Community Chat

[ninjawife]

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@moonandthestars wrote:

@Tinkrbl44   I know that europeans have some different ways of living than we do here. They tend to live in smaller spaces, have tiny refrigerators - so they might shop for what they need every day.  There are al ot of older houses in europe that I'm sure would be very difficult to convert to central air, but don't you think they some might have standing or window a/c units?  Have fans I'm sure - personal and house.  

I'm here in the us - n/e - and I rarely put on the a/c and if I do it's just for a short period of time.  Maybe their temperature regulation is more like mine.  Like, don't mind it hot.

But, I did a quick google on the subject of why no a/c in most of europe:

– Europe's climate is less humid. Greece, Italy and Spain have a more bearable dry heat, especially for those people who grew up without A/C. – Stone or brick buildings provide better insulation than American houses. The heat penetrates more slowly, and the stone retains the coolness of the evening.

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@moonandthestars I was in Greece in June 2019 and the temperatures were in the mid 90s and it definitely was not a bearable dry heat.  However, during the time I was in Greece, western Europe including the UK were having a heat wave with temperatures like they are having now.

[Drythe]

Also, Europe pays a much higher price for fossil fuel and electricity than America, as does most of the world.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Skyegirl21 wrote:

In CT, it's a very long humid summer, almost everyone has AC. I couldn't live without it. The sticky humidity is rough... With climate change, I'm sure many who Never needed AC before, may need it now!   Also, I feel as I age, I am less able to handle temperature extremes- just me!  Be cool!

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@Skyegirl21 

Heat exhausts me.  I have recently read that as we age our bodies are much less effective at regulating body temperatures, both extremes.  New information for me, but it sure explains a lot. 

[moonandthestars]

@ninjawife When I traveled to europe the summer of 2014 I remember when packing for the trip wondering if I should even bother bringing anything long sleeve or a sweater, etc.  I mean we were going in July.  When we got there we were met with the polar vortex!  ugh.  I wore almost everything I brought all at once just to stay warm.  Even bought a ski cap from h&m in paris.  

I wanted to edit to add that my comment above was really to underscore there are and have been over time extremes in weather that happen pretty much everywhere from time to time.  And for the most part, there are not the extremes, so life goes on pretty comfortably I can imagine most of the time.  Maybe with the help of ceiling fans and regular fans and portable a/c units, or maybe frequent cold showers or a swim in the sea of a pool, cool drinks people can be more comfortable during the heat wave.  And yes the stone/brick houses tend to stay cooler overall.  The particular year I traveled, it was the opposite of a heat wave.  For me, very uncomfortable - but of course had to adjust and it's something that I don't think repeats often.  

I've never been to greece, but I imagine it as normally having a nice ocean breeze most of the time?  It looks so beautiful in all the pictures I've seen.  Definitely somewhere I would like to visit.

[hckynutjohn]

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@tansy wrote:

We moved to WA state back in the '80s.  Air conditioning was virtually nowhere -- homes, stores, restaurants.  There was usually one week of uncomfortably hot weather.  Now it's a different story.  

I have family in England.  Air conditioning has been unnecessary.

What's not to understand? 😏

@tansy 

Count me as one that don't (doesn't)understand! Your (?)mark means? Guess I missed the question in your post!

hckynut  🇺🇸

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[LuvSoCal]

The summer before my senior year of high school, I spent 6 weeks in Europe (July/August).  I couldn't believe how hot and humid it was all over.  I remember how frizzy my hair got in England, of all places.  This was back in 1970.

[SurferWife]

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@Meowingkitty wrote:

And they don't use ice in their drinks either so you can't even get a cold drink unless you stop at something like a Burger King. I had the best Coke when I was there from BK. After 2 weeks of no ice we stopped, got gas and a huge Coke with ice. Best Coke ever.

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@Meowingkitty 

That reason alone would keep me from visiting.  I gotta' have my ice!

[Desert Lily]

Weather around the world is changing and full of surprises.

There is a ductless AC system that might work for some.

When my child lived in an apartment in Manhattan I bought a portable AC on wheels.

[giova]

I used to live in England, no one had air conditioning.  It just wasn't necessary.  It was rare that the temperature even got in the 70's, and then when it did the British were complaining about the heat in the 70's.  Can't imagine what there feeling about the heat now.

[Desert Lily]

5+ years ago while living on the West coast, my central AC went out. It was 112 degrees. The service I used came out to fix it, but it had been so hot that the wires that were in the metal box outside and connected to the unit outside had melted! The service had to order parts, and of course it went out at 4pm on a Friday.

My house didn't have the kind of windows that I could use a window AC, but I had 2 dogs and myself to worry about in the awful heat. I ran to Home Depot and bought a large evaporative cooler that used ice. I was out of ice within an hour. My neighbors brought me more ice and offered their homes to me, but both of them had cats and I couldn't leave my dogs in the heat. I returned that evaporative cooler because it really didn't help much.

The dogs & I took rides in the car with AC. I put them in a cool tub, and I took cool showers. Thankfully, the service found the parts at another dealership and came the next afternoon. Idk how people without AC can handle it.

Heat causes more deaths per year than any other weather factor (I've posted that before).