107°F here in a few days

[DCLMP]

100% agree. It's really about doing what we can individually to try and make a little change so we can sleep at night. We don't have the "stuff" to do what really needs to be done here....in the wealthiest nation in the world, and so I don't expect emerging countries to behave any better than us.

The people that believe in and promote this stuff are some most hypocritical people on the planet.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

The status of Britain's roads is awful. They're dug up constantly for wiring, gas and waterworks, to expand capacity, to constantly vex me...

WHY can't they just dig up a designated area at the edge of the road each time?

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

The status of Britain's roads is awful. They're dug up constantly for wiring, gas and waterworks, to expand capacity, to constantly vex me...

WHY can't they just dig up a designated area at the edge of the road each time?

I hope you're cooling off now!

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I hope you're cooling off now!

It's just rained a little bit so the edge has been taken off It's our dogs I worry about. Little critters in fur coats in direct contact with the sunbaked tarmac... can't be nice!

 

[VandVsmama]

From the forecast, it looks like London is going to have cooler temps tomorrow. Hope it gives everyone over there some relief!

 

[NotUrsula]

FYI, here is a heat-related illness chart that is handy to keep around when dealing with unaccustomed heat. If you must work outdoors, wear light-colored loose clothing and try to limit time outdoors between 11 am and 3 pm, when the sun is highest. If anyone in your household (or workplace) looks like they are getting into the danger zone for heat exhaustion, insist on a cool bath (submerged up to the shoulders, or 20 minutes in a cool shower -- or under a water hose if that is all that's available) and have them also drink chilled water. If you see symptoms of heat stroke, immediately call emergency services for medical assistance--heat stroke is serious business and can kill very quickly, sometimes in under 2 hours.

I know air conditioning is scarce all over, but if you have tools at home, you can also try building a swamp cooler; it's generally possible to use one to lower temperatures within a single room by several degrees, especially at night, and they are cheap to build. Plenty of tutorials on Youtube.

 

[NotUrsula]

You said windows in houses in hot climates face along north and south walls and few face east and west that’s simply not factual. Houses aren’t designed that way.

More specifically, houses in hot, humid places where air conditioning is uncommon are designed that way. I've always lived in old houses (nothing later than WW2), and this was absolutely the case in the US Deep South before air conditioning became common. (Well, the windows might exist, but would have been deliberately shaded in the daytime. However, cross-ventilation is optimal when trying to cool without power.)

Modern builders tend to take the position that A/C equalizes all that, at least as long as the home is well-insulated. All things being equal, though, homes that are properly sited and built to minimize direct sun exposure and heat absorption are still much cheaper to cool.

 

[NotUrsula]

BTW, heat *is* the number 1 weather-related cause of illness/injury in the US, and has been for some time.

(The number for "winter" as separate from cold is a reference to weather-related accidents, such as falls on ice.)

 

[DCLMP]

Modern builders tend to take the position that A/C equalizes all that, at least as long as the home is well-insulated. All things being equal, though, homes that are properly sited and built to minimize direct sun exposure and heat absorption are still much cheaper to cool.

I would agree with that, but that's a decision you make when you buy a home. Do you want to see the sunset on your back porch or do you want to avoid the afternoon sun in the Summer? I have a west facing backyard by choice.

 

[disneyerin]

Do you actually have stats on this many thousands dieing? Like I said cold kills 20 times more than heat. It's good their houses retain heat since they may not be able to afford to heat them this winter.

Oops
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[DCLMP]

BTW, heat *is* the number 1 weather-related cause of illness/injury in the US, and has been for some time.

(The number for "winter" as separate from cold is a reference to weather-related accidents, such as falls on ice.)

If that's true it contradicts the CDC... Here is a study that contradicts the national weather servicettps://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/05/20/cold-weather-deaths/27657269/ I have no doubt more people die of heat related illness in the Southern states. In the northern states it's probably the opposite. I'm not sure why it even matters? If you can prove more people die from heat then therefore global warming exists? Is that the theory? Neither one is a major cause of death in this country. A lot of deaths from either could be linked to human stupidity.

My electric bill is up 30% and my gas bill 100%, We may see more deaths from both in the next year. Let's hope utility companies aren't shutting people down for non-payment

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Death toll from European heatwave hits more than 1,000:​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...orests-heatwave-causes-1-000-deaths-DAYS.html

Now it is more than 1700, in just Spain & Portugal.

https://www.axios.com/2022/07/18/heat-wave-europe-death-toll

 

[NotUrsula]

If that's true it contradicts the CDC... Here is a study that contradicts the national weather servicettps://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/05/20/cold-weather-deaths/27657269/ I have no doubt more people die of heat related illness in the Southern states. In the northern states it's probably the opposite. I'm not sure why it even matters? If you can prove more people die from heat then therefore global warming exists? Is that the theory? Neither one is a major cause of death in this country. A lot of deaths from either could be linked to human stupidity.

My electric bill is up 30% and my gas bill 100%, We may see more deaths from both in the next year. Let's hope utility companies aren't shutting people down for non-payment

Personally, I happen to think global warming is a natural thing, that climate change happens in cycles (yes, perhaps influenced by technological change), but that it's nothing really new, and that it's probably a logical consequence of the existence of civilizations. As humans have done for centuries now, we try to adapt to present conditions and go on as best we can.

FWIW, it isn't the opposite in Northern states, except perhaps for arctic Alaska. Heat is always the bigger killer in a built environment, because thanks to man's ability to build dwellings and make fire and textiles, and our inability to control the weather, getting warm is relatively easy once out of the elements. Cooling down whilst still getting anything done is much harder and more expensive, technologically speaking, because the only naturally-occurring way to quickly cool a body back down to 97F when the air temp is 104F is by use of running water. Also, cold storage preserves most foods, whilst excess heat destroys them, and we need to be able to eat.

... And that brings me to why it matters. Living a technologically-advanced life in a very hot climate is more expensive and logistically complicated than it is in a very cold one, and the more people and animals who live in a hot area, the more it will need to be artificially cooled, because mammals and mechanical devices all generate additional heat. The difference in the cost structure of our lives will require some degree of change on the part of humans. (Also, I mean "cost" in the economics-study sense, both in actual money, and in decisions that may go against natural inclination, like adjusting work hours to avoid the hottest times of day.)

 

[DCLMP]

Personally, I happen to think global warming is a natural thing, that climate change happens in cycles (yes, perhaps influenced by technological change), but that it's nothing really new, and that it's probably a logical consequence of the existence of civilizations. As humans have done for centuries now, we try to adapt to present conditions and go on as best we can.

FWIW, it isn't the opposite in Northern states, except perhaps for arctic Alaska. Heat is always the bigger killer in a built environment, because thanks to man's ability to build dwellings and make fire and textiles, and our inability to control the weather, getting warm is relatively easy once out of the elements. Cooling down whilst still getting anything done is much harder and more expensive, technologically speaking, because the only naturally-occurring way to quickly cool a body back down to 97F when the air temp is 104F is by use of running water. Also, cold storage preserves most foods, whilst excess heat destroys them, and we need to be able to eat.

... And that brings me to why it matters. Living a technologically-advanced life in a very hot climate is more expensive and logistically complicated than it is in a very cold one, and the more people and animals who live in a hot area, the more it will need to be artificially cooled, because mammals and mechanical devices all generate additional heat. The difference in the cost structure of our lives will require some degree of change on the part of humans. (Also, I mean "cost" in the economics-study sense, both in actual money, and in decisions that may go against natural inclination, like adjusting work hours to avoid the hottest times of day.)

Are you referring to cave man times without technology? In current times how is living in the desert more expensive than living in the northeast. People living in cold climates have to artificially heat there homes. The cost of doing so is going to be very high this Winter. I’m not sure Im understanding what your trying to say.

 

[NotUrsula]

Are you referring to cave man times without technology? In current times how is living in the desert more expensive than living in the northeast. People living in cold climates have to artificially heat there homes. The cost of doing so is going to be very high this Winter. I’m not sure Im understanding what your trying to say.

I'm not saying it is more expensive to live in an extremely hot place than it is to live in an extremely cold one; I am saying that it is more expensive to live in an extremely hot climate than in a temperate one, which is what we're discussing when the topic is most of the middle latitudes of the US, the UK/Ireland and most of central Europe. The calculus, I guess, is how many days out of the year you need to expend fuel of some kind to make it possible to safely remain inside your home with the doors and windows closed.

It does take more complex technological machinery to allow modern life in a very hot climate than in a very cold one. You can heat a home with a stove or furnace that burns simple distillate oil or wood, but for an air conditioning system you need electricity or a highly refined fuel like propane. Air conditioning systems also typically have a shorter lifespan than furnaces, they are generally more expensive to buy, and they usually require drainage and filtration to run efficiently.

 

[DCLMP]

I'm not saying it is more expensive to live in an extremely hot place than it is to live in an extremely cold one; I am saying that it is more expensive to live in an extremely hot climate than in a temperate one, which is what we're discussing when the topic is most of the middle latitudes of the US, the UK/Ireland and most of central Europe. The calculus, I guess, is how many days out of the year you need to expend fuel of some kind to make it possible to safely remain inside your home with the doors and windows closed.

It does take more complex technological machinery to allow modern life in a very hot climate than in a very cold one. You can heat a home with a stove or furnace that burns simple distillate oil or wood, but for an air conditioning system you need electricity or a highly refined fuel like propane. Air conditioning systems also typically have a shorter lifespan than furnaces, they are generally more expensive to buy, and they usually require drainage and filtration to run efficiently.

I can go from Nov 1 to April 1 without heat or AC. I do like to turn the heat for an hour in the morning, to take the chill out, but that’s more for comfort. The temp in my house in the winter ranges from 62 to 75 without any assistance. May through September my electric bill runs from 300- 450. Our last ac lasted 18 years, The new energy efficient one is only expected to last about 12. Im not sure what you mean about drainage. A lot of people here have gone solar and their electric bill is zero, but the upfront cost are high. We didn’t do it because we keep thinking we’re going to move to Florida...LOL.

I think it would be very difficult to heat a large house with a furnace or stove and what about stores and offices, airports malls. It seems like your referring to what climate is easier to survive in without basic technology. If the apocalypse happens I’m definitely not sticking around here in the Summer. I agree with you that one.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm reducing it to basic technology because the places currently really getting hit hard with unnaccustomed temperature are places where a lot of buildings are very old, and perhaps not suitable for full installations of central A/C systems, and still heat with fireplaces or AGA stoves. These days the best options for cooling them are what are generally called mini-splits, which cool one room. They normally last about 10 years in coastal areas, 20 further inland (but when you're speaking of islands, almost everywhere is relatively coastal.) Cooling a large public building building built in 1750 or so would require investing in a whole lot of mini-splits.

You live in a desert. If you can't wrap your mind around the reality that the mechanisms that work with a given level of expenditure in a desert might not work to the same degree of efficiency at the same cost in a more humid area, then you're only looking at half the picture.
(And yes, an air conditioning unit requires drainage where I live, because dehumidification generates water, about 1.5 gallons on an average summer day for my 1000 sq. ft home.)

 

[DCLMP]

I'm reducing it to basic technology because the places currently really getting hit hard with unnaccustomed temperature are places where a lot of buildings are very old, and perhaps not suitable for full installations of central A/C systems, and still heat with fireplaces or AGA stoves. These days the best options for cooling them are what are generally called mini-splits, which cool one room. They normally last about 10 years in coastal areas, 20 further inland (but when you're speaking of islands, almost everywhere is relatively coastal.) Cooling a large public building building built in 1750 or so would require investing in a whole lot of mini-splits.

You live in a desert. If you can't wrap your mind around the reality that the mechanisms that work with a given level of expenditure in a desert might not work to the same degree of efficiency at the same cost in a more humid area, then you're only looking at half the picture.
(And yes, an air conditioning unit requires drainage where I live, because dehumidification generates water, about 1.5 gallons on an average summer day for my 1000 sq. ft home.)

People cool their homes in humid states and have been for decades. I still don’t get your point or what you are trying to prove. People like living in warm places the technology is there so what’s the issue? The people getting hit with a once in a blue moon heatwave that lasts a few days don’t need to install ac units unless they want to.

 

[tcufrog]

In order to have those things, people are going to have to pay. And we're really not a country that loves paying taxes even if it's to our benefit. We also don't like to regulate things to make our lives better. Your best bet is to leave the planet with Elon.

I hope there's another option because I think Elon is creepy.

I was in the UK during a smaller heat wave and noticed just how unequipped the homes are for heat waves. None of the places we stayed had window screens or ceiling fans. We couldn't open the windows in the hottest place we stayed in Scotland because the place would be infested with midges.

A good friend of mine is from England and was home visiting her family when I was there. We joked that we needed to start a UK company that installed ceiling fans and window screens.

 

[RamblingMad]

I hope there's another option because I think Elon is creepy.

I was in the UK during a smaller heat wave and noticed just how unequipped the homes are for heat waves. None of the places we stayed had window screens or ceiling fans. We couldn't open the windows in the hottest place we stayed in Scotland because the place would be infested with midges.

A good friend of mine is from England and was home visiting her family when I was there. We joked that we needed to start a UK company that installed ceiling fans and window screens.

Ceiling fans make a huge difference. I put in three new ones this year that are much bigger than the ones in before.

You also have to get your body adapted to the higher temperatures. And this takes time. I found that it took about 4 years from moving from the midwest to adapt to the higher temperatures in AZ. But now I'm very intolerant of cold temperatures.