Marie Lewis

In article , Mxsmanic
writes
    >Wolfgang Schwanke writes:
    >> When the climate is such that only for a couple
    >> of weeks per year cooling is required, an air
    >> conditioning system will be idle most of the time,
    >> and therefore considered an unnecessary luxury
    >> by most.
    >Odd that nobody feels this way about heating.

We don't have just two weeks a year of cold weather! If we did, few
would have central heating.

When you live in a climate where, for the vast majority of the year the
weather is cold or cool, wet, and windy, you need heating: you do not
need air conditioning.
    >Air conditioning doesn't cost anything when it isn't running.
    >> You can use a cheap fan for the days when you need cooling.
    >Fans provide air movement, not cooling.
Fans are usually enough in the UK.
--
Marie Lewis

Marie Lewis

In article , Elaine
writes
    >In northern Europe (well the UK anyway) heating is a necessity for 6 or 7
    >months a year, whereas airconditioning might make life a bit more
    >comfortable for a couple of weeks a year - that's hardly the same thing.


Up here int' north, we have the heating on for at least 8 months a year.
At least.
--
Marie Lewis

Wolfgang Schwanke

Mxsmanic wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >> When the climate is such that only for a couple
    >> of weeks per year cooling is required, an air
    >> conditioning system will be idle most of the time,
    >> and therefore considered an unnecessary luxury
    >> by most.
    >
    > Odd that nobody feels this way about heating.

Coldness makes people sick, heat has no ill effects ecxept feeling
uncomfortable. Therefore heating is a vital necessity, cooling is but a
dispensable amenity.

    > Air conditioning doesn't cost anything when it isn't running.

Except for the annual write-off from the installation price, maintenance &
repair. Which is quite a lot.

    >> You can use a cheap fan for the days when you need cooling.
    >
    > Fans provide air movement, not cooling.

Air movement cools moist surfaces, such as human skin. The furniture may
well endure the heat.

--
__o
http://www.wschwanke.de/ _'\<,_ C'est le tour de France!
(_)/ (_)

Go Fig

In article ,
Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:

    > Mxsmanic wrote in
    > news:[email protected]:
    >
    > >> When the climate is such that only for a couple
    > >> of weeks per year cooling is required, an air
    > >> conditioning system will be idle most of the time,
    > >> and therefore considered an unnecessary luxury
    > >> by most.
    > >
    > > Odd that nobody feels this way about heating.
    >
    > Coldness makes people sick, heat has no ill effects ecxept feeling
    > uncomfortable. Therefore heating is a vital necessity, cooling is but a
    > dispensable amenity.


In N. America, no other natural disaster kills more people than heat.

jay
Sat, May 31, 2003
mailto:[email protected]


    >
    > > Air conditioning doesn't cost anything when it isn't running.
    >
    > Except for the annual write-off from the installation price, maintenance &
    > repair. Which is quite a lot.
    >
    > >> You can use a cheap fan for the days when you need cooling.
    > >
    > > Fans provide air movement, not cooling.
    >
    > Air movement cools moist surfaces, such as human skin. The furniture may
    > well endure the heat.

--

Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Mason Barge

On Fri, 30 May 2003 11:34:13 +0100, "John" wrote:

    >How widespread is air conditioning in European countries, both in the work
    >place and people's homes?
    >Is it viewed as a luxury? or a "North American style" oddity, or just
    >another appliance that some people have and some don't.
    >thanks for any feedback (I'm serious in my question, not trying to provoke
    >any kind of trolling)
    >John.

There is not going to be much a/c in northen countries (including UK) because
they don't need it.

The surprise is that there is surprisingly little in some very VERY hot places.
I seem to remember this from Sevilla and Malta, which are both scorching in the
summer. Average daily high in Sevilla in July is 97 F.
--
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
- Abraham Lincoln

Mxsmanic

Go Fig writes:

    > In N. America, no other natural disaster kills more
    > people than heat.

This may eventually be true for most of the world.


--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Mxsmanic

Mason Barge writes:

    > The surprise is that there is surprisingly little in
    > some very VERY hot places. I seem to remember this from
    > Sevilla and Malta, which are both scorching in the
    > summer. Average daily high in Sevilla in July is 97 F.

It's because of the war.


--
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Go Fig

In article ,
Mxsmanic wrote:

    > Go Fig writes:
    >
    > > In N. America, no other natural disaster kills more
    > > people than heat.
    >
    > This may eventually be true for most of the world.

Of course it is true, but that is about 3 billion years away ;-)

jay
Sat, May 31, 2003
mailto:[email protected]

--

Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Earl Evleth

On 31/05/03 12:52, in article [email protected],
"Go Fig" wrote:

    >> Coldness makes people sick, heat has no ill effects ecxept feeling
    >> uncomfortable. Therefore heating is a vital necessity, cooling is but a
    >> dispensable amenity.
    >
    >
    > In N. America, no other natural disaster kills more people than heat.


It gets uncomfortably hot in the summer in a good part of the US. Paris
rarely has hot weather worthy of an air conditioner unless one lives
in a poorly designed building. We find that an electric fans suffices when
it gets up to 35 C. Right now it is 31 and no fan needed. In our 30 years
here the number of really hot spells has been limited. We have no air
conditioning. We live in a older building, built in 1865, thick walls
and the interior temperature is modulated.

A close friend has a beautiful modern apartment with large bay windows which
get a fierce exposure to afternoon sun in the summer. She had to get her
place air conditioned for the summer. In the winter, the windows lose heat
and she had to add extra heating! Much of modern architecture is not built
with heat management in mind, at least for private apartments.

As one goes south in Europe it gets hotter. Historically that was taken
into account in building designs. In the Var, for instance, the days can
be very warm, near 40 C, but the old buildings have thick walls which
moderate the day temperatures, one opens up the windows at night to cool
them off, one takes one evening meals on a terrace in the open air.

Being over 70 I remember California before air conditioning and we
"survived" in the same fashion, learning to live with it, building
to take it. But the dry heat of a Southern California summer has
turned to a more humid heat with the watering of lawns of millions
of people, the installation of artificial lakes, swimming pools etc.
The heat of Houston Texas is more formidable. Pre-air conditioning
there was more painful.

Nevertheless heat does kill and add to the stress of old people. So when
a heat wave comes in the inner cities of America the old start dying
faster.

Air conditioning, however, it not without its risks. Moving in an out
from overly chilled interiors to hot exteriors must also add to the stress.
Europeans visiting the USA or even old expatriates like ourselves are
irritated by interiors so cold that a sweater is required in the summer!

Next, there is a health hazard with air conditioning due to bacterial
pollution. Legionnaire's disease is associated with air conditioning.
While in a hotel or restaurant environment these units are possibly
cleaned out, individual units are less well maintained.

Overall, the lesson is "moderation all things". If needed, use it
but if it can be avoided, do so. Addiction to Air conditioning is
possibly uniquely an American addiction. Europeans have not
reached that stage of disdevelopment yet.


Earl

Earl Evleth

On 31/05/03 13:01, in article [email protected],
"Mason Barge" wrote:

    > The surprise is that there is surprisingly little in some very VERY hot
    > places.
    > I seem to remember this from Sevilla and Malta, which are both scorching in
    > the
    > summer. Average daily high in Sevilla in July is 97 F.

One avoids the middle of the day but evenings are pleasant in a hot climate.
I still prefer to stay in a cooler France in the summer, heading for Greece
in September. The water has warmed up by then and the days are not
so fierce.

Being in my 70s I will quote the old saying "old bones is cold bones",
we don't mind it as much as the youngsters.

Earl

Earl Evleth

On 31/05/03 13:19, in article [email protected],
"Mxsmanic" wrote:

    >> The surprise is that there is surprisingly little in
    >> some very VERY hot places. I seem to remember this from
    >> Sevilla and Malta, which are both scorching in the
    >> summer. Average daily high in Sevilla in July is 97 F.
    >
    > It's because of the war.


The hot air was coming out of Washington!

But it always gets hot there, and early.

Earl

Thetraveller

I have not seen the obvious question... Why do you ask?

John wrote:

    > How widespread is air conditioning in European countries, both in the work
    > place and people's homes?
    >
    > Is it viewed as a luxury? or a "North American style" oddity, or just
    > another appliance that some people have and some don't.
    >
    > thanks for any feedback (I'm serious in my question, not trying to provoke
    > any kind of trolling)
    > John.
    >
    >
    >

Mxsmanic

Earl Evleth writes:

    > Paris rarely has hot weather worthy of an air conditioner
    > unless one lives in a poorly designed building.

These past few days have readily justified air conditioning. I have the
A/C running right now.

    > Right now it is 31 and no fan needed.

With relative humidity of 60%. A fan won't do much good, but A/C will.


--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Mxsmanic

Earl Evleth writes:

    > The hot air was coming out of Washington!

That's not the war I had in mind. I meant WWII; most Europeans behave
as though it were still in progress.


--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Earl Evleth

On 31/05/03 17:20, in article [email protected],
"Mxsmanic" wrote:

    > Earl Evleth writes:
    >
    >> Paris rarely has hot weather worthy of an air conditioner
    >> unless one lives in a poorly designed building.
    >
    > These past few days have readily justified air conditioning. I have the
    > A/C running right now.
    >

You certainly aren`t in Paris are you?? Where are you?

Earl