One could also just move to (northern coastal) California, but that has its own costs.
The people need AC, not the buildings themselves.
And I think that's something some commenters are missing: no one is asking India to turn off the A/C. But maybe we don't need to replicate the grocer's freezer section in my office just because the weather finally turned nice.
Seattle has the lowest percentage of households with air conditioning of any of the metro areas included in the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey. The only place almost as low is San Francisco. Here are the five lowest:
33.7% Seattle
36.3% San Francisco
69.9% Portland
72.8% Los Angeles
79.4% Denver
99.5% New Orleans
99.3% Tampa
99.3% Austin
99.3% Las Vegas
99.2% Kansas City
I had a number of people recommend certain Seattle suburbs to me (particularly Bellevue and Renton), and it was towards the top of my list for a while... until some friends of mine who lived there told me that very few homes have central AC. That was an immediate nope. Crossed the whole state off my list.
I cannot tolerate any level of heat. I keep my AC at 60°F or below all the time, and I blast it even in winter. The only time I ever turn my AC off is when it's below freezing out.
On a side note, should Texas revive that bill next year and it passes, I've decided I'm moving to Las Vegas.
I do appreciate A/C in offices however, since I run on the hot side and can always put on clothes rather than take them off. I would prefer an office with an opening window next to some trees (I had that in Sieg hall a long time ago), but that would screw up facility costs.