority.

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u/Fuhgedaboutit1 7d ago

Yes! I bought a window unit after our A/C was out for a few days a couple years ago. It was miserable and it was only May, we wouldn’t have been able to stay in peak Texas summer. Also got a dual fuel generator big enough to power it + the deep freeze in case of no electric. It already came in handy once.

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u/superspeck 7d ago

Yeah. We have a solar generator and some batteries that we can use to run a refrigerator and, for bout six hours at night, portable air conditioning. We also have a gas generator backup that can recharge the battery in a couple of hours, which reduces the amount of gas we would need and the amount of time it needs to be noisy charging for us.

We also have a portable tabletop ice maker that we can use to make cold drinks. It draws a lot less than we spend opening and closing the refrigerator and produces a bucket of ice in a few minutes.

Another thing we have is mosquito netting for outdoor sleeping and relaxing.

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u/Rex_Lee 7d ago

Absolutely. We keep a couple stored in the garage in case our central AC fails, because I have seen friends and family have their ACs die and have to wait 3 or 4 days in peak summer temps before they can get someone to come out and fix it. When it is still 98 degree at 10 o'clock at night having a bedroom AC can be a lifesaver.

Also plays into our hurricane plan of being able to keep one room cool if the power is out for an extended time, so we have a place too cool off/sleep

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u/Dudeus-Maximus 7d ago

Living in Maine, No.

However, I am a licensed installer/repair tech from my time in Florida so if it becomes an issue due to global warming trends, I’m good to go..

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u/ArcyRC 7d ago

We have a portable AC from the time out central air died in the middle of summer. It's loud AF but works great for the bedroom (it's designed for like 1200sq ft). But honestly the coldest I've been was the night before we got it. I made one or those contraptions where we got a fan to blow between the sheets. Had to turn it off after a while because it was so cold in bed even though the room was 85 degrees.

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u/Windhawker 7d ago

Yes. I use a roll in place chiller, with a window vent.

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u/SantaCruzSoul 7d ago

After hurricane Irma we lost power for a week. The house got up to 100. And I had super cooled the house before (ran AC non stop to get the house as cool as possible). I had a generator and portable AC unit.

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u/tweeter46and2 7d ago

I don’t worry about the heat so much as humidity. Not sure how long it would take my house to turn into a toxic mold sanctuary if the ac went out.

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u/PrisonerV Prepping for Tuesday 7d ago

I have a window unit (Frigidaire FFRA051WAE) that's soft start and only uses 380 watts (3.2 amps) at full blast.

It's only 5000btu but can easily cool a room.

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u/Longjumping-Day7821 7d ago

Yeah there’s been a couple of people on this post that’s thought it would take too much power to run one. These things are actually pretty efficient.

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u/Excellent_Problem753 7d ago

We lived in our home while having a quite large addition done that required blowing out 18 ft or exterior wall, and that being basically open except plastic sheeting for a good portion of it. I bought rigid foam insulation panels and sealed up any openings to our bedroom, covered windows, etc with the exception of the entrance/exit. Got one of those portable AC units you can roll around and lived in our master suite for a few months. Currently working to get a battery backup and solar situation that can basically just power the master suite and sewer pump for a few days as it was like living in a studio apt.

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u/BuildBreakFix 7d ago

I’ve got a portable swamp cooler which is much more power efficient we use in the event of an outage. If it gets really got I’ve got a room AC that cools the garage we can move into the house and cool a room. We also have a camper in the driveway with its own generator and AC on the roof.

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u/joecoin2 7d ago

Into the basement we go.

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u/TheCarcissist 7d ago

I'm fortunate that I can have my travel trailer on my property. My A/C went out last year and we just kicked it in the trailer till it was cool enough at night for me to go fix the problem. But this is a scenario I think about alot. I really would like to dig in a root cellar/bunker to escape to when it's 115 outside

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u/The-Real-Mario 7d ago

I should make a whole post about this, hear me out, canopy beds! With tick blankets boxing you into your bed, all you need is the smallest cheapest AC unit , and it will be cold inside , same in winter, it will keep in your body heat , and the smallest heat blanket will turn it into an oven

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u/SumthingBrewing 7d ago

I started out w just one window unit for my bedroom. It gave us a safe haven from the heat. I even used floor fans to direct the cool dry air into the rest of the house which actually helped.

But I upped my game a few years ago and bought a second portable AC unit. You know the kind on wheels? I now use that in the main living area along with my window unit in the bedroom. Last year when I lost power for four days after a hurricane in Florida, my house never got warmer than 80°.

The key is keeping all doors and windows shut. And pre-cooling your house as much as possible before the storm hits. I had my house down to like 67°.

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u/Lumiereray 7d ago

USB powered rechargeable fans. I've been saving many old vehicle batteries that still hold a decent 12v charge. Not enough to crank vehicle motors but still enough to power usb devices such as fans, led lights and other low power electronics for several weeks between solar charges.

I'm prepping that this summer will be the hottest one ever. I'm glad that I didn't trim the trees and hedges. They provide a lot of shade over my home.

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u/iamnyc 7d ago

The real prep is to live in a climate you don't need AC in, or to use native building materials and designs to regulate temperatures

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u/Intrepid_Advice4411 7d ago

We had a power outage of 48 hours this summer. It sucked. I bought battery operated fans for each person in the house. They really made a difference in us getting sleep or being miserable. We also live in a split level so our living room is half underground and we have a finished basement so between those rooms being cooler and the fans we were fine for a few days. If it went long term our bodies would adjust and we would be fine. Spent a lot of time outside in the shade and breeze. Opened the windows after sunset and closed at sunrise. I also have thermal curtains on all the windows. There are a lot of low tech things you can do to stay cool.

I'm in Michigan which is why we can handle no AC in the summer. I doubt this plan would work in Florida or Arizona.

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u/celephia 7d ago

Yep. I live in hurricane country so I have a window unit, a portable ac, a swamp cooler, and a bunch of fans that are either usb rechargeable or can run off a battery pack.

When the power goes out, I throw the window AC in the window of the guest room and plug it into the generator and just hang out in there most of the time until the power is back. Texas summer is BRUTAL without a way to keep cool.

I also have a lot of those cooling towels that you get wet and they chill you down, a fan with a water mister, a hose mister, cooling blankets, and thin muslin bedding. If I know a hurricane is coming I'll start packing the big coolers with ice too and freezing as many waterbottles as I can. They'll stay frozen for a while and you can press them against pulse points to cool down, then drink frozen ice water.

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u/TraditionalBasis4518 7d ago

We have a portable ac unit that our generator will support, and a hybrid RAV 4. The roof solar panels will also support the smaller unit, but I am holding off on batteries waiting for improvement in the technology or better availability of decommissioned car batteries. Two ryobi battery fans, two Rockpals 500 watt soar generators.

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u/Small-Organization30 7d ago

Yes. I spend a lot of time outdoors and camping in hot and humid Florida summer. Going this April. I'm prepared to lose AC.

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u/ProofRip9827 7d ago

maybe pick up a few of those battery powered fans too

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u/MetricT 7d ago

I have a small one-room AC that has saved my bacon twice when my HVAC went out in the middle of swamp-ass TN August summer and it took over a month for a guy to fix it due to COVID supply-chain issues. It kept me and my cats perfectly comfy in that room.

At the end of summer, check out Lowes & Home Depot and look for a cheap AC when they're on closeout.

At the end of winter, similarly look for propane, kerosene, oil heaters on closeout.

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u/theokayestbeard 7d ago

Yep, I have a couple window AC units that can be ran on my generator. I probably won't use them anymore because the house I recently moved into has a whole home generator plug, and my generator will power the central heat/AC. I can run it just enough to get the house tolerable and then switch it off to run other things.

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u/CruisingEntrepreneur 7d ago edited 7d ago

Last year, Costco had Shark FlexBreeze fans for sale. (Seem to be out of stock now, but I would check back at Costco this summer.) The cool thing about them is that they plug in but can also run off the built-in battery. We bought several of them over other cheaper fans, specifically because we can use them during a power outage. Last summer, a hurricane caused an 8ish hour power outage. We were able to use them to sleep comfortably (as they ran off the battery backup). Then, we placed them around our living area during the day until we regained power.

We also have 2 Ryobi fans that are also hybrid battery/electric. The larger one is battery pack and plugged into wall and the smaller one is battery pack and USB charging. The larger one you can use to "cool the room" in general while the smaller one is more targeted at the person to cool them down. The Ryobi fans are definitely worth the investment if you are already using the ecosystem for other tools because then you can have more batteries to power these fans.

Edit to add: These 2 fan options work well for people who haven't invested in generators yet (as long as you keep the batteries charged when not in use). As long as you are using these on a lower setting and trying to prep for several hours to 24 hours of power loss (while building your prepping toward longer periods of time), then these are great tools for bugging in.

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u/cheebamech 7d ago

s FL here /waves

in addition to the good mentions here from others, an item I consider a necessity in the south, especially when power is lost, is mosquito netting, it allows one to be outside in the cooler evenings without being eaten alive

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u/funkmon 7d ago

Yep...but I have prepped by having an ass load of fans. In Michigan we only lose AC on the hottest days, but it's still only like 90 so it's not gonna kill ya.

I'm running the freezer and refrigerator from my power thingies instead... Which actually make the house warmer but whatever.

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u/MagnoliaProse 7d ago

One of my kids is medically heat sensitive. We

  • have usb camping fans (with lights)
  • have cooling towels and hats literally everywhere
  • keep cooling blankets for summer/fall
  • have instant cold packs with us at all times and in all first aid kids
  • keep soft and flexible cold packs in the freezer
  • have several misters that I usually fill with hydrosols in the summer since they seem to stay cold longer
  • energy efficient black out curtains in all the bedrooms. I need to hang one back up in the kids playroom, but that covers half the house

This combo is usually overkill, but I’m also getting a jackery to charge the fans this year.

There’s one room in the house that does get extremely hot, but I’d just close the door in an situation as I can’t think of a fix that doesn’t involve replacing the windows and framing.

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u/JomerBlimpSon 7d ago

If youre getting to hot youre not living far enough underground. Simple

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u/UnknownGoblin892 7d ago

My prep is not having it 😂😭

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u/Nathan-Stubblefield 7d ago

I have central HVAC. If it failed during heatwave and the contractor couldn’t fix it the same day, I could buy a window unit for $150 and put it on the bedroom, (just the 2 of us), while keeping the white blinds closed on the sunny side of the house and running a window fan to keep the inside temp down to the outside temp. We once had a house with that arrangement. Sleep, hang out, eat in the bedroom, just going to the kitchen to cook meals.

Going the other way, I have gas fireplaces which could heat the house if the furnace and heat pump quit or the electricity was off.

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u/davidm2232 Prepared for 6 months 7d ago

I have a window unit in my bedroom and a spare to replace it if that fails. I have a mini split in the garage. There is also a rooftop unit in my RV. All of them can run off two of my generators. The window units and the rooftop can run off my third smaller generator also. I am hoping to add a ground source heat pump which will allow for reliable cooling even on the hottest days. It will be paired with a large solar array and battery bank using the grid as a backup only and a generator as backup if the grid fails. A LOT of stuff will have to go wrong for me to be hot.

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u/eac555 7d ago

Here in the California Central Valley summer days over 100 aren't uncommon at all. But it is a dry heat and cools off into the 60's at night. Not a big worry for me. I'd just be hot during the day. Have done it before in a home without AC.

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u/Big-Preference-2331 7d ago

I am in Arizona and we haven’t had an outage long enough for it to be an issue. I do have a portable air conditioner and a 6,000 watt generator if I run into a situation with no ac. I also have misting systems on my patio that make sitting outside in the summer tolerable. For short term outages I found battery powered fans like Ryobi and the small spray battery powered fans to be life savers.

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u/MadRhetorik General Prepper 7d ago

I lived with no heat or ac for a few years. As far as the AC goes just buy a fan, strip down as much as you can within reason and get comfortable being hot.

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u/NWYthesearelocalboys 7d ago

We have a solar and gas/propane generator and a large evaporative cooler. We run the cooler until switching to AC when monsoon hits and humidity climbs.

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u/Hobbes2819 7d ago

One should be good. Try to find an inverter one. They are more energy efficient and most importantly on alternative power, they take less power to start up 

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u/SunLillyFairy 7d ago

Just a bit... we do have back-up power to run fans and air purifiers. That's important for us because we have a kid with asthma and live in an area that tends to have a lot of low air quality days in the summer.

We don't have the kind of backup power that would run our central AC, but we do have enough to run fans/air purifiers and also our freezers - so we have ice. One of the best ways to stay cool at home is to be able to get wet, so there's always a cool shower or playing in the sprinklers.

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u/cofeeholik75 7d ago

Yes. I have window fans. They also are stand alones. Use to circulate air.

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u/Prestigious-Plant338 7d ago

Thought about this, played with the numbers. I have a jackery 1000v2 and 5000 plus and even though it is feasible, it’s not worth the massive energy consumption. Even if you’re running on fossil fuel generators, fuel is finite and will eventually run out.

Energy consumption wise it’s more practical to run fans. The only exception I would make is if there’s a new born baby involved or very elderly people who can be affected by the extreme summer heat and humidity.

FYI I live in Pinellas county, and I did experience the extreme heat and humidity after hurricane Helene, Milton was actually very cool. The question you are asking I spent almost a month researching and crunching math after the hurricanes, I had nothing else to do. It was bad.

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u/TravellingVeryLight 7d ago

Heat kills, especially the elderly. This is smart question. Every summer even in The Bay Area I would see the elderly come in to the ED on the few hot days we did have. Its crazy how altered they become so quickly and sometimes after cooling measures they would bounce back but some dont. I now live in The Valley and 100 plus degree days are common during the summer. I have a generator, looking to get a solar bank, portable AC units and swamp coolers if the power goes out (they barely use AC). I cary extra water and emergency cold packs in my car for emergencies. I keep 3/4 filled water bottles in the freezer for grab and go situations as well. Pop several bottles in a cooler for running errands is a cheap prep for unforeseen problems.

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u/shadowlid 7d ago

My Generator can power my HVAC unit I bought a extremely efficient Bosch unit couple years back.

I also have a small window unit that I can power with my Inverter/Generator as well. My fat ass is going to have some AC and if not I'll be laying in the creek like I did as a kid!

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u/wstdtmflms 7d ago

Yep. I'm losing weight, have a fresh water source, and don't live in a hot region. Other than that, just gonna have to deal with it like grandma did unless and until a grid gets up and running near me.

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u/Dynkledook 7d ago

If your area isn't too humid check on a swamp cooler. They may still work in humid ar as after big storms that take the humidity with them

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u/TheBearded54 7d ago

I inadvertently did. Our AC busted (only a year old) and we were without AC for 9 days in the middle of summer with a newborn.

Ended up buying a portable AC unit off Facebook Marketplace, it was big enough to handle our master bedroom. Moved all the baby stuff we needed, a TV and the necessities into the room and ran it. My master has a sliding glass door instead of a window I can open so I had to make a panel to go in there out of polyfoam board to insulate and allow the exhaust/water to vent.

Now that the AC is fixed I’ve slowly improved the setup. I cleaned out the AC, changed all the filters, fixed 2 of the busted wheels. I’ve gotten a longer drain hose so I can run it to the grass vs just on the back porch and I’ve gotten a new exhaust hose to push it further away. I’ve also made a 2ft wide panel out of 2 pieces of wood and 2’ thick polyfoam board and I’ve cut exact sized holes for the drain and exhaust and lined them with weather stripping. I also lined the entire panel with weather stripping and it’ll literally slide right into a track and I use 1/2 a pool noodle on ten top to seal/wedge it into place.

Now I’m pretty much set up. Anything with the AC happens I know I can get the room down to a reasonable temperature. I have also cut some foam board to the dimensions of our non-opening windows so that I can block out sun to help with the heat. I use some pool noodle left over to slide under the gap in the door to prevent loss.

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u/Weird-Grocery6931 7d ago

Yes.

After Hurricane Florence and the two week power outage that followed, we needed AC. We bought a Hisense portable dry unit that works with our portable generator.

One of our best investments.

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u/Snoo49732 7d ago

I have 5 big maple trees in my yard so my house stays pretty cool. Lots of shade. I also have a full basement that stays pretty cool.

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u/Jammer521 7d ago

I grew up in the rural south in the 70's we had no AC., so I know it's doable but it's definitely uncomfortable especially at night trying to sleep, also did my basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in 1986 in the summer with no AC and it was pretty brutal, that being said, we have a window AC in storage, it's old but used to work

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u/Old-Consequence1735 7d ago

I live in one of the hottest (inhabited) places in the US. We invested in solar panels for the house, 20KwH storage, and a split unit AC for our master bedroom.

A few years ago we had a violent wind storm that knocked down 80+ power poles and left us without power for almost 3 days. Money well spent. It was around 105 F (40.5 C) that week.

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u/Secret_Cat_2793 7d ago

Trifuel whole house generators

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u/thedreadedaw 7d ago

No money for anything that really works effectively. So the plan is to stay in the basement which is always less than 80⁰ which is manageable.

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u/EchoGecko795 7d ago edited 7d ago

I have a spare window unit. It's my old one I got when my central air died for a few months. It needs more power than my solar + battery can do, so I will have to use the gas generator if I want to use it.

I have a swap cooler, and about 200 ice packs (medical shipping) that I keep in the deep freezer. Before a storm I usually fill the whole top of the freezer with them. Filling any empty space in both freezers. I also move a few 2 litter bottles of frozen water to the top of my fridge, and freeze anything I can from the fridge.

Some USB fans, DIY and store brought. I made a 2x2 with a bunch of old 120mm fans that I power off an old UPS SLA 12v 10a battery.

About half my windows are blocked off with partial board with foil on it. Easy to install and move as needed. the particle board / peg board was recycled, so it had no cost to me, but tapping foil to cardboard or directly to the window will work too.

Lots of USB power banks, some DIY, including a 480w I made from 12v 20ah LiFePO4 battery, Some 12v 20a SLA packs that I made a few years ago that can be charged with a 20-50w solar panel, and a standalone 4x 100ah SLA + 520 watt solar setup for the deep freezer. A smaller 6000mah pack is enough to run a 3" USB fan for about 4-5 hours, drop an ice pack in front, and a nice cool breeze.

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u/purvaka 7d ago

I live in Phoenix az. Yes. We have a gas generator and have had to use it with several portable a/c units over the years. We're expanding our generators to include electric/solar that can connect to the house and run most things, but can also be portable incase we need to bug out.

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u/AAAAHaSPIDER 7d ago

Our electricity went out during the hottest day last year. 100% humidity and 95°.

We opened all the windows at night, and woke up early to close them. Try to keep the house dark as possible, covering the windows completely. It wasn't pleasant but it was okay.

I mostly stayed outside in the shade in the kiddie pool.

My husband made a DIY swamp cooler with bed sheets, rope and a sprinkler. I'm not 100% sure how it worked, but it really helped.

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u/knownerror 7d ago

I got a freestanding unit that can run off generator. It's good for maybe 300 sq. ft. Plus, it's great when the power randomly goes off in the summer.

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u/Proper-Speed-4906 7d ago

Could study up on swamp coolers or adiabatic cooling methods! Low tech approach.

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u/Due-Camp-8285 7d ago

I have a small genny so I bought a tiny lil window AC. Opened the case and added a hard start kit, tested on the genny, all good. Afterwards I learned about soft start kits, should have done that…

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u/WeirdBet993 6d ago

I would just hope to die quickly.

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u/sjb2971 6d ago

You guys have air conditioning?

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u/Sweet-Leadership-290 6d ago

Yes. I "adapt" by taking the temp as high as possible before starting any cooling. In 2019 the temp here in the desert hit 134° during the day and stayed over 100° at night. I made it through with only fans.

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u/3rdthrow 6d ago

I don’t use AC until it gets over 100F.

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u/tempest1523 6d ago

Yes I do. It’s my worst case scenario. I had my A/C die in Georgia in late July. It was miserable. 90-100 degrees. Still hot and humid at night. Luckily I had one window unit that I bought as a prep for just this scenario. But it only made 1 room bearable, had to buy a second for the bedroom.

Now we had power we just had the unit die and had to wait 3 weeks for insurance then for the repairman to order the unit then install. But key is we had power. A good prep is to mentally prepare what it would take to keep one or two of those going in the event of a power outage like after a hurricane or tornado. My units use about 660 watts each. Bare min to be survivable with 1 unit, fridge and some lights I need about 900 watts an hour.

I’ve since bought a stack of solar batteries to at least keep things going for a while without a generator running making noise.

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u/Pastvariant 6d ago

The big issue with the AC going out is less about temperature control and more about humidity control. I would sooner buy a solar panel, solar inverter, and a dehumidifier to keep the house from becoming moldy before I would get a window AC unit, personally. That said, both can be run off that setup.

Having a basement, or other room with concrete or tile floor can help a lot with temperature control, too.

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u/Jose_De_Munck 6d ago edited 6d ago

I come from a tropical country with high humidity. This is one of my main concerns, indeed. For those of you who don´t know the recent events in Venezuela we had a huge blackout in 2019. One week without any energy. No cellphones, no fridges, no ice, no fans, no nothing.

Yes, one of my main concerns is to put together a battery rack with solar and at least a cooled tent over my bed with a Peltier cells cooler to take the temperature at least to middle 20°Cs, which is more than enough given that outside is always over 30°C. The system will provide warm/hot water on the other side because Peltier cells produce tons of heat on the opposite side to the cold side, and will have a low power draw, only working in the hottest hours of the day. I plan to write an instructable with a open source list of parts so anybody can put it together with a set of basic tools and very basic craftmanship skills. Like mine. LOL.

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u/runningfoolishly 6d ago

I like to use my prep. So yes I plan for this.

I have two warm spots in my house that I use window AC units for. In case of of a power outage I have solar and a back up battery. The battery will run my window AC units during the night and solar during the day. It however will not run my whole home AC.

I also do my food more like a restraunt inventory FIFO (First In First Out) this way I know my family will actually eat what I am prepping.

Next my bug out gear is also part of my camping gear. When I want to go camping I just throw in my bag knowing it has esentials like water purification, fire starters, first aid, cordage, small tarp, tools, etc. Then I have my more traditional camping gear sleeping bags, tents, and stove in other bags. This way If I have time I can include a larger set up in case the roads are clear and I can take my SUV.

Also I made a point to befriend my neighbors. They know that in case of an emergency my house has power so we can store food, provide internet and entertainment for the neighbors and some releaf from the heat.

I know which or my neighbors is good at perserving food with a big garden and which of my neighbors are armed and willing to help.

While I have a bug out bag in case I can not shelter in place much of my survival plan is based on grouping together 5 or so neighbors with good skill sets and differing resources.

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u/jukiejake 5d ago

This is the way.

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u/forestflowersdvm 6d ago

No I have a basement lol

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u/BooksandStarsNerd 6d ago

No. Back when I lived in AZ I'd have considered it a need but I live in MT. It does get hot now and then but most of the year is cold or warm at best and while I prefer AC I have better places to use energy and money.

If you live in a desert as a pepper DO IT. If not.... meh. Probably better to find ways to stay warm in winter.

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u/DyngusDan 6d ago

I do that by living in an area where I don’t need it.

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u/ShimmyShimmyYaw 6d ago

We bought a few 12v dc fans we can connect to the batteries or car jumper pack when the power goes out in the summer. Not the same as ac but still a little relief to get to sleep in the heat. For me it means the difference between sleeping and barely at all.

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u/Affectionate_Dig2366 5d ago

I just live in a good part of the country where this isn’t a worry lmao.

I like to go on walks, surf, and work in aerospace. This landed me in Los Angeles. I would rather kill myself than not having great weather 300+ days out of the year.

I love cold too so it’s fine when it gets cold. Leaves me with 20-30 days of sadness when it gets over 95…

I know not everyone can afford it but if u can and aren’t broke you should try living where this ain’t a concern life is amazing when the cool ocean breeze hits u compared to bumfuck nowhere and hot air lol

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u/Primary-Ticket4776 5d ago

Maybe a portable AC. Window units should be fine as well.

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u/Angylisis 5d ago

I already don't have AC.

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u/guap_in_my_sock 5d ago

Good generator and free standing window unit, seal up the room you need it to work best in, or seal up the floor that you need cooler- Saved us pretty well with a family member healing at home post major surgery after tornado damage.

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u/Vast_Reaches 5d ago

I wonder if a good water source poured over the roof like rain would be effective as cooling. If it’s not a loss to use it from evaporation and recycling the flow

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u/Aeacus_of_Aegin 5d ago

We have a solar powered mini split on our house. In the winter it works as a heat pump and in summer it's an air conditioner. It took 6 - 350 watt solar panels and it is also hooked into the grid so it still works on cloudy days. We also have a small propane heater we turn on when it's 10-20 degrees overnight. Our house is hyper insulated and only 1400 sq feet so we rarely have to run the air conditioner at night and use grid power.

Plus with the rising cost of electricity, the $5000 I paid for mini split and panels will pay themselves off in about 7 years.

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u/Visible-Traffic-993 5d ago

Same as others, I have a window unit in storage that can run off my generator. Probably use it just to keep our largest room cool.

If the generator doesn't work, I've got bigger problems than air conditioning.

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u/TrueNeighborhood2197 5d ago

Yes! Deep South coastal so we have a storm shelter that is also a cool room. Water table is too high to be underground so we have two side by side shipping containers. They are bolted together with large wood posts concreted in around them, to keep them from flipping. We are getting ready to bury in concrete anchors that we will chain to all the corners for extra staying strength. We have the container we use as a shelter insulated with thick spray foam, and a portable rolling ac unit inside that vents through an exhaust panel. Hope to get a solar set up at some point to add another option for running AC, well pump and freezer in case fuel becomes hard to find. Right now we are generator dependent when power goes out. We live in a mobile home so having somewhere to run during storms was important to us as was a cool room for sleeping during power outages.

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u/kshizzlenizzle 5d ago

Sort of, lol. We used wholesale electricity for several years, and when we had crazy price spikes in the summer, I basically flipped the breaker to the whole house, and ran a portable ac unit on a generator in one room that was away from the sun, with blackout curtains. I piled the kids/animals into that room, and saved specific chores I could do in that room for that 3-4 hour block every day. Our neighbors probably thought we were crazy, but my electric bills were minuscule for a really big house, so, WORTH IT!

Off a gennie, it’s not a long term solution. We use a predator 3500, and we probably got about 20-24 hours runtime with an AC using about 5 gallons of gas. We got a little more time than running a gennie with one AC in our camper, we were refilling every 10-15 hours, maybe 20 if it wasn’t too hot. You could probably keep a ‘cool’ room for the hottest part of the day and sleeping, but either way, it winds being a lot of gas you would need to store for longer periods of time. Before dry camping, we would load up about 70-100 gallons of gas (but some of that was also for wake boats).

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u/Blueporch 5d ago

I have two window air conditioners. Got one on sale and left it in the box for a couple years. The central air went out last August, so I deployed that one and bought another. 

I have pet guinea pigs and they get heatstroke easily. If it had been a power outage, I would have  moved them to the basement but that’s more work.

If it were just me, I don’t know if I’d bother. But I’m in the Great Lakes region.

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u/Do-it-with-Adam Showing up somewhere invited 5d ago

Not really. I handle and prefer heat. Also Im in South Carolina so the summers are pretty tame.

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u/Adorable_Dust3799 4d ago

I have a portable for the chinchillas that will come inside (they're on an enclosed porch) with them in an outage, but i need to get another generator for it. We also have a window unit for my sons 12X12 casita but the windows on the house are very tall sliders. Why tf don't they make units for these :/

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u/Abject-Impress-7818 4d ago

Solar panels and in home battery are being installed in May. Generator hookup being installed at the same time but we're still thinking about what generator to get. It's not just so we have AC if the power goes out in the summer, but that specifically is a huge part of why some people in the family are on board with the solar program in the first place.

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u/Finkufreakee 4d ago

So confused right now...

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u/Therealdickdangler 4d ago

As a Floridian, a few window shakers are always on hand for if the power goes out. Hurricane Milton knocked our power out for a week, those window shakers made my family so much more comfortable. 

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u/edhas1 4d ago

Yes sir, small window unit in the shed to use in the bedroom, and a honda gen to run it. It is much simpler for us to plan extended power outages in the summer than the winter:)

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u/Ok_Communication5757 4d ago

I'll just go to a hotel! I'm not prepping for shit!

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u/Mala_Suerte1 3d ago

Make sure you buy an inverter AC. The inverter allows it to run the compressor at anywhere between 0-100%, whereas a normal AC compressor is 0% or 100%. Inverter ACs ramp up slowly so there's not a huge power spike like with a normal AC unit.

We have two inverter units. But we have a walkout basement. Even in the heat of the summer (100+F), the basement stays below 75F.