Bermuda has shown no signs of the heat wave melting the US East Coast presently and local temperatures have lagged behind the averages recorded for previous summer months.

Meanwhile sales of air conditioners are soaring, indicating that Bermudians' tolerance for hot weather has begun to weaken.

The Bermuda Weather Service reported that this summer has not been abnormally hot.

The average temperature in June was 76.7 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to the warmest mean of 82.1 degrees Fahrenheit in 1988.

The mean temperature for this July was 81 degrees Fahrenheit, while the warmest mean for that month was 84 in 1994.

But this `cool' weather has not put the brakes on air conditioner sales, however.

Kathy Steele of Air Care Ltd. noted that the sudden appearance of numerous small air-conditioning companies on the Island is testament to a simple fact: though they have not done so in the past, Bermudians are now greatly inclined to make air conditioning a way of life.

"I just bought one," admits 27-year old air-conditioning customer Natasha Martin.

"I walk into my house and I switch it on right away."

"There has been a tremendous increase in residential air conditioning," said George Skinner, who is the previous owner of Air Care Ltd.

Vincent Ingham, executive vice president of Belco, said people are now leaving their air conditioners on all day long, all year round, as opposed to just on the hot summer nights.

People are also installing units all over their houses, instead of just in their bedrooms.

Mr. Skinner agreed: "Our feeling is that people are leaving them on more than they used to.

"Because people have air conditioning in their cars and their offices - they tend to feel the heat more than they used to," he said.

"It's too cold at the office," complains another air-conditioning convert, 32-year old David Burgess.

"But obviously at home I can adjust it - my wife says she can't sleep at night without it now."

The Department of Health, explained senior medical officer Dr. Brenda Davidson, is concerned in the community with the fate of small children and the elderly as the Island moves into the peak month of summer.

Luckily, "the elderly seem to be coping very well", she said, noting that most of them seem to be well aware of the need for fluids and ventilation.

"The elderly are more likely to use fans," she said.

However "young families, with young children, often use air conditioning ... it's a different lifestyle" she added.

"Yeah, my granny just has fans," said Ms Martin. "I don't know how she does it."

Aside from a decreasing heat tolerance for Bermudians, another possible reason for the increase in air conditioning use on the Island is affordability.

"People have a little bit more money to spend," Air Care's Mr. Skinner said.

And adding to the increase too is that the cost of air conditioning has decreased over the years.

"Certainly window air conditioners can be found everywhere," said Mr. Ingham of Belco.

"People at one stage used to have them just in their bedrooms - now they are installing them all over their houses.

"We believe this trend will continue."