Community Chat

[haddon9]

When my son went to study in Rome for a semester he arrived in August.  It was very hot & humid and there was no AC in his apartment.  Most places just didn't have AC.

I think that there are plenty of areas in Europe that do get hot & humid often....maybe not in the UK.  They don't have AC because of the cost and many homes are old which makes something like air conditioning harder to install.

They also didn't have clothes dryers.  Many people used clothes lines.  My son shared an apartment with 7 other students.  They had clothes drying in racks all over their apartment most of the time.

[ninjawife]

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@moonandthestars wrote:

@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 if need be.  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.

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@moonandthestars  I was in Athens, Santorini and Crete during my trip.  All of these places were hot and humid.  If there was an ocean breeze, I did not feel it.  I have also been to Spain and England in July.  Spain was equally hot and humid.  England was pleasant maybe 80 degrees tops.  Despite the weather I had a great time on all my travels.  I work in a school system so I have to take my vacations during school breaks.  I have also been to Italy, Paris and England during Christmas break.  Hopefully during next school year's spring break, I will be taking a Rhine River cruise. 

[drizzellla]

I remember in 2003. Europe was going through a heat wave. And France was having a rough time. Many of the people in nursing homes were dying from the hot weather conditions. 

And there was much talk about lack of air conditioning.

[gardenman]

There are ways around air conditioning. My house was built in in1927. When my parents bought it in the 1950s, they had a new heater installed in the basement. This heater had a neat feature in that you could take off the back door and slide it into the filter holder slot on the return air duct to block that off and then slide the air filter into the heater door slot. Then turning on the fan would have the heater pull the cool air from the basement up into the house. That heater was used until the 1990s and kept the house very comfortable. When it was time to replace it, I was shocked to find that feature was no longer offered with heaters. You've got a basement full of cool air, why not use it upstairs?

You don't have to go very far underground to find cooler temps in the summer. Burying some ductwork underground and then pulling warm air through those buried ducts to cool the air as it enters the house could be used to cool homes very efficiently. Dealing with the condensation inside the ductwork is an issue, but as problems go, it's not unsolvable. (The warm moist air hitting the cool ducts would cause condensation and mold/fungus/algae growth within the ducts if not dealt with.)

[FiddleDeeDee]

@Tinkrbl44  For the same reason many homes in traditionally cold areas didn't/don't have AC....rarely used them.

I lived in Northern Maine/PEI for 6 years...NEVER needed AC. Summers hit around 75 if that on a hot day and for only about a month (we would still get light snow in June and Halloween was always a snowed event). 

Family/friends with cabins in the mountains of MD, PA and WV didn't have AC and often nights were chilly even during July and August. 

England (and I'm talking about the Mid-lands and north) usually have summers that hit around 72 during the day.  No need for AC in any way. That said, London and the South get hot and there is little air-flow in the city and in buildings. When we would fly over, we ALWAYS booked a place that had AC (usually renovated TH/condos) because we didn't want to deal with the heat/stuffiness. 

True story: about 6 years family was over from the UK and commented on how much they loved AC in the states. One of our sons asked why they didn't get it installed in their house and his Uncle replied that there wasn't any company around to do so. Son said he should start one as it would be an instant money maker. Uncle laughed but guess who started an AC/HVAC business a few years later and guess who is now rolling in money? Yep, that same uncle. He came to the states to attend the 18 month training school because there weren't any near him (there are for heaters but NO training for AC systems. Guess who now also has a business teaching that?).

With global warming, the need is simply there and those who can afford it are looking to have it installed. 

One last thing: stone houses. Stone houses can be a blessing and a curse with the heat. That's another reason no AC; until recently, they stayed nice and cool but now....well, they retain heat so it's like being in an oven depending on the location of the house.

[CANDLEQUEEN]

I remember many years ago, early on in our marriage we rented a Duplex and there was no air. We had a small child and it was miserable. We don't have long summers here, but they are warm and humid, we live right on Lake Michigan! I feel for people with no air when it is really hot and humid, especially people with babies and the elderly! 

I am not that surprised with England because I know they usually don't get that hot, but Wow. How miserable that is to be without Air in those temps...   

[drizzellla]

@gardenman You just made me think of something.

Where I went to high school, the buildings were all built before the Revolutionary War. The walls were all 12" inches thick probably more. And the walls were all made of stone. The rooms were all comfortable, winter or summer. 

And as @gardenman said the basement was always many degrees cooler.

[jubilant]

I was talking to DH about the heat in Viet Nam. He said a lot of the days he was there it was 120 to 130 degrees.  He said the people there were adapted to it and went  about their daily duties. Very loose clothing, big straw hats, no underwear, ate lightly, and lived in bamboo huts. So, I guess one adapts to it somehow.  I think, being spoiled with air conditioning....I would die in Viet Nam!

[AFWIFE]

I live on the central coast of California.  My home was built in 2010 and it does not have AC...most homes here do not.  The average temperature is in the low 70s so there isn't a need for one.  However when it hits the 80s and 90s a few days out of the year we wish we have one!  I don't know if I have ever seen 100 out here.  I am originally from the midwest so I do know what that feels like. 

[Katcat1]

The heat wave is just about everywhere.  I really feel sorry for the people in Europe .   What was acceptable in the 50's and 60's is no longer the norm.  Personally I would take cold instead of heat.