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Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

economist.com

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Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#21

Post by watwut »

close04 wrote: post #15

The article is all over the place. I thought the point will be about using your home as a "battery" to store what your panels produce during the day in the form of cool air. But I think the punchline is already in the first paragraph: > Yanks holidaying in Europe expect cool comfort, and grow surly on finding that many old-world buildings require them to sweat and bear it. And there's of course the ever present AI dr…

I just love how Europe became American vassals the moment they refused to do what America wants.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#22

Post by DanielHB »

eigenspace wrote: post #14

The rapid buildout of solar, and the rise of efficient air cons for electric home heating certainly makes it seem like a much less wasteful technology than before. I still think though that people are severly underestimating the effectiveness of relative simple, low-tech options like awnings though.

I live in sweden and I am baffled by how uncommon awnings are. In my home country window shutters that also work as yawnings are quite common, especially in places without AC.

My partner was downright insulted when I suggested getting some blackout curtains to reflect sunlight back outside when the sun is hitting our living room. I eventually won that battle after the first summer.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#23

Post by varjag »

daveguy wrote: post #16
varjag wrote: post #7

[flagged]

You don't think it has to do with all the dying from a heatwave going on there?

We have a major continental war raging on for years here with combined casualties of well over a million people. Which you're adamant is none of your business. So no, I don't think so.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#24

Post by spockz »

daveguy wrote: post #16
varjag wrote: post #7

[flagged]

You don't think it has to do with all the dying from a heatwave going on there?

Most airconditioning is supplied by Asian manufacturers anyway. Not sure what is in it for big USA. Other than a general increase in consumption.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#26

Post by Hikikomori »

aestetix wrote: post #13

How about applying political pressure to countries like China and India that do not care about emissions control and pollution? :)

Or america with it's insane per capita emissions.

China is at least adding more solar per year than America has in total.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#27

Post by jmclnx »

The rate the world is going, even people on the Arctic Circle will need A/C.

Where I grew up and live in the US, I had no real need for A/C until 4 or 5 years ago, a bedroom window fan was fine for the few real hot days. Now, I need A/C, but I have aged too :)

Over the years, hot days are getting far more common and hotter on ave. In the "old days" (tm) we could go all summer without reaching above 90F (32C). Once in a great while it would get above 90.

And as a kid (5+ decades ago) I remember me and my friends getting real excited when one day was suppose to reach 100F (38C). We spent all day checking the thermometer at my grandmother's house and when it hit 100, we celebrated.

Now, 100 is just a ho-hum day :(

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#29

Post by carlosrg »

I don’t understand the obsession the Americans have with claiming that we hate AC. Europe is not a country. There are countries where AC is more used. Here in Spain it’s common. It’s probably less common in other, less hot countries. Besides heat, countries with a lower GDP probably have less ACs installed than richer countries. So probably France have more AC-per-capita than Moldova, my guess is that something similar happens if you compare California with Mississippi. It depends. We have nothing against AC as a technology.

Re: Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner

#30

Post by pjerem »

eigenspace wrote: post #14

The rapid buildout of solar, and the rise of efficient air cons for electric home heating certainly makes it seem like a much less wasteful technology than before. I still think though that people are severly underestimating the effectiveness of relative simple, low-tech options like awnings though.

> underestimating the effectiveness of relative simple, low-tech options like awnings though.

I mean, I'm currently in France, with 30°C (86°F) in my bedroom, do you really think that our shutters are opened ? At some point, sunlight is not even the issue. For the night to come, like the previous night, predictions are that we will have 35°C (95F) at midnight. I'm not even sure it was this hot when I was at Las Vegas eleven years ago. Las Vegas which is in the middle a of desert.

We are way past the awnings and we already have shutters and both of them are useless when the air itself is like a air dryer.

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