It’s my understanding that just because a certain household has air conditioning doesn’t necessarily mean that the household in question can afford to run air conditioning during hot weather.
It depends on the climate where you live. Where I live, people die every summer…almost always during prolonged power outages or their AC unit needing repairs. Most are poor and elderly. During summer months, electric companies are not allowed to cut off service for nonpayment.
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First, I agree that it depends upon the climate where you live. I don’t have air conditioning nor heating. Winter temps are 65 at night and 80 during the day. Summer temps are 70 at night and 85 during the day. My AC in the truck broke and I just open the windows as that is cheaper than trying to fix it.
When I moved here I decided what ‘climate’ I wanted. I can choose from almost any climate there is (we don’t have artic or tropical but have everything in between including rainforest and desert, all within about a few hours drive). Just by driving 5 minutes it can average 5 degrees warmer or cooler. I also chose how much rain I wanted.
So, if you cannot choose exactly what climate you want, you can help yourself where you are.
Make sure that you have proper insulation in your house. Ensure you block airflow to ensure cold air does not drift in or your heat or cooling go out. Make sure you change air filters. Put up awnings and shades to block the sun. My house in Georgia was horrible because there were only scrawny pine trees to block the elements and the ceiling to almost the floor windows caused issues because there was no awning or overhang. If I left my windows cracked open in summer when I was away during the day, rain would come in. The house had high ceilings that trapped heat and I needed fans to move that to keep me comfortable. The house was not oriented to take advantage of normal weather patterns like which direction the sun was or where the wind came from. They just packed as many houses in an area they could. At least where I am now, houses are built to take advantage of the sun position, wind and so on. We have large overhangs to block the sun. Because you already have a house, you can’t really do much, but keep these things in mind for the next one. I would never live at the top of a hill (lightning) at the bottom (flooding) in ar area with only one way in or out, and so on. Some people buy a house without thinking of any of these things. It is like buying a vehicle because you like the color and then put up with the problems that there is only ann AM radio and the seats don’t ecline.
Because my heat pumps (2 of them) were inefficient and the attic air ducts were crappy, I ended up staying in the ‘Mother-in-law Suite’ over the garage in the winter with a kerosine heater and a slightly cracked window to stay warm and closed off the rest of the 4 bedrooms.
I think the good reason may be that a mini split would be a better investment bc it heats AND cools and may offer tax incentives. Mini splits can be zoned for different rooms and can be installed in a non-ducted house [important in older houses and country houses that might otherwise get varmints in the ducting].
To actually answer the question posed by the thread title: Yes! To save a lot of money! Now, in certain areas of the country A/C is not a luxury but a necessity. Where I live in NC ya gotta have it. Where I grew up in Rochester NY my parents bought a new house in 1968 with no A/C. Very normal up there at the time.
Grew up in Massachusetts. Never had Central AC. Just window units for the bedrooms.
My working career from 1976 to 2006, did not have AC at work. All of my cars never had AC.
Moved to NC in 2007, finally got a car with AC. And of course the House has Central AC.[need that down here]
If you enjoy keeping the windows open and using fans to move air around, then not having air conditioning would be okay. My personal preference is to not have the windows open. Keeping the windows closed and locked will help with added security for the home. Allergens from outside will be reduced and dust and dirt from outside can be kept out. Using air conditioning to control the indoor temperature and humidity is also my personal preference. I like to keep the home at a constant temperature.
In most cases, cooling a home can cost less than heating a home, but it is not free. Modern HVAC systems can be very efficient and affordable to own. A home with a good central HVAC system is much more attractive to potential buyers too.
Depends on where you live. In much of Arizona (high elevations excluded), winter heating is almost unnecessary. But summer air conditioning is a must, and is much more expensive.
In Alaska our cooling system consisted of one or two open screened windows. It didn’t use ANY electricity. 
Above 60 degrees latitude, “air conditioning” is keeping the relative humidity between 30 and 60 percent. That’s accomplished with an HRV (heat-recovery ventilation system.
Check your taxing authorities. Central air/heat pumps are often considered additions/fixtures to the property and trigger a property reassessment. A window unit is removable transportable personal property and therefore not part of the physical property any more than is your refrigerator. Wyhen I moved into this house in 1981, it had a Carrier Weathermaker - Willis Carrier’s original system. It died (wiring lit up) in the late 1970s so I replaced it with a whole house fan and a $300 window A/C. 40+ years later still going fine. Amusing sidenote, the county was reassessing properties just at that time and when the assessor called to alert me to his visit, I told him the A/C now lived in the back yard and he removed it from my property description. Couldn’t miss it - about the size of a commercial double door refrigerator.
I’ve lived in 3, maybe 4 places without central air. The home we had from birth to summer after I turned 6 had window units in the living room and both bedrooms. The home we rented the year we were building our new home. I think the house I rented the first year I was stationed in Nebraska, before I bought my first home. The two apartments I lived in while I was stationed in Germany had no AC at all. My apartments in college had window ACs, so I guess that is more.
No offense, H200h, but what do you think of this article?
If you are worried that the heat might kill you then I would invest in A/C.
I dunno… what do you think about it?
The initial expense of purchasing and installing an air conditioning system can be significant. Additionally, NCEdCloud ongoing costs such as electricity bills for running the unit and potential maintenance expenses can be a deterrent.
Go back to my original comment. Some climates NEED air conditioning; others do not.