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It was bad enough when we got back from vacation at the cool atlantic coast up north and very suddenly came from climatized mass transportation spilled out int0 that 40 celsius bout. City trees seem at such temperatures just to block the breeze and draw a concentation of biting insects rather than cool with shade and hold the heat longer in the evening. And we could not only feel that ourselves, I am sure, as the basement garage looked like a party mile from all the teens trying to "chill"in the unatractive blackened setting under ground although there are a lot of trees above.
In my east-south-west bedroom with windows on each side and a low roof, 30°C are easy to reach!
Sonja.... Your issues with the air being too dry 'cause of the a.c. sounds like a classic case of the a.c. being far too large/powerful for the space. Normally, an a.c. that's properly sized for the space (and working properly) doesn't pull the humidity below 30% -- most modern ones have failsafe mechanisms to prevent it. Using a humidifier in combo. with an a.c. is a major waste of energy.... Turning the temp. "up" (so it doesn't run so cold) would also mean it pulls less humidity out of the air.... Granted, all this is now a moot pt. since you obviously don't live in that place anymore.
It's nice not to need an a.c., but there are far more places in the world today where not having one isn't an option anymore. The climate has changed so much that even places in Europe that never saw high temps. are seeing them so frequently that a.c. units are becoming not only more common but more necessary.
a hot week is announced to come...
Your statement is true, of course, on the base premise that us humans created this unbalance, volatile climate... Yes, nature goes through normal cycles of heating and cooling and changes occur in the system.... But, to deny the impact of human activity on the natural rhythms of the planet is foolish....
Bet you never thought you'd end up with this whole big discussion thing off of one very inviting, cool feeling photo =)
PS: It's 88˙F with humidity and dew pts. to match outside as I type this... at 12:30AM =( .... But, at least a thunderstorm passed through with a nice lightning display =) Granted, it only increased the humidity levels and did nothing for the temperature.... Complete relief from the high heat & humidity & dew pt. is on the way Tues., though =)
on sunday we had strong rain with temperatures around 85°F, so it feels like rainy season in Asia ! ;-)
It is going to heat up til thursday....100°F
enough for me!!!
please take care and keep cool everybody! :-)
Martina, I dont know about your life circumstances, if you own the house you live in or what's the general floorplan. But if you are the owner with all rights to changes, got insulation up to modern standards and both a north and a south wall not bordering someone elses unit but the outside, consider a single unit dry recuperator (dezentraler Waermetauscher). The things are really worth the expense. No dangerous chemicals in there, less energy requirement than a dehumidifyer from the electronics market, also less heating costs and warmth loss in winter, always filtered air with less spores at home, also less visits of any unwanted little animals, less general dust resulting cleaner, longer new looking home decorations and so less housework, less drama with family members notoriously forgetting to air after showering or boiling water in the kitchen and an almost unnoticable controlled little breeze without much noise go a long way to improve overall happyness. Okay,when there is a row of several more than 32 degree celsius days and worse it may get really also a bit to warmer inside eventually , but still cooler and healthier than if you just use a rotor fan with open windows and there is no need to alternatively hang out in a dank basement environment with a dehumidifyer that is either very loud as well or using chemical desiccants. Currently ouside temperature in the shade at the north wall here is at almost 37 celsius, and the kitchen is sunsequently at 26,6 celsius according to the electronic themometre, but with a glass of cool tea from the fridge I feel relaxed and fresh. And no, I dont get any money from the company that builds them inventer things into the wall, I am just satisfied with how great it performs. ;o)
Fizgig, as long we lived in the USA we never where really in comand of many things that people from Europe usually abhore and avoid if they do not want to fear bad health or a bad environmental conscience. We had everywhere slits in the floor and a switch to make a little bit warmer or cooler to our liking but there was *always* the artificially hotter or colder air circulated by the central forced air system, not only when it was very chilly or very warm but all of spring and indian summer they tried to keep home temperature in the exact ideal range. And that yucky air from the slits was of course dry as in the desert also in a humid state as Michigan. All forced air heatings are like this. Its something I always wondered why a whole nation would prefer it for a standard and I sure do not miss at all.
With "humidifyer" I mean no huge evaporator ment to change whole room climates but a unit for nightstand use with sothing scented pads to spend at least sleeping time with the face in higher humidity and healing oil fumes as coricoid nose spray did stop to help.
Denying that today's reality of life and climate is completely diff't than just 2-3 generations ago doesn't make it so.... Not recommending climate control means for people doesn't make the climate changes more survivable. The reality is, if you lived where not having an a.c. in the summer meant you'd be very sick and/or suffer permanent health complications and risk death just in the process of trying to get through a normal work day, you'd see things in a very diff't light. I'd challenge you to spend the course of a heat wave in the heart of NYC without a.c. .... None of this siesta b.s. either 'cause that's not the reality for most people today. You'd see things very differently ;) Being a European myself, I can say with near certainty that you wouldn't survive the experience without throwing in the towel and finding an air conditioned location before the close of ONE day -- forget about getting through the whole heat wave without calling the challenge quits ;)
But perspectives are diff't when you don't have to deal with those conditions in person for months on end... It's easy to sit in a place that rarely sees temps. in the 95˙F+ range and even more rarely sees humidity above 70% and dew pts. in the 70˙F+ range are unimaginable and say that a.c. is unnecessary. Outside the true heat islands in MI --- of which there is really only one recognized as such -- it's possible even in today's climate to survive without air conditioning the the summer.... Gone are the days when just properly insulating a house allow for natural heating & cooling cycles -- because those cycles in many places have been so drastically altered... No amt. of insulation will keep your home from heating up like an oven in 100˙F heat... You can't turn a house into an airless vacuum to keep 75%+ humidity & 65˙F dew pts. outside from seeping in -- you can suffocate yourself trying, and still not succeed. Once those seep in, combined with heating to at least 85˙F (in a normal house) the conditions become dangerously unhealthy -- not just from the stifling environmental conditions, but also because chemicals begin to be released from our household "stuff" like carpeting, treated flooring, furniture fabrics, every day chemicals everyone has in the house, even paint and wallpaper... That's not even factoring in that high humidity combined with high heat in the home create and environment where molds can form and thrive in furniture fabrics, clothing, carpeting... Oh, and then there's the effect those conditions have on wood in the home.... Fact is, there are places where no construction practices will overcome the outside environment.... Especially where that outside environment doesn't conform to historical patterns.... Need look no further than folks getting sick and/or dying in Europe in places where heat was never an issue before and where local standards and/or means prevent people from have a.c. units. And that's in places that still have a cooling cycle left to them -- i.e. when the sun goes down temps. drop relatively quickly & significantly....
My pt. is, one shouldn't be judgmental when they don't have to deal with those conditions themselves on a regular basis ;) I have family living in Europe and they were always yacking about not seeing the big deal with a.c. units and that there is definitely a wrong time of year to visit heat island cities until climate change hit where they live, too... The buildings they lived in actually had to change their codes and electrical systems to allow for and support the use of a.c. units as people started getting sick from the heat alone. So their new reality is that they couldn't get through the heart of summer without a.c. units because it's no longer cooling off at night in the midst of heatwaves they now have to endure =) Now they totally understand what we were always talking about with the cooling of the home issues and the summer is the wrong time to visit a heat island like NYC if you're not acclimated to deal with heat + humidity - nighttime cooling. And this is within one generation....