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  #101  
Old Posted Aug 8, 2018, 6:19 PM
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SIGSEGV SIGSEGV is offline
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Back in undergrad, the Stanford dorms had no air conditioning. Which was fine, except if you were on campus in the summer when it would sometimes get hot. Then it was really awful to the extent that people would sleep in the air-conditioned computer rooms.
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  #102  
Old Posted Aug 8, 2018, 6:55 PM
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Originally Posted by SIGSEGV View Post
Back in undergrad, the Stanford dorms had no air conditioning. Which was fine, except if you were on campus in the summer when it would sometimes get hot. Then it was really awful to the extent that people would sleep in the air-conditioned computer rooms.
My college dorms (at Johns Hopkins) had cinderblock walls, tile floors, built-in beds and no air-conditioning. In other words, they weren't very different from prison cells. My best friend at the time was going to Yale. His dorm was in a much older building but equally un-air conditioned (and probably not as well heated in a place with colder winters). It was the way things were.
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  #103  
Old Posted Feb 7, 2021, 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted by bobdreamz View Post
Florida would not be the 3rd. most populous state in the US if it weren't for A/C.
It's a necessity to live comfortably and in the summer my electric bill runs between $300-$400 USD a month.
That's extremely expensive. My A/C is on full blast about 20 hours/day from May to September. The rest of the year my heat is on almost continuously. I doubt I'm paying even a half of what you're paying.
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  #104  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2021, 1:56 PM
jtown,man jtown,man is offline
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I haven't turned my heat on once, and it got to -22 windchill the other day.

AC is life.
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  #105  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2021, 10:29 PM
Roberterop Roberterop is offline
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I could never survive without my own AC in our dormitory dorms back in college. I even had to fix it once as I was using it all day. It's not fun to study in Melbourne. It's also not the best idea to go and buy a new one when you need to save money. Trying to save money in order to pay for your tuition put you in the position of calling services like https://supremeductcleaning.com.au/d...ning-ballarat/ in order to save the existent air condition you have. If you are also a student like me then this will save you money for sure and allow you to have a bearable summer.

Last edited by Roberterop; Apr 20, 2021 at 12:48 AM.
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  #106  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 3:19 AM
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I hope that there is there something that we can do with the size of apartment units / the shape of buildings to reduce our use of A/C.
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  #107  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 5:23 PM
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Cross breeze is a BIG advantage, so you want windows either in a corner of a room or in a house in places that create cross breeze. For me, in our living room, we have two double windows in the corner that create good airflow into the room. And also when you have a window that lines up with a hallway that can create a cross breeze with other windows. We have that in our house, and I can put a fan in the hall and turn the hall into a wind tunnel. I have the windows open now, and it's cool and comfy. Austin got up to 86F on Sunday and Monday, but it's in the 60s here today. We had our high fo 70F after midnight, but it's 64F here now and overcast.
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  #108  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 7:19 PM
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Gotcha, that could make a difference. I've never lived in a warm place, so I'll defer to the Southerners on this one!
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  #109  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 7:24 PM
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Gotcha, that could make a difference. I've never lived in a warm place, so I'll defer to the Southerners on this one!
A cross breeze with strategically located ceiling fans works very well in dry climates. You can avoid using the AC with high temperatures in the mid 90s.
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  #110  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 7:26 PM
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Here in Houston the cross breeze little difference due to the humidity.
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  #111  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 7:40 PM
montréaliste montréaliste is offline
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Even outdoors, there are situations that can be improved a bit in heat and humidity.
I do a lot of plein air painting in the summer, and I sit between two big trees on hot days to call the breeze. It usually makes it more bearable.
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  #112  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 7:56 PM
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Originally Posted by JManc View Post
Here in Houston the cross breeze little difference due to the humidity.
When it's humid there's not much you can do. The AC acts as a dehumidifier. In August we'll get days where the high only reaches 93, but it's miserable because the humidity is high. In April and May you get days where it's 95, and you can avoid the AC by keeping the windows open at night and fans on during the afternoon.
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  #113  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:05 PM
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In the eastern half of the country, A/C as a dehumidifier is a billion more times important than it is as making the air cooler.

If you're in the shade relaxing, it's remarkable how tolerable hot dry air can be, but the throttle up the humidity and it becomes downright stifling.

90 degrees with a dew point of 50 is an entire universe of difference than 90 degrees with a dew point of 80.
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  #114  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Steely Dan View Post
In the eastern half of the country, A/C as a dehumidifier is a billion more times important than it is as making the air cooler.

If you're in the shade relaxing, it's remarkable how tolerable hot dry air can be, but the throttle up the humidity and it becomes downright stifling.

90 degrees with a dew point of 50 is an entire universe of difference than 90 degrees with a dew point of 80.
100.

The cool comfort is what it's all about. A novice experiment to see this is to open up a can of soda that was just pulled from the refrigerator. At the same exact outdoor temperature: If it sweats, it's humid and AC will make it more comfortable. If it does not sweat, it's dry and you probably won't need AC.
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  #115  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:26 PM
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Have summers been getting noticeably warmer on the East Coast due to climate change?

I feel like last summer in Seattle was warmer than I was expecting, but it was also my first summer here, so I didn't really have a baseline.
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  #116  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Camelback View Post
If it sweats, it's humid and AC will make it more comfortable. If it does not sweat, it's dry and you probably won't need AC.
I grew up in Northern California and live in Seattle, and I don't think that I have ever seen a can of soda sweat not on vacation somewhere.
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  #117  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:38 PM
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Originally Posted by SFBruin View Post
I don't think that I have ever seen a can of soda "sweat" in Northern California or in Seattle.
Beverage coasters are the real deal in warm climates. They're not for marketing/decoration. They're there to protect the table from your beverage sweating all over the place.

It's also a cool way to guess the humidity% of your location. If you have a cold can of soda that was refrigerated at about 40F, if it sweats, then you know that the dew point is at least 40 and higher. If it does not, then you know that the dew point is lower. You can then go further and convert that into a percentage (humidity).
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  #118  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Camelback View Post
Beverage coasters are the real deal in warm climates. They're not for marketing/decoration. They're there to protect the table from your beverage sweating all over the place.
Yeah, coasters are mostly for show in the places I've grown up!
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  #119  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 8:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Camelback View Post
When it's humid there's not much you can do. The AC acts as a dehumidifier. In August we'll get days where the high only reaches 93, but it's miserable because the humidity is high. In April and May you get days where it's 95, and you can avoid the AC by keeping the windows open at night and fans on during the afternoon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan View Post
In the eastern half of the country, A/C as a dehumidifier is a billion more times important than it is as making the air cooler.

If you're in the shade relaxing, it's remarkable how tolerable hot dry air can be, but the throttle up the humidity and it becomes downright stifling.

90 degrees with a dew point of 50 is an entire universe of difference than 90 degrees with a dew point of 80.
I see that lots of people in the east know what the problem is that makes summers uncomfortable, but don't understand the best way to tackle the problem. They understand that humidity is the issue rather not the dry temperature, but don't understand the best way to remove humid air.

Yes, and A/C dehumidifies the air, but only up to a certain point. How does an A/C dehumify the air? By taking the warm humid air and blowing on to cold coils. The result is the water vapor in the air condensing on the coils and flowing to a drain or drain pipe. That's the basic dehumidification process.

However, if the A/C cools the space too fast and the compressor turns off, then it is no longer a dehumidifier. That's a common issue because people often purchase A/Cs or A/C systems that are oversized. It's also a common problem in the Southeast because the main problem there is humid air that no A/C will get rid of, even if it's undersized.

So how to tackle the problem? Well, how about using an actual .....dehumidifier? Dehumidifiers are simple: they are basically A/C's in reverse. They condense water vapor from the air using cold coils, just like an A/C. The difference? They then blow this cold dry air on to the hot compressor to warm the air. The result is warm dry air, which has much higher capacity to hold water vapor than cool air (check your psychrometrics charts).

You might be saying, "wait a sec, dchan, why would I want warm air in my house?" The answer? You still need an A/C to cool your house. But now, the A/C's primary function is what it was mainly designed for: cooling the sensible temperature. The result is cooler drier air, and your A/C is no longer being used for a task it was never really designed for.

This is the solution for warm humid climates like the Southeast US. Use a dehumidifier to control the latent heat (wet bulb temperature), and an A/C to control the sensible heat (dry bulb temperature).

Whatever you do, do NOT use an evaporative cooler (AKA - Swamp Cooler) in the Southeast. Do you ever see those mini desktop cooler ads on Facebook or Youtube during the summer? Mini evaporative coolers - DO NOT BUY. And those DIY coolers using a fan, a thermos cooler (like the ones you bring to the beach), and a ton of ice? Evaporative coolers - DO NOT BUILD. The only places that evaporative coolers make sense are in dry desert climates, where adding moisture to the air makes sense and is necessary for comfort.
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  #120  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 9:42 PM
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Since the summer is coming and this thread has become a hot topic (pun unintended), this is a good time to discuss "Building Science", or "the collection of scientific knowledge that focuses on the analysis of the physical phenomena affecting buildings." Building Science encompasses a lot of different topics related to buildings, but we are mainly concerned with the building enclosure here.

The building enclosure consists of the walls, roofs, foundation walls, basement or floor slabs, windows, doors, as well as penetrations in the building enclosure. To reduce the use of A/Cs and heating equipment, having well-insulated walls, windows, and doors is important. However, proper air-sealing is arguably much more important when dealing with latent heat (wet heat).

How important? This diagram will explain (it's about heating season, but the principle is the same):


https://www.ecohome.net/guides/2298/...n-air-barrier/

On the left is a wall with a 1 square inch hole (or a series of holes totaling 1 sq. in.). It will let in a total of 30 liters (8 gallons) of water vapor over about 4-6 months through air leakage alone. That's how much water vapor is carried in the air.

On the right is a fully air-sealed wall with no vapor barrier. It will let in a total of 1/3 liter (1/12 gallon) of water vapor over about 4-6 months through water vapor diffusion through the wall.

That is why it is important to properly air-seal the building enclosure in any building. By sealing up as many holes and gaps as possible in the exterior wall and roof, you reduce the amount of water vapor in the air that you need to deal with through dehumidifiers or A/Cs. This will drastically cut down on cooling electrical bills while increasing occupant comfort.
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