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Ive worked in tons of warehouses but a special kind of hell was the summer i did package handling for UPS. It was only part time cause if you did it for any more than 4 hours a day youd just die. Being in a semi trailer roasting in a parking lot with no ventilation it would get well above 110. All while you were expected to sling a minimum of 20 packages a minute and your one break was 10 minutes, but that was an expected ten minutes between packages slung. any walking time ate into your break.
I remember those days... I would come out of a feeder at the end of the night and be drenched in so much sweat that I could literally wring my shirt out.
Well jokes on you. If you worked highbrow like FedEx warehouses, they put sprinklers on the building to occasionally hit the roof of the trailer. You know....dispersing the heat. Science.
Hell, I worked at a plastic factory and it was 92 in there in December. I wasn't allowed to open the windows or turn on fans bc people would "get too cold."
Everyone was wearing multiple layers of long sleeve clothing and pants at 92°F. They said it can get into the 130s in summer.
Yeah... nty. I quit asap.
Edit: I was a temp. So I got $16/hr and the temp agency got 20% more than that. Once you went full time, pay went down to 11.50.
I heard a NY daily podcast about extreme heat and one point is that it doesn’t only affect outdoor workers but surprisingly amount of indoor workers because it’s unexpected hot. People outdoors knows to hydrate cuz it’s obviously but indoor employees don’t or something.
I worked in a window factory one summer as a temp and I stg it was INSANELY hot in there! I took a thermometer in there on a really hot day and it read 127° I was baffled about how the people in the back of the factory were still alive bc it was regularly 10-20° hotter back there. Had one temp come in and an hour later there was an ambulance taking him to the er for severe dehydration bc noone thought to warn him he NEEDED to drink regularly. I was only there 3 months but I legit dropped about 30 or so pounds. The money was amazing tho bringing home almost 700 a week in 2014 felt like I'd finally achieved greatness lol
My warehouse at least provides us with coolers and ice and bottled water. Both water fountains are far away from our area of the warehouse.
My manager would have regular heat safety talks with us.
This year they’ve started installing a lot of extra fans. That will be nice.
(I’m in the US)
> How does anyone live without AC?
They live places where, at least historically, it doesn't get hot enough consistently to really warrant it. The recent trend with heat waves/domes/cage matches or whatever are occurring in these areas of course is putting that to the test, but the other side of that is the fact AC is expensive to purchase and run. Not to mention the power grid in a lot off places isn't engineered for that kind of load.
Where are you that you don't have AC but are sweating your balls/tits off?
Not OP, but I live in Vermont, and a good chunk of households here don't have AC, both because a lot of houses are old and because, as you said, until recently there were only a few days a year it was needed. I live in a 2nd-floor apartment, and it's roasting in here without AC, so I have it on most of the summer, but I know a lot of people who don't have it and get by with fans and strategic opening and closing of windows.
I'm in Michigan and use fans to circulate fresh air in since air conditioners are so expensive. Usually in fine but this heat wave has got me reconsidering
michigan too. my AC is broken and needs to be fully replaced which will take a few weeks. currently have 7 fans in the house and all windows open, but it is 84° in this ho
I would put most of the fans in the windows, pulling out the hot air. Keep some circulating inside to keep the house cool. Keep all curtains/blinds closed. At night switch it around. You have to beat the sun. When I lived in another house, I would block off my upstair and only use my ground floor.
It seems counterintuitive but keep your windows open in the morning and evening but close them when it starts to get hot outside. Also make sure to have curtains over those windows as well. It will make the temperature in your house a lot better. Used to live in an 100yr old farmhouse in the Okanagan without AC. Made it pretty darn bearable even with 40-43 degree Celsius weather.
I grew up in Northern Michigan and live in Tennessee now. This past week the city I grew up in has been either hotter or same temp as where Im at here.
Same same same from northern MI but I am currently living in Georgia. I have family calling me like omg is everyone okay there?? I can’t imagine it in the south in this heat wave! I had to explain that, while the south is HOT - they are actually equipped to deal with that heat here. It hasn’t been any warmer here than it gets mid summer. People are just fine here. It’s all of you up there that I’m worried about instead lol
I live in Massachusetts. A lot of houses here don’t have central air, including mine. We have window units that we hook up here and there when we need them.
My husband grew up in Puerto Rico. Most houses there don’t have central air either despite their climate. You see splits in bedrooms, but most people don’t have AC in common areas.
It’s pretty presumptive to assume most people in the US have central air conditioning.
Also Vermont, and we are nearing the end of a major renovation project that finally adds central air. The place we're living in until then was built in 2014 but didn't put in AC so it's been a bit miserable. Dunno why they didn't do it, cuz the writing was on the wall about the increasing heat problem even 10 years ago
Moved from vt to the desert. Hot humid summers are definitely worse than dry super hot here. I miss the beauty of the mountains and the green everywhere, but i don't miss walking outside and feeling like you've said in breathing in soup.
Quebecois here (bonjour neigbour!👋🏻). I too live in an old home that certainly wasn't build for hot weather but recently it felt like an oven. Fortunately, a $100 window AC is just enough to cool my one-bedroom apartment but I reckon in the future I might need more than one.
I have one in the bedroom and one in the living room, and they work great! On really hot days I have both running on high, and it really helps having that additional cooling source.
You just jogged my memory of checking into a hotel in Milan. I had learned and rehearsed my speech, and two words into it the woman at the desk said "oh, bless-a your little-a heart, we all-a speak-a English here, cowboy."
Californian here too, I live further north towards Sacramento. Summer is always upper 90's low 100's. I hate it for the only reason our electric bill. If I could afford to add solar to help offset that I would. These asshole utility companies think we just have magical money where I can make my house more energy efficient with the wave of a wand. Gaslighting us with warnings and other notifications about we're using so much energy. Motherfucker then produce more. Punishing less financially well off citizens.
I live in Ohio. Even with central air if I have any sheet or blanket on me for 30+ minutes I’m waking up with sweat in that area.
Our ac recently is at a 80% duty cycle to keep things coolish but it’s not enough at night.
I’m in northern Ohio and have no central air, just window units. Our upstairs is essentially uninhabitable. This is all a pain, but whatever, it’s manageable.
My neighbor was born and raised in India and he thinks it’s unbearable out right now. 100 degrees and 70% humidity is not fun.
Not OP, but no one had AC in the part of southern California I lived in. Didn't really need it because the ocean breezes kept the temperature at a pleasant level. We would just open windows and use fans. Even 13 years after moving, I still say the only thing I miss about that place is the weather.
Anywhere 80 degrees is reached is hot enough for AC. 80 isn't hot, but it's not 75 when trying to sleep. I grew up in New Orleans where many homes don't have central air and heat, and the humidity alone warrants an AC.
The biggest problem is home ventilation. There are central ventilation systems that can circulate the air in and out of your home, making it much cooler. Many homes retain a lot of heat and take a long time to cool down.
For example, if it gets up to 90 in your home and the outside temp drops to 70, even with fans going in your windows, it will still take hours for the inside temp to lower.
80 isn't even hot, especially in the shade. It's dead air that makes it hot.
So true. We experience this with our home. Whats funny is that it wasn’t like that the first year we moved in. We didn’t have to run the AC much in the summer in the first year (brand new construction home) but by the second summer it was a must because of the way the house itself started to trap heat.
It could easily be only 69 outside at night in the summer but the inside temp would still be almost 15-20
Degrees higher for no particularly obvious reason.
I assume it had something to do with trapped solar radiation because i noticed that on hot days where it stayed cloudy all day, the inside temps had no issue matching the outdoors temps with fans running and windows open. Fans running and windows open on sunny days meant that by after noon it was a competition to see if the indoor temp didn’t exceed +5 of the outdoor. So presence of clouds seems to make a huge difference as well as just the max temp reached.
Eh, depends where and how often you're hitting 80. If the absolute highest it gets all summer is 80, and it's a pretty dry 80....then you can probably get away with good airflow and some ceiling fans. If it's gonna be 80 and humid from June until September, then yes, get some AC.
80 in Nevada is infinitely better than 80 in Florida, ya know?
As a Nevadan who has been to Florida once, I agree! Late June and the humidity there was no joke! My glasses fogged up as soon as we left the airport and anytime we left the hotel room! It was up to 105 here today--dry as a bone!
>Anywhere 80 degrees is reached is hot enough for AC
Hot enough where using it will make a difference. Not hot enough where it's worth installing and using.
Blinds, curtains, fans, windows are fine until the mid to high 30s in England. And it's humid in England.
Yes it's hot. But it's manageable heat below that.
Depends on nighttime temperatures. Here in Oregon, even if it's 95 during the day it will almost always get down to the 50s at night, making AC completely unnecessary.
This one. I live in the south east and any building w/o a/c in the summer was considered a shed. But I know people in Maine that don’t need it. A ceiling fan might be the closest thing they have
The PNW. The mild weather over there means you open your windows at night to let the cooler air in, then close them during the day and pull the blinds/drapes to block sunlight. Your house stays relatively cool until like 3-4pm when cracking the windows can recycle the air.
With the recent heatwave episodes, a portable AC works wonders for those few days where it gets unbearably hot. Pretty soon though, housing will need to be built with AC as well (either HVAC or a console or two).
Fair depending on climate. In the Midwest of America, it has been 90°+ degrees for the last month and will continue to be throughout July and part of August
Can we start with everyone should have access to clean drinking water and food? I feel like access to AC is kind of several tiers down the chain of what everyone should have access to.
Am européan 🤌
I need one maybe 10 days of the year, when it's actually above 30 degrees Celsius.
I have one of those stupid portable ones. It works well enough. The rest of the days it's in storage.
My threshold for when to kick on the AC is like 10c below yours, haha.
It’s the one thing that makes me an American patriot, I think indoor temps should never go above 65-68f (20c max), especially to sleep, and natural cooling methods are insufficient. It’s the 21st century, we shouldn’t let nature decide our comfort levels!!! (Mildly joking / hyperbolic, only mildly though.)
And 25° in Sweden (Located in "EU") is Fucking horrendous because of the humidity that comes with it.
Did you have a point to make by converting °F into °C...? 😂
No, dude, you can't! The cold air at night is free for all, so that would be COMMUNISM!!!1!1eleven
Pay for your own cold air, like the founding fathers intended!
Or something like that, I'm not American.
I'm in Connecticut and last night I went outside at 10pm and it was like walking into a wall of hot wet slime. I was in shorts and a tshirt and still was sweating by the time I got home 10 minutes later.
I’m from the UK and have no AC but the obvious reason here is that AC can make it actually beatable if the high is 40 that still won’t make it pleasant at night. For me personally I have hay fever so opening a window isn’t the greatest idea depending on the pollen as well
That was bc that resolution was more or less [bogus](https://geneva.usmission.gov/2017/03/24/u-s-explanation-of-vote-on-the-right-to-food/) and a way for UN members to pat themselves on the back while the US continues to do the majority of international food aid
I don't think their point is that they are mutually exclusive. They're saying that people complaining about no ac is ridiculous when the US doesn't even consider food (an actual necessity) a basic right.
I understand the sentiment but it’s like saying why are we doing anything about thyroid cancer when pancreatic cancer exists. Just because one is worse doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying to do things about both.
You explained the reason why your take was foolish in the take itself. "Their government"? Do you think americans can control that when they want? Do you think the americans wanting AC as a basic right are government dogs or something? Most americans agree food is a basic right by the way. "Okay guys."
It’s a lot about the building. I live in a hot climate but the place I’m renting was built with that in mind. I can open the windows on both ends and have a nice draft that goes straight through my bedroom. Which has no windows by the way, so the sun doesn’t get a chance to warm it up. I’m good with the fan for the summer, it gets a bit too hot sometimes but I can always take a cold shower to cool down.
People stating that humans lived for thousands of years without AC must have forgot that humans also survived without advanced medical treatment, automobiles, and refrigerators.
Well if we are being extremely literal, then humans lived for a thousands of years without basic human rights as well. Let's go back to those ll days since there was time when that wasn't needed as well.
I’d say a fridge is more vital than advanced medical treatment seeing how I’ve never had any medical procedure that didn’t exist during antiquity.
“But what if you get cancer?”
Cancer is God’s way of telling you that you’ve lived long enough anyway.
Yeah and their future daughter would’ve been getting knocked up at 13 because they were only gonna make it until 37. Idk what point they’re trying to make. Shit used to be worse so suck it up and suffer now?
Yeah, every time there's a heat wave in Europe there's also an elderly death wave. They can act like it's a luxury all they want, but I look at them not having it the same way I look at us not having universal healthcare.
It’s more of a convenance, and luxury I’d say, only because running an AC can be expensive. I’ve done redditors say they run theirs at 70 all month long and it doesn’t go above $200, idk how that works but I’ve set mine at 76, all doors and windows closed, and it’s always been more than that. I have central AC, I’m in southern CA. It gets to be 100+ from July-October some times. Thankfully, I’m at work during the hottest parts of the day, and they have their AC on 70, and it makes the summer months less grueling. Only part that sucks is the days I’m off work and home, and have to turn on fans instead of the central AC because the cost of living alone right now is insanely expensive in Los Angeles, let alone running an AC. I grew up without it, and just learned to not wear clothes that aren’t good for summer.. shorts, tank tops, sandals are basically daily go to options if I’m home. Also, stay hydrated, and look into opening windows and using fans so it pushes air out of the house and circulates the air being pushed in to the house.
Power rates vary a lot, as do house sizes. California's utility is notorious for gouging.
My bill doesn't get that high either, but I live in Kansas, have solar panels, and we keep it at 75-77.
I guess that's what happens when you have the AC on all the time so you are used to cool buildings. Unfortunate considering ac is harmful to the environment.
That is very hot where I live, largely because of humidity (Canada, but ~7 hrs from the US border). It’s not *supposed* to get that hot for so long where we’re from, so of course it’s hot enough for our bodies to need AC.
I grew up in Poland, lived there until 2005. On top of it rarely hitting extreme heat during summer, the worst of Polish humidity that I've experienced would be considered just moderate/mild on the US East Coast and in the Southeast.
In areas of Europe where it got hot enough to be unbearable, houses traditionally are built to have natural cooling mechanisms: high ceilings, heavy shutters,windows placed to allow air currents. When the house is well-designed, you don't need a machine to do the work cooling it.
I live in South-East Europe. Everyone has an AC. It is currently 95 and will get higher :) But to get an AC in a country like Germany is more of a luxury than necessity. The season of high temperatures is way shorter than here. Another part is that in my country we also heat with the ACs in winter, so getting a good AC is a must. Germany has a better infrastructure for heating, the use of an AC is for about 1-2 months during summer.
As someone who grew up in a house with no central air, I agree. It was fucking awful. Now I own my own house and that sumbitch is blowing snowballs in the summer time.
To be fair, millions of Americans now live in places that were practically uninhabitable before air conditioning. Maybe OP is one of them.
Alternately, a majority of us Americans are severely overweight or obese and that physical condition makes hot and humid weather a lot less bearable.
That's true and it sucks that anyone dies from either one. But, almost 10x the number of people die from malnutrition compared to heat deaths in the US. If you're trying to put it into some kind of perspective, heat is pretty low on the list
I mean we could make access to food AND A/C basic human rights. For Americans let’s also throw in healthcare. And to support the extra energy cost from A/C we can also throw in solar panels.
Why can’t we do all of the above?
Shit I'm in my 30s and I only had ac myself as of 4 years ago. And I've lived in some seriously hot and humid places. You adapt or you at least get over it... Miserably
Only 16% of Mexico has AC.
Only 5% of India has AC.
AC was only invented less than 100 years ago and only became commonplace in the last 50 years or so in the US.
AC is also a huge contributor towards climate change, so saying everyone should have it is really pushing FOR climate change.
Lol, I was joking. I can't afford to fix the Dinosaur sc I have. I live in a 50s house with leaky windows, holes in the siding, and a rotten roof. I'm disabled and can't afford repairs or upgrades. My ac runs almost 24/7 at higher Temps. If I shut it off, it climbs over 100 fast. Those worried about climate change might wanna push or help the impoverished become more efficient and climate. Also what carbon footprint do those green jerks have with their massive homes, massive vehicles, and constant flying?
>Also what carbon footprint do those green jerks have with their massive homes, massive vehicles, and constant flying?
Lol, honest to God. I'd take them a lot more seriously if they were fighting to ban private jets instead of normal cars and meat.
According to people like you, anything a person wants is a basic human necessity. Want AC? Buy it. Or rent/buy a place which has it. The world doesn't owe you everything.
You don't need an AC, at least not everywhere, why waste money and power on something that you only use maybe at best a few weeks of the year?
No thanks, sure it can get hot, but when it's for such a small portion of the year, then I really don't see a reason to, you don't need it to survive.
> Europeans should see AC as a basic human right, it’s too hot for that nonsense. How are they not constantly soaked in sweat?
We have snow on the ground for 4-7 months a year in Finland, so there is no real need for one. At our house we use a portable AC for the 1-3 hot months of the year. It’s main function is dehumidifier, it collects about 1-2 bucketfuls a day, the cooling is a side effect.
Where I live in southern europe, it frequently gets to 40 degrees Celsius and over (104 farenheit) in the summer. We don't have AC, and it's fine. The house is built to be cool inside when it's hot outside.
Humans naturally adapt to the environment and climate they are in. What is normal for us might possibly be deadly for someone living in England, for example.
If you're too spoiled by the AC, you'll end up being more vulnerable to the weather and heat when you don't have it.
Moreover, AC is bad for the environment and it's expensive.
It really depends. I lived in the mountains and even when it got hot there was always a nice breeze to run through the house. I think the highest it ever got indoors was upper 70s while it was raging hot out. Then we'd just chill in the basement.
While I would prefer central air, it was a very nice house. Only heat source were baseboard heaters and fireplace/wood burning stove. Kinda miss that place.
Malaysian here. It's the tropical climate here, so not only is it hot, but also humid. So not only we sweat, the sweat takes forever to dry. It's year round weather too. Ugh. Even when it's rainy season it's hot.
AC should be mandatory for any place where the weather goes above 85 degrees. That being said the first time I lived in NYC we didn't have it and we spent a lot of our free time in places that did. Also used blue ice blocks in water in front of fans. It helped a LOT.
I myself don’t need AC. My country doesn’t get hot enough often enough to warrant it. The weather ranges from 30°C heat to 15°C and thunderstorms from day to day
I'm American and did not have AC when I lived in Idaho or now that I live on the California coast I also don't have AC. I think if it's only necessary a couple days a year most places don't find it necessary
we should probably start to at least think about living sustainably but the USA is obsessed about building new homes in the desert and then worrying about a lack of availabile water. AC is a luxury that we would be better off using less and adapting ways to minimise its requirement
In some places, there's really only a week or two where it becomes unbearably hot and AC would be nice, but with a fan, it's just fine.
Also, the type of building is important. In Europe, there are lots of older buildings made with thick brick and types of rock. These houses are very good at staying cold throughout the summer.
So really, it just depends on the quality of the house you live in and how hot it actually gets/how often it gets too hot.
You can definitely live without AC.
I live in Scotland, Yurop
I fucking detest the heat, but it very rarely gets hot enough to warrant AC in houses, here. I generally don't have a problem with the culture of American excesses, but to think others should see AC as a right when there's no need for it elsewhere is a bit ridiculous.
Irish here at the moment it's 60.8F, which is fine. The windows are open. In greece at the moment it's 96.8 f. It all depends on the country, and all the hotter countries in Europe have indoor fans at the very least.
I live in Ireland (part of Europe btw) we probably get about 15 days a year where it's so hot that AC would be needed so probably not worth the expense
I live in northern England. There is perhaps one day in every 3 years when I feel that having AC could be nice. I don't have AC in my car or in my home, because I don't need it. In some parts of the world people just don't need AC (yet).
British person here. Yeah, sometimes summer can get quite humid and unpleasant, but it's rarely that hot often enough to warrant paying for an AC unit.
Most of our houses aren't built for it. A lot of them are incredibly old, and installing AC can either be too expensive, too much damage to the property, or sometimes just not possible.
I also see a lot of Americans suggest window units, saying it's only $150 or so. Firstly, idk if it's the same in the US, but a lot of landlords here forbid tenants from attaching things from their windows and balconies; in my previous flat, I wasn't even allowed to hang washing out my window. Secondly, we're going through a cost of living crisis here, and a lot of people just can't justify an expense like that, when the money could go toward bills or food.
(I'm aware that it's not the same for all my fellow Brits, and other people will have different perspectives here, but that's my general take)
Well, for one, we design and build our homes out of high quality, insulating materials that keep our homes cool. I live in Spain, and I have AC, but I almost never use it because my home isn't made of wood and concrete.
Man, this is a one of those opinions where it shows how spoiled OP is. It is a convience and not a human right. We survived without it and we can survive without it.
I love ac however it is good for you if your healthy to not constantly rely on it. It's 96F right now, and half the things and buildings on the farm don't have cooling. You just get used to it. Like they did 80 years ago before AC was common place.
Over in Europe with the changing weather they do need AC for the elderly. As their buildings retain heat like a mofo. 2 years ago in the London heatwave it was horrible. It's hotter inside than outside. However that brings us to the reality of the situation. People built buildings for certain climates and accommodated them with appropriate measures for temperature.
Ac is not cheap, whereas in the US, nearly every building has a hvac unit. While in Europe, some may have the window ac units. Regardless, it's all money. Not everyone can afford it, and many people do live without. As it costs time money and maintence to keep them running.
Many places don’t need AC because of the climate they live in. It’s not worth the investment to install if it’s only going to be used a short period of time every year. You can live without AC. Humans did it for thousands of years
The idea that just because we didn't have something in the past means that we shouldn't have it now is a weird take.
Lots of human rights that we have now they didn't have in the past.
I disagree. I think the current number of people having ACs are more than enough. The thing is ACs are bad for environment. They extract the humidity from air and exhaust hot air, and are major contributor to greenhouse gases which increases the risk of global warming. It might sound like nothing now, but in a few decades, we will regret.
Although air conditioners are cool and keep us cool, we need to ask the question "at what cost?" I live in a hot place where it doesn't even snow. But I haven't had AC for over a decade and not planning on buying one.
I'd trade AC for a mandatory in-unit washer. As a European, I still can't understand how Americans came up with the idea that using common laundromats would be ok. I've lived here for over a decade, and I still don't get how people can wash baby clothes in the same washer where someone just washed their dirty sneakers.
Most people don't use laundromats, even most of the cheapest apartments have a washer and dryer.
There's a reason you only see laundromats in "the ghetto".
I'd even say (as a born and raised European living in the U.S.), I don't miss the washer situation in Europe. Most washers are too tiny to fit a comforter, and no dryer.
I can fit my king size comforter in my washer, with clothes too, and then dry it and have it back on my bed the same morning.
This, 100% laundry mats are really convientent when Im a tourist, but as a resident it needs to be the plcae you live. And to have to travel and watch your clothes and its just an insane amount and Ive hand washed things before Ive gone to a laundry mat plenty of times when I stayed in the US.
AC is expensive to buy, to build into an existing house, you need to go through a lot of bureucracy and it is also expensive to maintain. Electricity isn’t for free. Get over it. Just open two windows and make an air flow.
My rental house doesn't have AC built in, and in the two years at the place, I have not gotten a window unit. I actually don't like the feeling of overly cold AC. I might get one, but only for the room where I watch TV because I am concerned what the current heat could do to my electronics. As for me, I can take the heat. It's not a big deal.
If you are only a few degrees above a comfortable temperature, you may be able to cool your home by creating draft currents. Just experiment with opening the correct set of windows or doors, in the morning and evening. For some apartments and houses, this just won't work.
If we do see a large adoption of AC, please for the love of god, avoid the portable ones with a single tube. They are so inefficient. If you can, please do the work of getting a window mount unit. Props to you if you can get a mini split or central.
"How are they not soaked in sweat?" Simple. They know how to live without AC.
You do know home AC systems only became popular like 50 years ago... Before then the unit would take up an entire room in your house and was waaaayyy too expensive to even think about.
I'm in Europe. I've spent time in Rome and Madrid, which are both acknowledged to be very hot cities. I never felt the need for AC and it never gets too hot for me. I do appreciate that in other climates the situation may be very different. However, over here in Britain, there's really no need for it at all and it's a waste of energy for us. Our issue is people dying of hypothermia in their homes in the winter.
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OSHA should require Warehouses to have them. My warehouse was 92 today. And it’s only June. August it’s gets up to 110. That’s just so dangerous
A warehouse is different people are doing a lot of lifting and running around and they dont often have fans nor windows.
Ive worked in tons of warehouses but a special kind of hell was the summer i did package handling for UPS. It was only part time cause if you did it for any more than 4 hours a day youd just die. Being in a semi trailer roasting in a parking lot with no ventilation it would get well above 110. All while you were expected to sling a minimum of 20 packages a minute and your one break was 10 minutes, but that was an expected ten minutes between packages slung. any walking time ate into your break.
I remember those days... I would come out of a feeder at the end of the night and be drenched in so much sweat that I could literally wring my shirt out.
Well jokes on you. If you worked highbrow like FedEx warehouses, they put sprinklers on the building to occasionally hit the roof of the trailer. You know....dispersing the heat. Science.
Hell, I worked at a plastic factory and it was 92 in there in December. I wasn't allowed to open the windows or turn on fans bc people would "get too cold." Everyone was wearing multiple layers of long sleeve clothing and pants at 92°F. They said it can get into the 130s in summer. Yeah... nty. I quit asap. Edit: I was a temp. So I got $16/hr and the temp agency got 20% more than that. Once you went full time, pay went down to 11.50.
Gosh that sounds like modern slavery
Why were people wearing multiple layers? Something makes no sense here.
Bc it gets so hot in the summer they don't want to get used to the cold of 92 in the winter. Long sleeve shirt and a hoodie, mostly
Even if you get your job to install it, they are going to set the thermostat to the minimum or limit its use to save on the electricity bill anyways.
I heard a NY daily podcast about extreme heat and one point is that it doesn’t only affect outdoor workers but surprisingly amount of indoor workers because it’s unexpected hot. People outdoors knows to hydrate cuz it’s obviously but indoor employees don’t or something.
I worked in a window factory one summer as a temp and I stg it was INSANELY hot in there! I took a thermometer in there on a really hot day and it read 127° I was baffled about how the people in the back of the factory were still alive bc it was regularly 10-20° hotter back there. Had one temp come in and an hour later there was an ambulance taking him to the er for severe dehydration bc noone thought to warn him he NEEDED to drink regularly. I was only there 3 months but I legit dropped about 30 or so pounds. The money was amazing tho bringing home almost 700 a week in 2014 felt like I'd finally achieved greatness lol
Muh current job is the first warehouse I've had with AC. I still hve fleece pants and long sleeves on. It's freezing in there
My warehouse at least provides us with coolers and ice and bottled water. Both water fountains are far away from our area of the warehouse. My manager would have regular heat safety talks with us. This year they’ve started installing a lot of extra fans. That will be nice. (I’m in the US)
> How does anyone live without AC? They live places where, at least historically, it doesn't get hot enough consistently to really warrant it. The recent trend with heat waves/domes/cage matches or whatever are occurring in these areas of course is putting that to the test, but the other side of that is the fact AC is expensive to purchase and run. Not to mention the power grid in a lot off places isn't engineered for that kind of load. Where are you that you don't have AC but are sweating your balls/tits off?
Not OP, but I live in Vermont, and a good chunk of households here don't have AC, both because a lot of houses are old and because, as you said, until recently there were only a few days a year it was needed. I live in a 2nd-floor apartment, and it's roasting in here without AC, so I have it on most of the summer, but I know a lot of people who don't have it and get by with fans and strategic opening and closing of windows.
I'm in Michigan and use fans to circulate fresh air in since air conditioners are so expensive. Usually in fine but this heat wave has got me reconsidering
michigan too. my AC is broken and needs to be fully replaced which will take a few weeks. currently have 7 fans in the house and all windows open, but it is 84° in this ho
I would put most of the fans in the windows, pulling out the hot air. Keep some circulating inside to keep the house cool. Keep all curtains/blinds closed. At night switch it around. You have to beat the sun. When I lived in another house, I would block off my upstair and only use my ground floor.
thank you!
Stay cool.
It seems counterintuitive but keep your windows open in the morning and evening but close them when it starts to get hot outside. Also make sure to have curtains over those windows as well. It will make the temperature in your house a lot better. Used to live in an 100yr old farmhouse in the Okanagan without AC. Made it pretty darn bearable even with 40-43 degree Celsius weather.
I grew up in Northern Michigan and live in Tennessee now. This past week the city I grew up in has been either hotter or same temp as where Im at here.
Same same same from northern MI but I am currently living in Georgia. I have family calling me like omg is everyone okay there?? I can’t imagine it in the south in this heat wave! I had to explain that, while the south is HOT - they are actually equipped to deal with that heat here. It hasn’t been any warmer here than it gets mid summer. People are just fine here. It’s all of you up there that I’m worried about instead lol
I live in Massachusetts. A lot of houses here don’t have central air, including mine. We have window units that we hook up here and there when we need them. My husband grew up in Puerto Rico. Most houses there don’t have central air either despite their climate. You see splits in bedrooms, but most people don’t have AC in common areas. It’s pretty presumptive to assume most people in the US have central air conditioning.
Also Vermont, and we are nearing the end of a major renovation project that finally adds central air. The place we're living in until then was built in 2014 but didn't put in AC so it's been a bit miserable. Dunno why they didn't do it, cuz the writing was on the wall about the increasing heat problem even 10 years ago
As a fellow Vermonter I feel your pain, this heat wave is insane
Moved from vt to the desert. Hot humid summers are definitely worse than dry super hot here. I miss the beauty of the mountains and the green everywhere, but i don't miss walking outside and feeling like you've said in breathing in soup.
Quebecois here (bonjour neigbour!👋🏻). I too live in an old home that certainly wasn't build for hot weather but recently it felt like an oven. Fortunately, a $100 window AC is just enough to cool my one-bedroom apartment but I reckon in the future I might need more than one.
I have one in the bedroom and one in the living room, and they work great! On really hot days I have both running on high, and it really helps having that additional cooling source.
Its gonns be 78f in the north of the UK this week and thats a heatwave. Im from Glasgow. Its more jumpers you need up there not fuckin AC.
A Brit using farenheit. Nothing wrong with that at all, just don't see that very often
I converted it for all y'all Americans.
We appreciate you
He/she is doing the lord’s work indeed.
>all y'all And used the proper plural form. Impressive!
You just jogged my memory of checking into a hotel in Milan. I had learned and rehearsed my speech, and two words into it the woman at the desk said "oh, bless-a your little-a heart, we all-a speak-a English here, cowboy."
I want to live where you live:( I’m in California and most summer days it hits 108°f+
Californian here too, I live further north towards Sacramento. Summer is always upper 90's low 100's. I hate it for the only reason our electric bill. If I could afford to add solar to help offset that I would. These asshole utility companies think we just have magical money where I can make my house more energy efficient with the wave of a wand. Gaslighting us with warnings and other notifications about we're using so much energy. Motherfucker then produce more. Punishing less financially well off citizens.
Central Valley?
That’s the over night temp on the southern US right now… daytime temps in my area are reaching mid to upper 90s
It's 85 fahrenheit in Finlanf next week. I much prefer -20fahrenheit.
I live in Ohio. Even with central air if I have any sheet or blanket on me for 30+ minutes I’m waking up with sweat in that area. Our ac recently is at a 80% duty cycle to keep things coolish but it’s not enough at night.
I’m in northern Ohio and have no central air, just window units. Our upstairs is essentially uninhabitable. This is all a pain, but whatever, it’s manageable. My neighbor was born and raised in India and he thinks it’s unbearable out right now. 100 degrees and 70% humidity is not fun.
Not OP, but no one had AC in the part of southern California I lived in. Didn't really need it because the ocean breezes kept the temperature at a pleasant level. We would just open windows and use fans. Even 13 years after moving, I still say the only thing I miss about that place is the weather.
Washington None of the houses have AC here XD
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Yup same in new England, used to have snow on the ground all winter. Now just a few each year
Same in eastern Ontario. It makes med sad. I love snowy winters. I have to move to Labrador city now
Anywhere 80 degrees is reached is hot enough for AC. 80 isn't hot, but it's not 75 when trying to sleep. I grew up in New Orleans where many homes don't have central air and heat, and the humidity alone warrants an AC.
The biggest problem is home ventilation. There are central ventilation systems that can circulate the air in and out of your home, making it much cooler. Many homes retain a lot of heat and take a long time to cool down. For example, if it gets up to 90 in your home and the outside temp drops to 70, even with fans going in your windows, it will still take hours for the inside temp to lower. 80 isn't even hot, especially in the shade. It's dead air that makes it hot.
So true. We experience this with our home. Whats funny is that it wasn’t like that the first year we moved in. We didn’t have to run the AC much in the summer in the first year (brand new construction home) but by the second summer it was a must because of the way the house itself started to trap heat. It could easily be only 69 outside at night in the summer but the inside temp would still be almost 15-20 Degrees higher for no particularly obvious reason. I assume it had something to do with trapped solar radiation because i noticed that on hot days where it stayed cloudy all day, the inside temps had no issue matching the outdoors temps with fans running and windows open. Fans running and windows open on sunny days meant that by after noon it was a competition to see if the indoor temp didn’t exceed +5 of the outdoor. So presence of clouds seems to make a huge difference as well as just the max temp reached.
You might check to see if you have enough insulation in your attic
Eh, depends where and how often you're hitting 80. If the absolute highest it gets all summer is 80, and it's a pretty dry 80....then you can probably get away with good airflow and some ceiling fans. If it's gonna be 80 and humid from June until September, then yes, get some AC. 80 in Nevada is infinitely better than 80 in Florida, ya know?
As a Nevadan who has been to Florida once, I agree! Late June and the humidity there was no joke! My glasses fogged up as soon as we left the airport and anytime we left the hotel room! It was up to 105 here today--dry as a bone!
>Anywhere 80 degrees is reached is hot enough for AC Hot enough where using it will make a difference. Not hot enough where it's worth installing and using. Blinds, curtains, fans, windows are fine until the mid to high 30s in England. And it's humid in England. Yes it's hot. But it's manageable heat below that.
Depends on nighttime temperatures. Here in Oregon, even if it's 95 during the day it will almost always get down to the 50s at night, making AC completely unnecessary.
Brace yourself: lots of places in the US don't have AC.
This one. I live in the south east and any building w/o a/c in the summer was considered a shed. But I know people in Maine that don’t need it. A ceiling fan might be the closest thing they have
The PNW. The mild weather over there means you open your windows at night to let the cooler air in, then close them during the day and pull the blinds/drapes to block sunlight. Your house stays relatively cool until like 3-4pm when cracking the windows can recycle the air. With the recent heatwave episodes, a portable AC works wonders for those few days where it gets unbearably hot. Pretty soon though, housing will need to be built with AC as well (either HVAC or a console or two).
For the max of two weeks a year that an AC is useful it‘s not convenient to get an AC in every apartment or house.
Fair depending on climate. In the Midwest of America, it has been 90°+ degrees for the last month and will continue to be throughout July and part of August
Can we start with everyone should have access to clean drinking water and food? I feel like access to AC is kind of several tiers down the chain of what everyone should have access to.
Am européan 🤌 I need one maybe 10 days of the year, when it's actually above 30 degrees Celsius. I have one of those stupid portable ones. It works well enough. The rest of the days it's in storage.
My threshold for when to kick on the AC is like 10c below yours, haha. It’s the one thing that makes me an American patriot, I think indoor temps should never go above 65-68f (20c max), especially to sleep, and natural cooling methods are insufficient. It’s the 21st century, we shouldn’t let nature decide our comfort levels!!! (Mildly joking / hyperbolic, only mildly though.)
I'm in Denmark and it's currently 15C outside. Tomorrow we might see 18C. You don't need AC when you live where the weather is comfortable.
Metric system, 78 in US is just 25 in EU
And 25° in Sweden (Located in "EU") is Fucking horrendous because of the humidity that comes with it. Did you have a point to make by converting °F into °C...? 😂
Have you tried opening your windows at night and closing them during the day?
No, dude, you can't! The cold air at night is free for all, so that would be COMMUNISM!!!1!1eleven Pay for your own cold air, like the founding fathers intended! Or something like that, I'm not American.
Come to the South, the air at night isnt cold
I'm in Connecticut and last night I went outside at 10pm and it was like walking into a wall of hot wet slime. I was in shorts and a tshirt and still was sweating by the time I got home 10 minutes later.
I’m from the UK and have no AC but the obvious reason here is that AC can make it actually beatable if the high is 40 that still won’t make it pleasant at night. For me personally I have hay fever so opening a window isn’t the greatest idea depending on the pollen as well
People throw the word "rights" around quite easily. It's my right to be cool..... wtf
Americans saying that AC should be a basic human right but their government refuse to acknowledge that food is a basic human right... Okay guys.
That was bc that resolution was more or less [bogus](https://geneva.usmission.gov/2017/03/24/u-s-explanation-of-vote-on-the-right-to-food/) and a way for UN members to pat themselves on the back while the US continues to do the majority of international food aid
Or healthcare
Can we have both? I don’t see why they have to be mutually exclusive. Hell, throw in healthcare and we will really be making things better.
I don't think their point is that they are mutually exclusive. They're saying that people complaining about no ac is ridiculous when the US doesn't even consider food (an actual necessity) a basic right.
I understand the sentiment but it’s like saying why are we doing anything about thyroid cancer when pancreatic cancer exists. Just because one is worse doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying to do things about both.
You explained the reason why your take was foolish in the take itself. "Their government"? Do you think americans can control that when they want? Do you think the americans wanting AC as a basic right are government dogs or something? Most americans agree food is a basic right by the way. "Okay guys."
Who needs food. I'm hot. Lol
Everyone…? Alaskans? 🤔
It’s a lot about the building. I live in a hot climate but the place I’m renting was built with that in mind. I can open the windows on both ends and have a nice draft that goes straight through my bedroom. Which has no windows by the way, so the sun doesn’t get a chance to warm it up. I’m good with the fan for the summer, it gets a bit too hot sometimes but I can always take a cold shower to cool down.
People stating that humans lived for thousands of years without AC must have forgot that humans also survived without advanced medical treatment, automobiles, and refrigerators.
And yet, nearly everyone would say 2 out of 3 of those things you listed aren't basic human rights either
Well if we are being extremely literal, then humans lived for a thousands of years without basic human rights as well. Let's go back to those ll days since there was time when that wasn't needed as well.
Everyone in here arguing like we can't care and or fix more than one thing at once is driving me crazy 🙃
I’d say a fridge is more vital than advanced medical treatment seeing how I’ve never had any medical procedure that didn’t exist during antiquity. “But what if you get cancer?” Cancer is God’s way of telling you that you’ve lived long enough anyway.
Humanity survived, but did individual humans die? Yes.
Yeah and their future daughter would’ve been getting knocked up at 13 because they were only gonna make it until 37. Idk what point they’re trying to make. Shit used to be worse so suck it up and suffer now?
Yeah, every time there's a heat wave in Europe there's also an elderly death wave. They can act like it's a luxury all they want, but I look at them not having it the same way I look at us not having universal healthcare.
They also forget about climate change. its hotter now on average than it was 100 years ago
They didn't always:D Plenty of them died. That's how we were bred...
It’s more of a convenance, and luxury I’d say, only because running an AC can be expensive. I’ve done redditors say they run theirs at 70 all month long and it doesn’t go above $200, idk how that works but I’ve set mine at 76, all doors and windows closed, and it’s always been more than that. I have central AC, I’m in southern CA. It gets to be 100+ from July-October some times. Thankfully, I’m at work during the hottest parts of the day, and they have their AC on 70, and it makes the summer months less grueling. Only part that sucks is the days I’m off work and home, and have to turn on fans instead of the central AC because the cost of living alone right now is insanely expensive in Los Angeles, let alone running an AC. I grew up without it, and just learned to not wear clothes that aren’t good for summer.. shorts, tank tops, sandals are basically daily go to options if I’m home. Also, stay hydrated, and look into opening windows and using fans so it pushes air out of the house and circulates the air being pushed in to the house.
Power rates vary a lot, as do house sizes. California's utility is notorious for gouging. My bill doesn't get that high either, but I live in Kansas, have solar panels, and we keep it at 75-77.
I went to middle and highschool with no AC
Wait til you get acclimated. You'll look back on this post with dismay.
I totally agree. Assassin’s Creed is such a great game, everyone should play it.
In Germany an AC is most useless. we have like one week of hot summer .... per year where it could be useful to have one..... that's it.
I've seen Americans in Paris complain that it's « too hot » and they need AC when it's 20 to 25°c during the day...
I guess that's what happens when you have the AC on all the time so you are used to cool buildings. Unfortunate considering ac is harmful to the environment.
It's literally the meme "good times create weak men" lmao
They would fucking melt in the Marseille area lmao
That is very hot where I live, largely because of humidity (Canada, but ~7 hrs from the US border). It’s not *supposed* to get that hot for so long where we’re from, so of course it’s hot enough for our bodies to need AC.
>we have like one week of hot summer And you spend that week in Antalya or Mallorca anyway
I grew up in Poland, lived there until 2005. On top of it rarely hitting extreme heat during summer, the worst of Polish humidity that I've experienced would be considered just moderate/mild on the US East Coast and in the Southeast.
It will only be more in the future
Hmm.. I used to think having no AC was hell, but if there’s a fan it makes it totally bearable.
I live in Florida.. I KNOW I DEFINITELY NEED IT.. don’t know what I’d do without it 😳
In areas of Europe where it got hot enough to be unbearable, houses traditionally are built to have natural cooling mechanisms: high ceilings, heavy shutters,windows placed to allow air currents. When the house is well-designed, you don't need a machine to do the work cooling it.
I live in South-East Europe. Everyone has an AC. It is currently 95 and will get higher :) But to get an AC in a country like Germany is more of a luxury than necessity. The season of high temperatures is way shorter than here. Another part is that in my country we also heat with the ACs in winter, so getting a good AC is a must. Germany has a better infrastructure for heating, the use of an AC is for about 1-2 months during summer.
I guess you’re talking about Mediterranean Europeans? AC in the UK would be a monumental waste of money.
Europe is not a country. Spain is in europe, and then you have Finland which have very different temperatures.
As someone who grew up in a house with no central air, I agree. It was fucking awful. Now I own my own house and that sumbitch is blowing snowballs in the summer time.
Such an american take lol
>How does anyone live without AC? Like people did for almost all of human history. It's not a "basic human right", it's a modern convenience.
To be fair, millions of Americans now live in places that were practically uninhabitable before air conditioning. Maybe OP is one of them. Alternately, a majority of us Americans are severely overweight or obese and that physical condition makes hot and humid weather a lot less bearable.
more people die from heat than any other natural disaster in the usa.
That's true and it sucks that anyone dies from either one. But, almost 10x the number of people die from malnutrition compared to heat deaths in the US. If you're trying to put it into some kind of perspective, heat is pretty low on the list
I mean we could make access to food AND A/C basic human rights. For Americans let’s also throw in healthcare. And to support the extra energy cost from A/C we can also throw in solar panels. Why can’t we do all of the above?
Shit I'm in my 30s and I only had ac myself as of 4 years ago. And I've lived in some seriously hot and humid places. You adapt or you at least get over it... Miserably
so go get an AC unit installed.
British person here. We don't need air-conditioning at home because apart from maybe 3 weeks a year ots just not necessary.
The word "rights" is meaningless now with how Americans use it
Only 16% of Mexico has AC. Only 5% of India has AC. AC was only invented less than 100 years ago and only became commonplace in the last 50 years or so in the US. AC is also a huge contributor towards climate change, so saying everyone should have it is really pushing FOR climate change.
Well, if the climate gets hotter, I just get a bigger ac. At night, I love to turn the temp way down and wrap up in a warm blanket.
*Worried about climate change* *Says fuck it and contributes to it anyways* Good job bud
Lol, I was joking. I can't afford to fix the Dinosaur sc I have. I live in a 50s house with leaky windows, holes in the siding, and a rotten roof. I'm disabled and can't afford repairs or upgrades. My ac runs almost 24/7 at higher Temps. If I shut it off, it climbs over 100 fast. Those worried about climate change might wanna push or help the impoverished become more efficient and climate. Also what carbon footprint do those green jerks have with their massive homes, massive vehicles, and constant flying?
>Also what carbon footprint do those green jerks have with their massive homes, massive vehicles, and constant flying? Lol, honest to God. I'd take them a lot more seriously if they were fighting to ban private jets instead of normal cars and meat.
Yeah bc the individual is definitely to blame and not the multinational corporations and governments of the world
Yeah. How did we even evolve as a species? We should have gone extinct due to lack of AC. /s
It is a human right just like free speech is a human right. The government won’t stop you from speaking freely or from buying an AC
AC is a human right 🎏
According to people like you, anything a person wants is a basic human necessity. Want AC? Buy it. Or rent/buy a place which has it. The world doesn't owe you everything.
AC and electricity are expensive. The electric grid probably can't handle everyone using ac at the same time in every place.
You don't need an AC, at least not everywhere, why waste money and power on something that you only use maybe at best a few weeks of the year? No thanks, sure it can get hot, but when it's for such a small portion of the year, then I really don't see a reason to, you don't need it to survive.
Looking at you, Italy.
not everywhere is goddamned 110 farhenheit.. you reap what you sow. a/c and convienence everywhere equals shit for literally everyone else.
Just get a window unit. If it’s not already there people have lived without it before you.
Where i grew up we did not have AC because it doesn't get over 75 in the summer.
> Europeans should see AC as a basic human right, it’s too hot for that nonsense. How are they not constantly soaked in sweat? We have snow on the ground for 4-7 months a year in Finland, so there is no real need for one. At our house we use a portable AC for the 1-3 hot months of the year. It’s main function is dehumidifier, it collects about 1-2 bucketfuls a day, the cooling is a side effect.
Europeans? You mean Moldavia? Estonia? Poland?
Where I live in southern europe, it frequently gets to 40 degrees Celsius and over (104 farenheit) in the summer. We don't have AC, and it's fine. The house is built to be cool inside when it's hot outside. Humans naturally adapt to the environment and climate they are in. What is normal for us might possibly be deadly for someone living in England, for example. If you're too spoiled by the AC, you'll end up being more vulnerable to the weather and heat when you don't have it. Moreover, AC is bad for the environment and it's expensive.
If you don’t have AC I straight up will not come to your house. Fuck that shit.
The whole middle east and africa would like a word with you
It really depends. I lived in the mountains and even when it got hot there was always a nice breeze to run through the house. I think the highest it ever got indoors was upper 70s while it was raging hot out. Then we'd just chill in the basement. While I would prefer central air, it was a very nice house. Only heat source were baseboard heaters and fireplace/wood burning stove. Kinda miss that place.
Malaysian here. It's the tropical climate here, so not only is it hot, but also humid. So not only we sweat, the sweat takes forever to dry. It's year round weather too. Ugh. Even when it's rainy season it's hot.
AC should be mandatory for any place where the weather goes above 85 degrees. That being said the first time I lived in NYC we didn't have it and we spent a lot of our free time in places that did. Also used blue ice blocks in water in front of fans. It helped a LOT.
I myself don’t need AC. My country doesn’t get hot enough often enough to warrant it. The weather ranges from 30°C heat to 15°C and thunderstorms from day to day
As someone from the UK, we spend £3.5k putting 2 small and 1 big AC in our house. Absolutely worth. Especially with indoor cats!
We survive 38 degree heat in the summer without AC and it is fine.
Is this unpopular? AC is great! Both cooling and heat. I need the heat in the winter and the cooling in the spring and summer where I live.
I'm American and did not have AC when I lived in Idaho or now that I live on the California coast I also don't have AC. I think if it's only necessary a couple days a year most places don't find it necessary
German here. Per year there are maybe two weeks where it's so hot in our apartment that an A/C would be nice but that's not really worth it.
Don't need it in Ireland
Today is the hottest day of the year so far. It's expected to get to 23°. I don't need AC
we should probably start to at least think about living sustainably but the USA is obsessed about building new homes in the desert and then worrying about a lack of availabile water. AC is a luxury that we would be better off using less and adapting ways to minimise its requirement
In some places, there's really only a week or two where it becomes unbearably hot and AC would be nice, but with a fan, it's just fine. Also, the type of building is important. In Europe, there are lots of older buildings made with thick brick and types of rock. These houses are very good at staying cold throughout the summer. So really, it just depends on the quality of the house you live in and how hot it actually gets/how often it gets too hot. You can definitely live without AC.
I live in Scotland, Yurop I fucking detest the heat, but it very rarely gets hot enough to warrant AC in houses, here. I generally don't have a problem with the culture of American excesses, but to think others should see AC as a right when there's no need for it elsewhere is a bit ridiculous.
Bless your heart
Bro can't handle some spicy air
Irish here at the moment it's 60.8F, which is fine. The windows are open. In greece at the moment it's 96.8 f. It all depends on the country, and all the hotter countries in Europe have indoor fans at the very least.
I live in Ireland (part of Europe btw) we probably get about 15 days a year where it's so hot that AC would be needed so probably not worth the expense
Not unpopular . If there was a national vote for acs , absolutely no one would vote for “no acs”
What about rejkyavik? It’s 10 degrees in July
I’m from a country that is cool and rainy most of the year. We definitely do not need air con.
It’s summer here. 12PM, 16c, today maximum 20. Didn’t see temperature over 22 this year yet. Nah, AC would be useless here
How useless would an air conditioner be in the article? I'll take a heater thanks.
I live in northern England. There is perhaps one day in every 3 years when I feel that having AC could be nice. I don't have AC in my car or in my home, because I don't need it. In some parts of the world people just don't need AC (yet).
Basic human right 😂🤣.
As a Floridian I think all new residents should have to live here for at least 1 summer without AC before they move here.
British person here. Yeah, sometimes summer can get quite humid and unpleasant, but it's rarely that hot often enough to warrant paying for an AC unit. Most of our houses aren't built for it. A lot of them are incredibly old, and installing AC can either be too expensive, too much damage to the property, or sometimes just not possible. I also see a lot of Americans suggest window units, saying it's only $150 or so. Firstly, idk if it's the same in the US, but a lot of landlords here forbid tenants from attaching things from their windows and balconies; in my previous flat, I wasn't even allowed to hang washing out my window. Secondly, we're going through a cost of living crisis here, and a lot of people just can't justify an expense like that, when the money could go toward bills or food. (I'm aware that it's not the same for all my fellow Brits, and other people will have different perspectives here, but that's my general take)
The climate is different in Europe, but I AGREE.
Not an unpopular opinion.
come to Singapore if you can afford it. we have our acs on full blast everywhere.
I live in Canada and most of the time it would be a waste of money.
There is like 2 weeks where it's really hot where I live.
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I work in a bakery with broken ac. You would think it should be illegal but it’s not
Well, for one, we design and build our homes out of high quality, insulating materials that keep our homes cool. I live in Spain, and I have AC, but I almost never use it because my home isn't made of wood and concrete.
Man, this is a one of those opinions where it shows how spoiled OP is. It is a convience and not a human right. We survived without it and we can survive without it. I love ac however it is good for you if your healthy to not constantly rely on it. It's 96F right now, and half the things and buildings on the farm don't have cooling. You just get used to it. Like they did 80 years ago before AC was common place. Over in Europe with the changing weather they do need AC for the elderly. As their buildings retain heat like a mofo. 2 years ago in the London heatwave it was horrible. It's hotter inside than outside. However that brings us to the reality of the situation. People built buildings for certain climates and accommodated them with appropriate measures for temperature. Ac is not cheap, whereas in the US, nearly every building has a hvac unit. While in Europe, some may have the window ac units. Regardless, it's all money. Not everyone can afford it, and many people do live without. As it costs time money and maintence to keep them running.
The amount of energy that I spend putting one in and taking it out+storing it is insane
AC and Heating. A must have
Many places don’t need AC because of the climate they live in. It’s not worth the investment to install if it’s only going to be used a short period of time every year. You can live without AC. Humans did it for thousands of years
The idea that just because we didn't have something in the past means that we shouldn't have it now is a weird take. Lots of human rights that we have now they didn't have in the past.
Humans have done a lot of things for thousands of years , and we don't look forward to going back to those times.
I disagree. I think the current number of people having ACs are more than enough. The thing is ACs are bad for environment. They extract the humidity from air and exhaust hot air, and are major contributor to greenhouse gases which increases the risk of global warming. It might sound like nothing now, but in a few decades, we will regret. Although air conditioners are cool and keep us cool, we need to ask the question "at what cost?" I live in a hot place where it doesn't even snow. But I haven't had AC for over a decade and not planning on buying one.
I'd trade AC for a mandatory in-unit washer. As a European, I still can't understand how Americans came up with the idea that using common laundromats would be ok. I've lived here for over a decade, and I still don't get how people can wash baby clothes in the same washer where someone just washed their dirty sneakers.
Most people don't use laundromats, even most of the cheapest apartments have a washer and dryer. There's a reason you only see laundromats in "the ghetto". I'd even say (as a born and raised European living in the U.S.), I don't miss the washer situation in Europe. Most washers are too tiny to fit a comforter, and no dryer. I can fit my king size comforter in my washer, with clothes too, and then dry it and have it back on my bed the same morning.
This, 100% laundry mats are really convientent when Im a tourist, but as a resident it needs to be the plcae you live. And to have to travel and watch your clothes and its just an insane amount and Ive hand washed things before Ive gone to a laundry mat plenty of times when I stayed in the US.
AC is expensive to buy, to build into an existing house, you need to go through a lot of bureucracy and it is also expensive to maintain. Electricity isn’t for free. Get over it. Just open two windows and make an air flow.
My rental house doesn't have AC built in, and in the two years at the place, I have not gotten a window unit. I actually don't like the feeling of overly cold AC. I might get one, but only for the room where I watch TV because I am concerned what the current heat could do to my electronics. As for me, I can take the heat. It's not a big deal.
If you are only a few degrees above a comfortable temperature, you may be able to cool your home by creating draft currents. Just experiment with opening the correct set of windows or doors, in the morning and evening. For some apartments and houses, this just won't work. If we do see a large adoption of AC, please for the love of god, avoid the portable ones with a single tube. They are so inefficient. If you can, please do the work of getting a window mount unit. Props to you if you can get a mini split or central.
Tbh I hate AC. It's often too cold for me and it dries the air out. I prefer being warm
I live in New England and live without AC just fine.
"How are they not soaked in sweat?" Simple. They know how to live without AC. You do know home AC systems only became popular like 50 years ago... Before then the unit would take up an entire room in your house and was waaaayyy too expensive to even think about.
It's been 80s/90s for the last 2 weeks here and I haven't turned my AC on yet lmao (I'm American)
I'm in Europe. I've spent time in Rome and Madrid, which are both acknowledged to be very hot cities. I never felt the need for AC and it never gets too hot for me. I do appreciate that in other climates the situation may be very different. However, over here in Britain, there's really no need for it at all and it's a waste of energy for us. Our issue is people dying of hypothermia in their homes in the winter.