Perhaps slightly off topic, but I was reminded of this story about how the political transformation of the "new south" may be linked to air-conditioning: http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/new-south-made-p...
Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
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Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#12I absolutely hate hot temperatures and find the summer truly horrendous because in England it's getting hotter and hotter, this year my apartment was over 35c / 95f on multiple days... but air conditioning just doesn't exist here, I've never known anyone to have it in their home. This article explains that air conditioning is inexpensive now, so why does America have such huge air con usage and England none? Was it a…
You can get a free standing portable unit in the 9000 btu range[1] for ~£300. You will need to sit it near a window that opens as it has an air intake and exhaust that must go outside. It will take care of one small room. This will be your refuge. The units can also double as dehumidifiers which make the warm air more comfortable.
Here in the states, my house had no AC, and we have weeks of >100°F/38°C summers with high humidity. All your fine mammal evolutionary adaptations are useless. Panting? Nope, air is hotter than you. Sweating? Nope, won't evaporate. Radiating from hairless skin? Nope. We did have a tiny window unit air conditioner that about half worked that came with the house. We'd build a tent over the bed and just barely stay comfortable.
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[1] But not many. I just looked in amazon uk, and your choices are slim compared to the states. I say free standing, because a window unit can tear up the window frame pretty badly and if you are renting that isn't polite. The free standing units just have an adjustable width panel with two holes that you shut in the window sash.
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#13I absolutely hate hot temperatures and find the summer truly horrendous because in England it's getting hotter and hotter, this year my apartment was over 35c / 95f on multiple days... but air conditioning just doesn't exist here, I've never known anyone to have it in their home. This article explains that air conditioning is inexpensive now, so why does America have such huge air con usage and England none? Was it a…
Average July high in New York City is 84. Boston 82. And these are relatively cool places compared to other parts of the U.S.
London and Paris July average high is 73-75. And there's a world of difference between 75 and 83.
Even if you go all the way down to Toulouse, it's still not as hot as New York.
However, it is interesting to note that A/C sale in Europe has been taking off for the past 10-15 years, presumably because it is indeed getting hotter in Europe.
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that part of this is that most of the lower 48 US states (24-47° North) are closer to the equator than most of England (50-54° North). 95°F isn't an extremely hot day. We get 95°F days in the summer in Seattle, the city of perma-drizzle (47° North). From personal experience, most houses in this area don't have air conditioning. In the South, people regularly see much hotter days (I think Arizona (33°N) tops 1…
Cumulative heat stress is the danger, so it's actually hot nights that kill people, probably because of impaired sleep quality. (Aside from heatstroke, most of these excess deaths occur in people already in poor health.) 95°F / 35°C during the day is fine, but 75°F / 24°C at night (without A/C) is deadly, especially considering that most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night.
"most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night"
I see two reasons for that.
Firstly, people simply do not know how to keep their houses cool. On hot nights, people will do the right thing and open windows to cool down the house. However, at day, they will not close windows and curtains to keep the cold air in and the heat out (opening windows will not cool your house if the air outside is warmer than the air inside, as it lets in warmer air)
Secondly, some houses simply are poorly designed for hot summers. Windows on the south are great most of the time, but for the (few) hot summer days, you need something that prevents the sun from shining directly into your room. A simple solution is to have a balcony; that takes away the sun when it is high in the air, but not when it is low, as in spring, autumn and winter.
(this assumes houses with 'real' walls that have some heat capacity. I do not think the almost-cardboard style walls so common in the US fit that bill. That may be a reason air conditioning is so popular there)
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that part of this is that most of the lower 48 US states (24-47° North) are closer to the equator than most of England (50-54° North). 95°F isn't an extremely hot day. We get 95°F days in the summer in Seattle, the city of perma-drizzle (47° North). From personal experience, most houses in this area don't have air conditioning. In the South, people regularly see much hotter days (I think Arizona (33°N) tops 1…
Cumulative heat stress is the danger, so it's actually hot nights that kill people, probably because of impaired sleep quality. (Aside from heatstroke, most of these excess deaths occur in people already in poor health.) 95°F / 35°C during the day is fine, but 75°F / 24°C at night (without A/C) is deadly, especially considering that most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night.
Can anyone explain why you can stand the heat in the day, but when it comes to night, while it may be a comfortable 15c outside you can't sleep, and it seems much hotter? Maybe it's just me. I'm talking about those (rare) 30c hot days in an English summer (no sniggering).
Is it internal, bodily factors or external factors (e.g. the house absorbing the heat? I don't buy that, though, as I can have all the windows open blowing cool air in and still not sleep).
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#16I absolutely hate hot temperatures and find the summer truly horrendous because in England it's getting hotter and hotter, this year my apartment was over 35c / 95f on multiple days... but air conditioning just doesn't exist here, I've never known anyone to have it in their home. This article explains that air conditioning is inexpensive now, so why does America have such huge air con usage and England none? Was it a…
Britain is much cooler during summer than anywhere in the lower 48. Most British houses resist hot weather very well, with thick brick walls and relatively small windows. You probably live in a modern apartment with a lot of glass and very little thermal mass.
One key advantage of heat pump systems is that they can often be run in reverse, serving as both heating and air conditioning. Currently a heat pump is no cheaper to run than gas central heating, but that is set to change within the next few years.
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#17[deleted]
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that part of this is that most of the lower 48 US states (24-47° North) are closer to the equator than most of England (50-54° North). 95°F isn't an extremely hot day. We get 95°F days in the summer in Seattle, the city of perma-drizzle (47° North). From personal experience, most houses in this area don't have air conditioning. In the South, people regularly see much hotter days (I think Arizona (33°N) tops 1…
Seattle is a good example because its weather is similar to London. For what it's worth, A/C is also pretty rare in Seattle homes.
I bought an AC for my home in Seattle before last summer. Cost about $4,200 and was worth it in my opinion.
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#19I absolutely hate hot temperatures and find the summer truly horrendous because in England it's getting hotter and hotter, this year my apartment was over 35c / 95f on multiple days... but air conditioning just doesn't exist here, I've never known anyone to have it in their home. This article explains that air conditioning is inexpensive now, so why does America have such huge air con usage and England none? Was it a…
Wealth. Per capita GDP in the US increased by 180% in the time period mentioned (in inflation constant dollars). Which means that in the regions of the country where it is hot for a considerable period of time almost everyone will have air conditioning, and in areas where it's hot only a few weeks out of the year a lot of people will have in-window air conditioning units, since they are so inexpensive. The UK's per c…
Yeah, I love how in the US (in the Midwest) you can get a hermetically sealed McMansion on a developer's salary. I don't think you can get that anywhere else in the world. There's not enough land, energy costs are too high, and the cost of living in general is too high.
Re: Study: Home air conditioning cut premature deaths on hot days 80% since 1960
#20I wonder how long it will take until this gain will be offset by the environmental damage the increased American energy use is causing.