[ubercrap]

Probably the reason for this is that the archetectural schools do not worry about this stuff too much.

I doubt most of the garbage cookie-cutter developer housing has ever had anyone close to an architect anywhere near the plans.

[Zardoz]

This really has been a great thread. Add the lack of air conditioning to the list of enormous problems we'll be faced with when electrical power gets scarce and prohibitively expensive.

The list just keeps getting longer and more daunting, doesn't it? We're really in for it, folks. I dread the future. Anybody who isn't a depressed doomer is simply not fully aware of what's in store for us.

[emailking]

As is anyone who refuses to entertain the notion of government conspiracy.

(BTW Zardoz. Heinberg is a MIHOP. You seem to admire his work.)

[WisJim]

I have spent summer months in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, back when many buildings weren't air conditioned. I thought it was not pleasant, but I didn't sit around and fuss about it, hot and humid is just how it was. If we wanted to cool off for a bit, we went to a movie or to the public library.

Now I live in Wisconsin, and to hear people complain if they have to go somewhere without air conditioning, you would think they were goint to melt down to a puddle if a room or building was over 72 degrees in the summer. Of course the opposit is true in winter--they want to be 75 or warmer.

[Grimnir]

Got a letter from the utility company today asking me to take a "pledge" to reduce my energy usage. It had a list of suggested actions and checkboxes for will do, already doing, and won't do next to each one. They want everyone to fill it out and mail it back.

I've said this before, but the writing's on the wall when companies start spending money asking you not to buy their products.

[thorn]

Poor people can live in the tropics without AC because it is moderately hot all year. So there is food all year.

My father-in-law lives in Central Costa Rica, he has no heat and no A/C. The temp ranges between 60s-low 80s. He leaves some windows open all the time. One can grow food all year there. 9 degrees latitude. Along the coasts it can get really hot and humid and the hotels have A/C. He says the rainy season comes later than before and the dry season lasts longer, I guess global warming will change the weather in a lot of areas...

Costa Rica gets 80% of elec. from hydro. All other energy is imported and expensive. Lots of geothermal potential. Might be a good place to move too once PO hits

[J-Rod]

Well I see a lot of people mention about how wasteful AC is for gas consuming, and I saw this tidbit today. I thought it made sense as far as drag vs. AC usage.

MYTH 5 - Air conditioning wastes gas

Temperatures are in the triple digits in some places nationwide and if you have air conditioning, of course you're going to use it.

But you don't have to feel guilty about cranking up your car's AC. According to Edmunds.com, the air conditioning compressor does pull power from the engine wasting some gas, but the effect is minimal in modern cars. On the other hand, driving with your windows down at high speeds can create an aerodynamic drag.

CNN

Several studies say driving without a lead foot results in the most significant gas savings of all. A European study cited by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency found that rapid acceleration from stoplights and hard braking reduced travel time by just four per cent in city driving – the equivalent of just over a minute every half-hour – but resulted in a 37 per cent jump in fuel consumption and a five-fold increase in toxic emissions.

Edmunds.com, a U.S.-based automotive website, also put this tip to the test four times in November 2005 and found similar savings to be had. "Chances are you've got hybrid-style mileage in your gas pedal foot," the testers concluded. Their recommendation: "Stop driving like a maniac."

Minimize air-conditioning use

The experts part company slightly on this one. The CAA advises motorists to use their AC "sparingly." So too does Natural Resources Canada's website, which advises people to instead use their flow-through ventilation on the highway and open a window when driving in the city.

Edmunds.com, however, wasn't completely convinced. Its testers drove almost 100 kilometres in two cars at just over 100 km/h – one had the A/C on and the windows up, and one had the A/C off and the windows down. "The effect [of having the A/C on] appears to be fairly minimal in modern cars," it said.

Edmunds.com Testing

This has got to take you back to the days with the family on vacation. Dad says, "Turn the A/C off! It wastes gas!" And Mom says, "We can't roll the windows down or everyone on the highway will think we can't afford A/C." And you're in the back roasting, hoping someone will win the argument so you can cool off.

Well, family psychology aside, if dads are still saying this, they aren't necessarily right. While the A/C compressor does pull power from the engine wasting some gas, the effect appears to be fairly minimal in modern cars. And putting the windows down tends to increase drag on most cars, canceling out any measurable gain from turning the A/C off. But this one depends on the model you're driving. When we opened the sunroof in our SUV, the mileage did decrease even with the A/C off. Still, in our experience, it's not worth the argument because you won't save a lot of gas either way. So just do what's comfortable.

[frankthetank]

I use mine all the time in my little 4cyl car. Its a 5 speed and the only bad thing is that i lose a LOT of accelerating power when the AC is on. I turn it off if i need a boost! I pull a boat around quite a bit (around 800pounds) and i hardly even take a hit there (still avg over 30mpg my last tank and that was with a lot of pulling).

[Grimnir]

I've done experiments with my car, and at highway speed I haven't been able to detect any difference in gas milage based on whether the AC is on or off. So I'm inclined to agree.

[dubled]

I recently finished my Homebrew AC project. It turned out pretty good you can check it out here Homebrew AC

It helps keep my house cool but is not meant to be the sole means of keeping it cool. I get a steady stream of 60-68 degree air from it. It was pretty fun to build and I don't have a lot invested in it.

Derek

Link altered by Aimrehtopyh

[mekrob]

Sorry, I prefer sitting in my Hummer for my AC. Why? Because talking box say so...

[dubled]

ok..........

d

[Loki]

That's pretty clever. How much juice does it draw? I'd sell my grandmother into slavery for an A/C unit right now. It's sweltering here and my box fan just ain't cutting it. Plus the owner of my building recently had the place painted and they painted most of my windows shut.

[dubled]

The Suncourt 8 inch fan uses about 85 watts I believe. It moves 520 CFM of air.

Other than that I use the pressure from the city to move the water so there is no other energy being used besides the water consumption. The price per gallon from the city is under a penny per gallon so I am ok with that.

Some people may say I am wasting water but the water is going to the garden to feed plants.

derek

[Loki]

Wow, that's not much at all. My box fan uses a bit over 100W on medium setting as measured with my handy dandy Kill-A-Watt. Is all the water recycled? We had a swamp cooler when I lived in Tucson, but I believe those evaporate most if not all the water they use.

[vision-master]

You need about 47 degree supply water temp in order to really pull mosture out of the air. Many "old" commerical buildings would run well water through coils for A/C and they worked ok, not great. 47 degree well water is pretty hard to find.

[dubled]

I am in west michigan where it gets really humid. A swamp cooler would be really bad as it would add water to the air. Swamp coolers work in high heat low humidty areas like Phoenix, AZ

The water is not recycled but is used in drip irrigation system for watering plants.

Yea my water is probably around 55 or so degrees which is ok but not perfect. This system helps cool the house but can not do it by itself. It's not perfect but it helps and is realativley cheap to operate.

[dubled]

Here is another: Suncourt HRV

[gg3]

Underground ducts will develop moisture and mold problems, and a dead mouse is more than just a bad smell. All of these things are potentially serious health hazards.

The only way an underground system can work is via primary and secondary loops, on the same principle as is used in nuclear reactors. In a nuclear plant the primary loop goes through the reactor core and becomes highly radioactive via direct contact with the fuel rods. The secondary loop powers the turbine to generate electricity, and is connected to the environment, e.g. water intake and discharge to and from a lake. At the first sign of any radiation leakage from primary to secondary, the plant is shut down temporarily for maintenance. This is not just a matter of preventing radiation leakage into the environment, it's also a matter of plant safety and reliability: fixing small problems before they get large.

So you could have underground piping that contains a liquid heat-transfer medium, which is connected to a secondary loop that transfers the heat or cool into your house via ductwork or radiators. Pressure monitoring on the primary loop would detect leaks and shut down the system until it could be repaired.

IMHO, airtight houses are a bad idea. You don't want to be dependent on electricity for the air you breathe. An overnight power outage could be a life-safety hazard to older people or anyone with a compromised respiratory system. Better to build "the old way," using passive solar and other techniques (e.g. being partially dug into the ground) to minimize temperature fluctuations.

[gg3]

Wow!, Dubled gets ten points for clever design, ten more for recycling scrap materials for the project, ten more for building it himself (and ten more for knowing how to weld which is a rare skill in these days of Dilbert Cubicle jobs:-).

Strictly speaking, this is only sustainable tech if you have an abundant water supply and a use for the discharged water, e.g. drip irrigation for yard or garden, which Dubled has. It (or something similar) wouldn't be viable for someone in a city where the water would just go down the drain. But localized adaptations are the key to meeting the challenges of the 21st century, and everything that works, counts toward the goal.