Maintaining temperature in summer

Hi. I am new here and I think this is my first post. I have been brewing extract recipes for a few months now, and I've gotten to where I like my brews better than most of the beers I used to buy from the store (I still enjoy beer on tap at the pubs and brew pubs though).

My question is this:
I do not have air conditioning because I live in a climate where it is not usually needed. In the summer we open the windows at night and take in the cool air (55-60 or maybe 65 degrees outside) and then close the windows in the morning. The house stays cool until late afternoon when it gets into the 80s outside (70s inside) and we open some windows for the breeze. So there is probably a 10-degree day/night difference on most days and maybe more on really hot days. This happens in the whole house and I don't have a basement.

I am skeptical that insulation around my fermenters will be enough to keep the temp steady. I have experimented a little with a thermometer by the fermenter, but have not done that in the summer yet.

So far my solution is to find an extra fridge that will go up to lager temperatures and stick to brewing lagers over the summer. (don't know if that idea would work either)

Anyone else had this problem and tried to brew ales under these conditions?

Oh, yes, I'm in a similar situation with the climate here. We actually HAVE central air conditioning, but we have only used it 3-4 times in the last 7 years since we bought this house.

Big temperature changes arent' good- however, it takes a long time for the temperature in the fermenter to change. What I did was make my "Yooper Lagerator", an igloo cooler with a lid I made out of styrofoam. (Pictures are in my gallery). With a water bath (and maybe a frozen water bottle if the temperatures are really high), the temperature doesn't really change much. The water bath provides a lot more insulation from temperature swings, and I float a thermometer in there to check the temperature. I like to keep it about 66 degrees, and it's easy to to at my house.

In the winter, I move that cooler to my basement and do lagers in it, the same way.

If I can brew year round in south Florida you will be able to find coolers, ice baths or something to maintain the temps where you are.


Yoop
My A/C has been on 3-4 times in the last hour

Thanks for the advice. I have an idea already. I'll use the cooler idea for insulation, probably with a water bath too. To test it, I'll fill the fermenter with water and float a thermometer in it for a few days to see what kind of temperature flux is really going on. As you said, there will probably be less than I think. If it's only a degree or two I'll just go for it.

Thanks
Casey