Air-Con Security

[treebeardy.livejournal.com]

Long time reader/first time poster.
Summer's coming and we're debating whether or not to get an A/C unit. We live on the first floor so we're hesitant because of the security issue. We can't decide if it's a good or a bad thing that we're living on a well-lit busy street (highland ave).
It's our first summer in Somerville so we're not sure if we can handle the heat. Surely being on the first floor is an advantage for the natural heat flow of the house.

Any good advice out there?
cheers

Comments

[808.livejournal.com]

The average summer up here isn't really that bad. The average high temps peak the 3rd week in July in the low 80's.

Most summers here my wife and I only use a window A/C unit from July to mid-August, when it's humid. If you get window fans and put them in the house to create a draft and blow on you when you sleep then you'll be fine most of the time. Last summer was cool enough that we never used our AC and it stayed in storage. And we live in a 3rd floor unit.

I guess my point is that if this concerns you, try going without A/C for a while. If you do it right then it's pretty easy, actually.

If you are very sensitive to heat, then by all means get an A/C but maybe stick it in a window not facing the street?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

This is a personal decision, but I for one cannot sleep in July (on the first floor in either of the apartments we've had here) without an a/c in the window of our bedroom. We got through July and August last year without one in the rest of the house, but the bedroom is not negotiable for me.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

If you screwed some L-brackets into the window, and put some screws through the AC mounting rails, you'd probably have better security than most windows have during the rest of the year.

It totally depends ....

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

On how well your unit is insulated and on whether it receives direct sun or not. If it's not well insulated and the afternoon sun hits it, I'd suggest getting a window A/C unit. But you can wait and see (I mean, it takes just a trip to HomeDepot and a couple of hours of your time to install one).

I agree.

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Easy enough. It has to be said that with the window open the Highland Ave traffic noise can be pretty bad. But 95 deg inside can be worse.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

i believe i've seen security kits such that the window cannot be opened (from the outside) [easily] or the AC removed; had quick release fasteners for easy inside use, etc.

there are also security kits (or make your own sheetrock screw and dowel) that limit the rise of the window to prevent people from crawling in or making easy window snatches. some of these are built into many modern/replacement windows now.

if in doubt, check with landlord before drilling their windows, some might get a little peeved. make it harder for the burglar union.

#

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

You could always get a window unit and pull it out during the day or when you are not at home, and put it back in for use when you are at home.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

two lengths of sturdy dowel cut to fit between the top of the bottom window and the top of the window frame when the AC is in the window should deter all but the most determined thieves. and really, if they're that determined, they'll break the window.

if you're living in a house with plaster walls, decent shade, newer windows, and/or the possibility of setting up a cross-draft, you'll probably need it less. regardless, July, August and a chunk of September are all-but-unbearable without AC on my personal heat/humidity meter; your AC mileage may vary.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

As an alternative, they do have free-standing air conditioners that don't have to go in a window. I've seen them at BJ's. They might be more expensive, but probably worth the peace of mind.

I think they still need some connection with the outside world...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

They've got to dump the heat somewhere outside the environment they are cooling off.

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

i have one and it's awesome. it's on wheels and has a big hose with a long piece of plastic on the end that you put in the window and close the window down on it to keep it in place. all you have to do to remove it is open the window and take it out, super easy to do whenever you're going out for a while.

[aki.livejournal.com]

Um, I wouldn't say that necessarily. It depends what you're used to. I'm from Vermont and had roommates from the Bay Area - none of use could handle the heat.

[aki.livejournal.com]

My friends were robbed when they lived on the first floor on Highland. The theives came though an open window (screened) on that occaision.

[livingadream.livejournal.com]

I hate the summer heat and cannot sleep when it's hot but I've survived the last 2 summers in my first floor apt with no A/C. I keep windows open and we have 2 stand-alone fans and 1 window fan.
The window fan in the bedroom is cool enough that we use our down comforter comfortably all summer long.

It makes me feel environmentally friendly and my electric bill loves me.

[leko.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing you haven't dealt with window ACs much. First, putting them in and out of the window isn't so easy that it's something someone would want to do multiple times a day, and second, they have deep trays that fill with condensation, and when you lift it out of the windows you're pretty much guaranteed to dump some of that water onto you and your floor.

Re: I think they still need some connection with the outside world...

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

they have exhaust tubes you run out the window

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Actually, I do.

I'll let the OP decide whether the inconvenience is worth feeling a little safer.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

i've somehow always managed to avoid the condensation dumping (i'm sure i've just jinxed it) but yeah, i could not be bothered taking it out and putting it back in all the time. the other thing people seem to be overlooking is that also turning the a/c on and off is pretty wasteful, rather than just keeping the room at a constant cool temp - cooling down a totally heated up room every day takes a lot of energy.

Re: I think they still need some connection with the outside world...

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yep, they have a hose. i had to get one of these when i lived in an apartment with bars on the windows. it was great, and i got it off craigslist for next to nothing, and the guy even brought it over for me.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

It makes me feel environmentally friendly and my electric bill loves me

I thought that using fans was less expensive too, and then the summer I was pregnant and had my son, I finally said we have to run the A/Cs, it's just to hot... and our electric bills were less than when we were running the window fans. I was tremendously surprised. But when it's not really really hot, i prefer to let the cool night air cool the house, so we do still use fans...

Re: I think they still need some connection with the outside world...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

You were lucky it wasn't Markoff who came to your place with the AC unit :)

If you have $1 you can get this great portable AC unit!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a scam to me, but the ad is there... Perhaps bring a friend or two if you go there to get it...

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/for/1185603250.html

[joylewis.livejournal.com]

I also live on the first floor on Highland and have for the last two summers. I bought these adjustable window security things from this guy on ebay, and found that they're ideal for me. As someone else mentioned, though, anyone desperate enough could just break the glass. I just use one window unit at night in the summer on the hottest days and find that that's perfectly fine for me. By the way, I'm from Texas, and I'm used to terrible heat, but I still think that we have some days in the summer up here that are unbearable without some kind of AC.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Window-Security-Bar-Small-Secure-Windows_W0QQitemZ260414757836QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca1eddbcc&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

[ceo]

Most A/Cs come with a little L-shaped doohickey that you screw into the upper sash to prevent the lower sash from being raised. The intent is to keep you from absent-mindedly opening the window and dumping the A/C on someone's head, but it helps with the security issue too.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

In my experience living here the last decade or so, there's generally one or two weeks a year when it's miserably hot at night. An air conditioner is a nice luxury, but I don't think it's really worth the expense or environmental cost for that 2%-3%. We sold ours last year after having not used it at all the year before.

Ceiling fans are really the way to go if you have the option.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

cooling down a totally heated up room every day takes a lot of energy

Nope, it takes less energy than keeping the room cool all day. I'll let someone else write out the thermodynamics equations though.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

These units _are_ a lot less efficient than the in-the-window units.

The two hose models (one for intake one for exhausting hot air) are somewhat closer, but still use more energy.

And what is the expense and environmental cost

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

for that 2%-3%? The unit itself can be around $100, and you keep it more than one year. Electricity? Not sure, perhaps $50/year. You can use all the fans all you want, but recirculating hot air won't do much. If you don't sleep well for 2 weeks, due to extreme heat, that may not be acceptable, depending on what job you do. I sure hope our MBTA drivers, surgeons and mission critical personnel buy whatever they need to sleep well at night.

This is a non-issue.

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

You buy the smallest unit that works for you. You buy the most efficient unit you can find, since these are subsidized. You keep the temperature at reasonable levels, just enough so that you are not uncomfortable. Do the calculations, about keeping a fan running all day, versus a AC unit on intermittently (with the thermostat set, say to 78 or 80). Remember that many units don't only cool off, they also dehumidify, which is critical.

[purpless77.livejournal.com]

Living here my entire life [over 30 years] on a first floor, you need an AC. That is just my opinion though.
When I was younger we always used fans and it was horrible. You might be able to put an AC in the back where most people will be less likely to see it and use one of the above suggestions for added safety. Having one in one room and using fans in the rest of the house is what many people I know do. It will still do a job at helping the fans at cooling the other rooms in the house.
As someone else suggested they also have the stand alones. I know they have them in Target and possibly TAGS in Porter Square, the previous poster suggested BJs. I saw one in the Target paper this morning for just under $300. But I'm sure as with with window ACs, prices vary.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

eh, maybe i'm just used to central air.

[mogwaikisses.livejournal.com]

I am from Texas, too. This is my first summer here, and I already have my little window unit on full blast. I can't handle this! Yeah Texas is hotter, but everyone has central air on as soon as it hits 70. Boston is killing me!

[mogwaikisses.livejournal.com]

I am on the first floor, and I've got one in. It has been necessary for me for a month or so. It gets just as hot on the bottom floor as any other floor, unless you're lucky enough to have a garden apartment. Thankfully I am on a hill, so no one can actually reach my first floor windows without a ladder, so I just used a dowel rod.

You can get a portable a/c, that might be better for you. You can actually vent them to the attic, basement, or up in a drop ceiling or crawl space, so you could avoid the window issue all together. They're a lot more expensive, but I see them as cheap as window units on Craig's List all the time.

Do It Yourself Locks

[keegsands.livejournal.com]

We lived in a first floor apartment on Willow Ave and I just cut a 2X4 piece of wood to fit the space between the top sill and the raised bottom window. Its not as good as some of the screw in security solutions, but also didn't damage the sill in our rental apartment.

As for whether you need it or not it is definitely a personal preference. We just had the AC in the bedroom and used fans for the rest of the apartment.