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I was in Phoenix Arizona this week for work and was amazed at the effectiveness of evaporation cooling. Bars and restaurants spray water mist into the air near their front door. The air is so dry that the water evaporates near-instantly (the ground doesn't even get wet under it!). Evaporating water pulls heat from the air, and suddenly 42C turns into 28C.

It's simple, low-tech, and effective.

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Isn’t it amazing disembarking the plane into AZ? Instantly it’s 98F+ on the jetway, and the plane absorbs a large portion of that as they ask you to close the window shades on landing. I don’t quite understand how one can live there if they like being outside at all. Perhaps enough months of the year make it worth it? It is, however, a nice place to visit from a cultural standpoint.

Yeah, evaporating air conditioning units are simple and cheap to buy and run as well. It doesn't work if the air is already humid, though.

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