If the United States is going to get serious about the deep cuts in energy consumption that are needed, the whole idea of air-conditioning has to be questioned
Air-conditioning: Our Cross to Bear
While air-conditioning clearly isn't the sole culprit responsible for global warming, its use looks set to increase, not decrease. Experts agree that the best long-term plan is to make sure that new housing takes climate change into account.
Why Air Con is Ruining Our Environment
“In this way, solar cooling has the potential to reduce peak demand on the electricity grid by reducing the amount of electricity that is required to meet those air conditioning demands on the hottest days of the Australian summer,” Dr White says.
Keeping cool using the summer heat
As air-conditioner sales soar and concrete abounds, the role of trees, grass and other plant life in helping reduce carbon emissions is often overlooked
It's time literally to go green
How to Cool Yourself Without Air Conditioning
9 comments:
Blogging from cellar.
No air con - very cool.
House has heated up after 4 days, the 'underground room ' fine.
Keeping cool using the summer heat reminds me that you gotta get hot before you get cool.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=l33g5jn7p18
It has been around 0 C here nights. And below at times.
Vaults to mid-20's C during the day. It is an arid semi-high-desert place where I am.
I sleep outside mostly so no trouble staying cool, now.
In summer here it can easily be 47 C and more.
Sealing the house, left open to receive it, at the absolute coldest moment of the day, wh. seems to be around 4 or 5 am, and capturing the coolness thereby therein, curtains drawn all windows shut etc.
Also dark of course has its psychological effects.
Ginger and lime and a little honey make a nice iced tea.
A good head soak, repeated dippings, make a good temp reducing regimen for the human. Animals failing to understand the purpose possibly may resent that though.
Myself, while not recommending it in any way, I like to go walkies in the heat of the summer's day, when it's burning almost past the chromatic everywhere and no one out on the street at all, bright white as if the sidewalks were themselves a source of light.
A nice steady cadence and the sweat pouring off - ah. And to ride the bicycle in such weather, now there's an activity.
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Still working on those radio images.
I've become an ardent devotee of inner temperature regulation, closing windows up on the morning of a heatwave, wrapping them in extra insulation if I can, and flinging them wide open the moment a slight cool change comes through, in order to let out that heat they have stored up.
The way they store up and change temperatures is quite wonderful, a science all of it's own.
Early settlers built shotgun cottages ( - you can fire a shotgun straight down the hall and out the back door) where aircon was as simple as opening both back and front doors to feel the air roar through.
My friend in Port Melbourne did it last night when their electricity was load-shed (HighRiser in St.Kilda Rd has posted on that topic).
keep ya cats cool.
Yes Bwca, but they had no effing idea when it came to insulating their hot tin roofs, or feng shui (as it turns out).
My insulation devoid, shotgun shack has forced me out of doors in the evening and I have pitched the tent on the lawn. I slept a little fitfully last night after realising it was an owl dashing about and then eventually getting up to silence the wind chimes. Must've been a breeze . . . ding ding ding, buggered if I could feel it. The stars however were spectacular when I remembered to open my eyes. Oedipus was a little perturbed about setting up camp in the middle of the lawn.
Today, well simply hosing myself down while I did the horse, and then lying on the floor draped in a wet towel in front of the fan also helped with attempts at yet another fitful doze under a hot tin roof.
Juke you're right about at least one of my animals resenting being held under the garden tap. I tell Puss-Kat,its for his own good but he remains unconvinced.
TT: yeah but
Juke: being arid desert, I suspect the coldest moment is colder than urban Melb - which didn't fall below 28 one night. But I like the idea of catching that moment and then sealing its cooling effect.
A blue heeler is much less understanding of the purpose of dousing than a labrador/porpoise ever was.
TimT: Windows 09 - is all in the timing of the flinging.
Bwca. Yep, though sounds dangerous.
Just don't cross the Cross-ventilation in a Shotgun Cottage.
I have slept under the stars here a few times, Caroline. Though it does help if the grass is still fairly green. After a month of no rain and a heatwave the lawn is like hay. Dogs are always happy to follow the pack around the house and garden (and under the house if need be)
boynton you are so cool. hipptpp
a tad cooler now
(10 degrees to be exact)
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