Living in Thailand Without Air Conditioning

Thailand is one of the hottest countries in the world so you know that if even the Thai people who are well adapted to the heat complain and suffer from it's effects then farangs (foreigners) would find it unbearable. White skinned foreigners in Thailand invariably come from countries with much cooler climates then Thailand and so it takes us quite a while to adapt to the tropical climate.  The vast majority of foreigners living in the country will spend most of their time in the comfort of air conditioning but if you can try to adapt to the weather and make some compromises then not only can you enjoy cost savings but you will  also be able feel much better when out in the heat. 

I would say that all foreigners who move to Thailand without recent previous experience of living in a tropical country will need air conditioning for the first few months, while they adapt to the heat. The heat felt in Thailand isn't the typical heat that you would find in southern Europe or America because although temperatures may be comparable the humidly felt here is far higher. The humidity combined with the increased pollution experienced if you live in the capital can make it physically unbearable for someone not used to this climate. I remember vividly the first time I came to Thailand I left Suvarnabhumi airport and the sheer heat was unlike anything I had ever experienced. At this time I was a smoker and I found it physically impossible to inhale my cigarettes outside for the first week or so. 

I have lived in two air conditioned apartments during my time in Thailand and to be honest at the beginning the comparably high electricity bills that come with running an air conditioning unit were totally worth it. The fact that both apartments were on the third floor meant that running air conditioning was an absolute must. The one downside to living in this air conditioned luxury was that I never fully adapted to the climate. I would say that most of my time was spent in air conditioning because I would spend most of my day in the air conditioned staff room at school. The fact that I never really adapted to the heat meant that when I was forced to go outside for an extended period of time I would suffer the consequences. I remember vividly the time when my first school had a sports day event and we were required to be outside for the whole day and all three foreign teachers came back bright red, dehydrated and physically sick. 

My decision to move to a place without air conditioning was not based on the fact that I wanted to adapt more. The reason I moved was that I could get much better value for money accommodation if I were to move to a place without air conditioning. I have previously written an article which explains my accommodation in more depth and that I was able to find a two floored, two bedroom house without air conditioning for roughly the same amount of money as a one roomed apartment with air conditioning. I moved into my house completely cold turkey and decided that I would only be using fans in the future. 

I have seen that some Thai people are happy to sit around without air conditioning and without fans in the most intense heat. I will never be able to do this and the fans that I own are probably the most important equipment that I have in my house. I could survive without a bed or a sofa but without a fan it would be utterly unbearable. I currently have three large portable fans placed strategically at the parts of my house that I spend the most time. I have one fan in my office, one fan in the kitchen and one fan in the living room pointed towards the sofa. I would say that 90% of the time I am at home I have the fan pointed directly at my face and although that sounds slightly awkward it soon becomes second nature. I also have a large ceiling fan in my bedroom which circulates the air when I sleep and I was very pleased that after I starting using the fan I was able to sleep much better and was no longer the victim of a horrible dry throat the next morning. 

Living without air conditioning is absolutely no problem for at least ten months of the year. The only time when I find that I miss it is during Thailand's summer months of April and May. On some days it is quite difficult to do anything other then lay in front of the fan during the midday hours in these months. If you can get through the period when the sun is at its most intense in these months either by going out or maybe taking a siesta then you will find that the rest of the day is easily bearable. If like me you are a teacher then you will probably have the month of April off so you will likely not be spending too much time at home anyway. I have found that since I have been living without air conditioning I have adapted to the climate far better. I am now able to undertake extended activities in the sun and no longer feel the need to crawl back to the air conditioning. I actually now feel cold in the rainy season and at times I don't even use my fans and even cover up under a blanket. I used to laugh when I saw Thai's in woolly jumpers in 25 degree heat but I know that now I would also feel a bit chilly especially if riding a motorcycle. 

I think that people who are looking for houses should not be immediately put off if it doesn't have air conditioning. Yes of course you will have to make some adjustments and yes you may sweat a little more then you're used to but the advantages can be huge. I know for a fact I would rather have a huge house without air conditioning then a small room which does but I guess this comes down to personal preference. I have previously compared the differences in electricity bills with and without air conditioning and the difference is humungous. If you are considering renting a house without air conditioning take a look at where heat may enter the house. I am lucky in the fact that my living room window faces out on to my drive which is covered so no sun ever reaches the room. This means that the room is always fairly cool and that if it really is unbearably hot at night I can at least sleep downstairs.

So I would say that if you are offered to view a house without air conditioning don't discard it immediately, go in with an open mind and you might just reap all of the benefits which come from living without air conditioning in Thailand.