Air conditioners are not the best for the planet long term, but Europeans may need to care a bit more about themselves in the short term and start installing more of them.
Actually it’s mostly due to the construction materials and techniques used. American houses are generally less well insulated and built with the explicit expectation that there will be active air conditioning used to maintain the temperature.
Meanwhile in Europe this is not only comparatively very expensive to do, it is also largely unnecessary due to many buildings predating modern air conditioning, using good insulation and passive systems to maintain a comfortable temperature. There are also regulations on newly built houses that make it generally attractive to build energy efficient.
One thing I can promise you, even if it’s not 2x4 production, those brick and plaster walls will turn a house into an oven over the summer even with judicious control of open windows.
Signed,
A resident of an un-air conditioned brick and plaster house in the mid Atlantic currently sweating his balls off
The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) reported that approximately 90% of U.S. single-family homes are under-insulated and are wasting energy and money
Then there are some design choice difference that also matters. In the US average ceiling height is around 9 foot. In Europe it’s 11. Open floor plans are more common in the US. It’s a trend coming to Europe but given the average age of a house in Europe it’s still relatively rare.
Yes, the USA has plenty of well built houses. No one is arguing against this. And the climate plays a bigger part why most of Europe doesn’t have AC. But the statement is still true. European homes are generally built without taking an AC into consideration and are trying to fix the issues in a passive way because of it.
The USA aren’t the worst offender either. Australia has it way worse. They have some of the worst insulation and are melting during summer and freezing during winter. Despite spending an ungodly amount on cooling and heating.
I recently got all new insulation, central ac, ducts. Just getting new insulation helpped a lot but I dont how much is enough. The company just showed a chart and said this how mich is standard here. Yes it is an american home yes it is brick.
It’s very very common in the Northeast to not have AC in spite of the wooden construction and lack of insulation. No one in my family from upstate NY has AC. The climate is the vast majority of the reason there’s more AC in the US.
Hmm, my apartment building is mostly cinderblock and concrete, I have 12 foot ceilings, I’m on the first (above the entry) of five floors so hot air should rise away, and I have good double glazing with UV blocking film and screens. But mid-afternoon when that low-latitude Southern California sun hits, and the Santa Anas are blowing off the desert, even closing all the curtains and turning off appliances can’t keep it cool. So we set the AC for 77 and swelter until the sun goes behind the building across the street. And I make sure I get all the day’s cooking done in the morning so I’m not adding any heat. I’ve seen Europeans come and sunburn themselves because they think they know how long they can play in the sun but they haven’t met OUR sun. It’s just more direct.
American houses are generally less well insulated and built with the explicit expectation that there will be active air conditioning used to maintain the temperature.
Well, that’s just silly and shortsighted. A well-insulated house will maintain its temperature more efficiently and require less active temperature control.
So that sort of mindset seems pretty on point for 'murica.
So is Canada, but it has 64% of homes with air conditioning.
Also, maybe it’s just me, but like didn’t England, France, Spain, Italy and southern Germany all hit like 100f (38c) or higher this summer (and other summers before that)?
It’s less of a story and more a telling sign that climate change is having a direct impact on humans that it’s becoming more and more necessary for people in even European, Canadian and even PNW climates to adapt and outfit houses and businesses with them.
The main reason is how people build houses. In Europe, people use different meterials (bricks, mortar, concrete, etc.) which insulate and put on top insulation. Walls are thicker too. The good insulation keep the heat outside.
The other is the law. Europe has regulations on AC. For example, if I want AC in my house, I must compansate the electricy consumption with renewable.
Not arguing about which is better but most American brick homes you see are a brick veneer, still renting on plywood, studs, and Sheetrock for the actual wall.
I think most people here are talking about the structure being provided by the brick/blocks. Typically they’re much thicker and heavier and provide structure and some insulation.
While building with different materials DOES change insulation, that doesn’t mean it always makes the buildings cooler.
On the contrary, building with bricks, as is standard for all year residential buildings throughout most of Europe is a way to trap and detain heat, NOT a way to keep heat out.
You see, the greatest temperature difficulty before anthropogenic global was the outside being too COLD, so that’s what we’ve been building for and because of that, AC hasn’t been as necessary.
Nowadays though, the heat retaining structures with no AC are becoming unbearably hot for much of the year. We desperately need environmentally responsible AC.
That’s nonsense. Insulation works both ways. It doesn’t differentiate if outside is cold or hot. A well insulated house will keep you warm during winter and cool during summer.
My house is very wel insulated. It doesn’t take much energy to keep it at a nice temperature in winter.
In summer though, it can get very hot inside. The reason is that I have some fairly large, south facing windows. And once it’s hot inside, it’s very hard to cool it down again.
I should really invest in some blinds, preferably outside, to keep the sun out during hot days.
But the point is that insulation and keep heat in/out is not perfectly symmetrical.
Mate, you might as well complain your house is too hot because you run the heating all summer. Your insulation is working fine, you’re just nerfing it by not keeping the sun out.
Well, your problem is the sun going through the windows. They completely defeat your house insulation. Yes, you need blinds, they help a lot. Preferably, outside mounted. Like in Southern Europe. If you cannot mount them outside, look for pleated blinds. They not only your room protect from the sun, but also work as an additional insulation layer. You can also close them during winter nights to save a bit of energy.
It has to be cold inside to begin with. Much of the US has night time lowes over 25 in the summer, with daily averages of 30. So a uncooled home will never be near that. Allg homes should be well insuladed, but just like it would be mad do hgae no heat in much of Europe, its similarity not realistic to have no cooling in much of the us.
Ottawa is on the same latitude as Venice so it’s not like canada is very northly (though i know canada has a much more varied temperature range). That aside i think there are many reasons, like the southern countries are not as wealthy as US and theres a culture of using other methods to survive the heat such as building colors, not paving every cm^2 of land etc.
And if we look at more northen Eu countries like where I live (sweden) the highest ever measured temp is 38c (100.4f). So anyone here who needs an AC for the few days when the temp is above 25c is a card carrying bitch.
Are you fucking high?!? 38° is a hot summer day in Europe. Thats 100.4° F. When I lived there I hated life. Mosquitoes outside my window without a screen, so a breeze was out of the question. No A/C inside so breathing was also out of the question. I eventually found reprieve in the form of a 5” fan sold to me by an old man.
Having lived in Germany for a year, no. It gets hot in the summer. It’s hard to concentrate while at work when there isn’t even a fan. I don’t get it. It would make economic sense for businesses like the software house I worked for, on productivity loss alone.
I’m Brazilian. I don’t know what the average temperature is in Brazil in freedom units, but I know I can function there during summer because of AC. In Germany in 2007 I was basically just starting at a computer screen while sweating without much to show for it.
Also most of Europe is significantly north of the USA so…yeah. Non-story.
Actually it’s mostly due to the construction materials and techniques used. American houses are generally less well insulated and built with the explicit expectation that there will be active air conditioning used to maintain the temperature.
Meanwhile in Europe this is not only comparatively very expensive to do, it is also largely unnecessary due to many buildings predating modern air conditioning, using good insulation and passive systems to maintain a comfortable temperature. There are also regulations on newly built houses that make it generally attractive to build energy efficient.
One thing I can promise you, even if it’s not 2x4 production, those brick and plaster walls will turn a house into an oven over the summer even with judicious control of open windows.
Signed,
A resident of an un-air conditioned brick and plaster house in the mid Atlantic currently sweating his balls off
Source?
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/study-90-of-us-homes-are-under-insulated/406638/#:~:text=The%20North%20American%20Insulation%20Manufacturers,as%20decreasing%20homeowners%27%20comfort%20levels.
http://masonrydesign.blogspot.com/2014/01/european-construction-versus-north.html?m=1
Then there are some design choice difference that also matters. In the US average ceiling height is around 9 foot. In Europe it’s 11. Open floor plans are more common in the US. It’s a trend coming to Europe but given the average age of a house in Europe it’s still relatively rare.
Yes, the USA has plenty of well built houses. No one is arguing against this. And the climate plays a bigger part why most of Europe doesn’t have AC. But the statement is still true. European homes are generally built without taking an AC into consideration and are trying to fix the issues in a passive way because of it.
The USA aren’t the worst offender either. Australia has it way worse. They have some of the worst insulation and are melting during summer and freezing during winter. Despite spending an ungodly amount on cooling and heating.
I recently got all new insulation, central ac, ducts. Just getting new insulation helpped a lot but I dont how much is enough. The company just showed a chart and said this how mich is standard here. Yes it is an american home yes it is brick.
It’s very very common in the Northeast to not have AC in spite of the wooden construction and lack of insulation. No one in my family from upstate NY has AC. The climate is the vast majority of the reason there’s more AC in the US.
Hmm, my apartment building is mostly cinderblock and concrete, I have 12 foot ceilings, I’m on the first (above the entry) of five floors so hot air should rise away, and I have good double glazing with UV blocking film and screens. But mid-afternoon when that low-latitude Southern California sun hits, and the Santa Anas are blowing off the desert, even closing all the curtains and turning off appliances can’t keep it cool. So we set the AC for 77 and swelter until the sun goes behind the building across the street. And I make sure I get all the day’s cooking done in the morning so I’m not adding any heat. I’ve seen Europeans come and sunburn themselves because they think they know how long they can play in the sun but they haven’t met OUR sun. It’s just more direct.
Well, that’s just silly and shortsighted. A well-insulated house will maintain its temperature more efficiently and require less active temperature control.
So that sort of mindset seems pretty on point for 'murica.
So is Canada, but it has 64% of homes with air conditioning.
Also, maybe it’s just me, but like didn’t England, France, Spain, Italy and southern Germany all hit like 100f (38c) or higher this summer (and other summers before that)?
It’s less of a story and more a telling sign that climate change is having a direct impact on humans that it’s becoming more and more necessary for people in even European, Canadian and even PNW climates to adapt and outfit houses and businesses with them.
Southern Germany didn’t hit 38.
The main reason is how people build houses. In Europe, people use different meterials (bricks, mortar, concrete, etc.) which insulate and put on top insulation. Walls are thicker too. The good insulation keep the heat outside.
The other is the law. Europe has regulations on AC. For example, if I want AC in my house, I must compansate the electricy consumption with renewable.
Most of the American homes i have lived in are brick homes.
Not arguing about which is better but most American brick homes you see are a brick veneer, still renting on plywood, studs, and Sheetrock for the actual wall.
So what make a brick home a brick home
I think most people here are talking about the structure being provided by the brick/blocks. Typically they’re much thicker and heavier and provide structure and some insulation.
Well the American style would provide insulation. It is still bricks just with fiberglass insulation and other wall parts
You’re part right and part wrong:
While building with different materials DOES change insulation, that doesn’t mean it always makes the buildings cooler.
On the contrary, building with bricks, as is standard for all year residential buildings throughout most of Europe is a way to trap and detain heat, NOT a way to keep heat out.
You see, the greatest temperature difficulty before anthropogenic global was the outside being too COLD, so that’s what we’ve been building for and because of that, AC hasn’t been as necessary.
Nowadays though, the heat retaining structures with no AC are becoming unbearably hot for much of the year. We desperately need environmentally responsible AC.
That’s nonsense. Insulation works both ways. It doesn’t differentiate if outside is cold or hot. A well insulated house will keep you warm during winter and cool during summer.
My house is very wel insulated. It doesn’t take much energy to keep it at a nice temperature in winter.
In summer though, it can get very hot inside. The reason is that I have some fairly large, south facing windows. And once it’s hot inside, it’s very hard to cool it down again.
I should really invest in some blinds, preferably outside, to keep the sun out during hot days.
But the point is that insulation and keep heat in/out is not perfectly symmetrical.
Without outside blinds, the insulation doesn’t work. The windows work as a greenhouse effect and will quickly heat your house.
Then, the insulation will work keeping the heat inside.
I did mention that in Europe, we close our outside blinds during the day.
Mate, you might as well complain your house is too hot because you run the heating all summer. Your insulation is working fine, you’re just nerfing it by not keeping the sun out.
Well, your problem is the sun going through the windows. They completely defeat your house insulation. Yes, you need blinds, they help a lot. Preferably, outside mounted. Like in Southern Europe. If you cannot mount them outside, look for pleated blinds. They not only your room protect from the sun, but also work as an additional insulation layer. You can also close them during winter nights to save a bit of energy.
It has to be cold inside to begin with. Much of the US has night time lowes over 25 in the summer, with daily averages of 30. So a uncooled home will never be near that. Allg homes should be well insuladed, but just like it would be mad do hgae no heat in much of Europe, its similarity not realistic to have no cooling in much of the us.
https://weatherspark.com/y/8813/Average-Weather-in-Dallas-Texas-United-States-Year-Round
Ottawa is on the same latitude as Venice so it’s not like canada is very northly (though i know canada has a much more varied temperature range). That aside i think there are many reasons, like the southern countries are not as wealthy as US and theres a culture of using other methods to survive the heat such as building colors, not paving every cm^2 of land etc. And if we look at more northen Eu countries like where I live (sweden) the highest ever measured temp is 38c (100.4f). So anyone here who needs an AC for the few days when the temp is above 25c is a card carrying bitch.
The climate of Europe is a lot warmer than in America for the same latitude
Winters are warmer, summers not so much.
Is that really true?
I can’t speak for all of Europe, I just don’t know. But Northern Europe definitely has warmer summers than areas at a comparable latitude.
I live in a part of Sweden that’s at a comparable level of Siberia. I promise you our summers are much warmer.
Yes, I think you underestimate Siberian summers. Here are three places with (fairly) similar latitude and identical summer temperatures, but nearly 20°C difference in winter: https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/84156~146168~148978/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Stockholm;-Gillam-Man.;-and-Surgut-International-Airport
Damn. Cool! Thank you, you do indeed seem to be correct!
Are you fucking high?!? 38° is a hot summer day in Europe. Thats 100.4° F. When I lived there I hated life. Mosquitoes outside my window without a screen, so a breeze was out of the question. No A/C inside so breathing was also out of the question. I eventually found reprieve in the form of a 5” fan sold to me by an old man.
Point is, celsius or fahrenheit, its fucking hot
wait until you learn about the gulf stream
you basically have to move Houston to Madrid for temperatures to be comparable by latitude
nothing we’re not about to remove from the calculation
Having lived in Germany for a year, no. It gets hot in the summer. It’s hard to concentrate while at work when there isn’t even a fan. I don’t get it. It would make economic sense for businesses like the software house I worked for, on productivity loss alone.
The average high temperature for Germany in July is 77°f
The average high temperature in the state of Georgia in July is 89°f
Haha. Average. I live here in GA and while the average may be 89 i havent seen a temp below 90 since june. Its more like a 95 average recently.
I’m Brazilian. I don’t know what the average temperature is in Brazil in freedom units, but I know I can function there during summer because of AC. In Germany in 2007 I was basically just starting at a computer screen while sweating without much to show for it.
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It’s very expensive though.
And will only get more expensive.