When I was in college, I lived in a home built in the 1920s.
My landlord, a sweet woman in her 80s, had lived in the house as a child, before it even had window air conditioning units.
I had no idea how she had survived in that house in the summer. In our hot climate, the inside of the house was constantly warm and slightly damp, even with the window units on full blast all day, every day. Unfortunately, during my second year in the house, my landlord passed away. Her son took over the management of the home that I rented, and dropped by for a visit one spring afternoon. He walked inside, took notice of the window unit in the kitchen, and said, “Oh god, I had no idea you didn’t have an HVAC system in here!” It wasn’t even a hot day! He met with a variety of HVAC companies in my home to assess the ability to install a new air conditioning and heating system in the house. After getting a few quotes, he chose a well-respected local HVAC company, chose from the variety of heating and cooling equipment options they offered, and the technicians went to town installing vents, a return, ducts, an air handler, and an outside unit. They even uninstalled and hauled away my old window units! With the added sunlight coming through the windows, the house was so much brighter, and much more temperate. I didn’t sweat bullets while I was cooking anymore, even in the hot summer months. I was grateful to my new landlord for all of his hard work, and for seeing the necessity of an air conditioning system in my charming 1920s home!