A few years ago I moved from the farm to the city. In my city apartment I have
full central air and I hate it. I can stay cool but the electric bill during
hot humid months is about like the national debt.

My old farmhouse was a story and a half with blown in insulation in all the
walls and the roof rafters. I had nice shade trees on the west side of the
house that provided good shade after 2:00 in the afternoon. I had good screened
windows on all the windows during the summer. I could open windows downstairs
and leave the stairway door open and a few windows cracked upstairs and you
could feel the draft moving through the house. I had a sprinkler type hose
along the top ridgeline of the house and when the temps in the house started
getting uncomfortable I would turn the water on. You could feel the house cool
off almost immediately. I would adjust the water flow to keep the roof just wet
enough to keep it damp but not so much that water would run down the gutters. I
estimate on a real hot day it would take an extra hundred gallons a day to keep
the house cool.My water cost for that extra 3,000 gallons a month was about $10
IIRC. I don't recall ever having an electric bill higher than $30 for a month
in the summer. Friends with similar sized houses and central air were paying
$70 or more a month. If you live in an area where water is not in short supply
this is an option to consider.
Dennis