The Brrr! factor

Am I alone in my intense dislike of air conditioning of the cooling kind? Okay, I admit there are times during the summer when it comes in handy, but only if I am at the controls.

Most places I go, it is apparent that no one is either at the controls or has any idea how to operate the darned things. Usually, the first indication is my reaching for the cardigan or jacket or polar suit I've lugged with me to the location. Never leave home without one or the other, I always say.

Restaurants and cafes are by far the worst offenders, but so, too, are some function rooms, friends' homes, and shops and malls.

Back in Oz, we survived our youth air-conditioner free. Fans were capable substitutes, as were wet face washers, cool evening breezes, and my dad's favourite - dealing with it.

While I respect the rights of that portion of the population who prefer the chill machines, I think the whole thing would be way easier to deal with if there were some settings standards to live by. For example, why are some places quite comfortable, and others positively glacial? Of course, a happy medium might never be possible, given differing opinions on what is an appropriate temperature to endure inside, but there is an example we could follow.

Personally, I like the whole "living underground" thing they've got going on in Coober Pedy in Australia's outback. Outside temps can exceed 55 degrees Celsius, and because everyone knows 'inside' is the same old same old, they can attire appropriately: "While several air conditioners struggle to cool a normal house to under 30 degrees in summer, Coober Pedy’s caves remain a comfortable 25 degrees, year-round, free of charge." Way more civilised, despite the reference to the homes as "caves".

Not everyone will agree with me that AC is NN (not necessary), and I'm not about to try and convince anyone by debating the relevant health, environmental, cost and functional pros and cons.

My ask is simple. If we have to live with those cool contraptions during the summer, can we please ease up on the Brrr! factor a tad? I'll still bring my extra layer, but I'd like not to have to pile it on every time I go inside.

Of course, the alternative is to let me at the controls, but given my penchant for turning the things off completely ....