Wayne wrote:
wrote in :
In article 5TMLc.28901$9I.20458@okepread02,
"Richard Henry" wrote:
wrote in message
...
snip
.. Unless you have a very small house and moderate
climate, that small of a unit will do very little.
I think most people would consider the house small. However,
I also know about arranging tree shade, insulation, and do not
need the house to be 65 degrees for comfort. 65 is too cold.
If I can get the house cooled down below 70 at night, I don't need
the A/C to be on at all. I simply shut the windows to keep the
heat out and run a fan for circulation. The house doesn't
get hot until ~17:00. By then it's usually cool enough outside
to cool the house.
How do I "arrange tree shade"? Trees in big planters on wheels?
You can. Awnings or shutters help. Shutters are neat in that
you can shut out the sunlight and keep the airflow going. Curtains
block air flow. I'd have to see the layout of your yard and
house to tell if growing stuff would help.
snip
Most of your suggestions are helpful but they are not a solution to the
heat of the desert Southwest. Shade helps, of course, but when the
"cool" night air is 95-100 degrees, the only things that bring relief are
swamp coolers and a/c.
The only thing you have to do is cool the one room, then move the
cooled air out and the warmer air in.
That won't cut it.
In San Diego, it has been pretty hot, but not too humid,
the last few days.
We have survived without A/C by running oscillating
fans indoors and seeking
shade/breeze locations outdoors (except for my
retaining-wall project, which
is on an unshaded south-facing hill).
That wall will absorb and the emit heat. A good thing
in winter, but not desired in summer. Shading it with
plants that deleaf in the winter is one way to arrange
shade.
...Upstairs we keep a fan in the
south-facing window and a ceiling fan running all the time in the
master bedroom. My son's room faces east - a window fan
turned on after dark makes
that room comparitively frigid.
I cool the house down by placing a fan facing out and running
it. If you have an attic fan, then you want to place the
first floor fans facing in but only run them that way when
it's cooler outside than inside. During the heat of the day,
shut the windows or leave a couple strategically placed windows
open a crack for oxygen. Then run fans that circulate the air
inside only, in a down to up direction.
Fans, especially ceiling fans, certainly do help and allow you to
maintain a more evenly distributed temperature. The constant air
movement makes a slightly warmer temperature more tolerable. However, in
hot climates and without a/c, they only blow hot air. That's barely more
tolerable than nothing at all.
If things get really bad, we drive down to the grocery store and stand
in front of the meat cooler.
Now there's an option. I'll take my folding chair!
I put on my winter woolies before I walk in the grocery store.
It's ****ing freezing in those stores...but not as cold as
the post office. There is no mystery about why those people
go postal; their brains get frozen to the point of no possible
electrical activity. I want to put on a wool face mask when
I walk into those buildings.
You clearly don't require as much cooling as some people do. To me, it's
blessed relief to walk into a supercooled office or store.
A 5000 BTU a/c would barely keep a closet cool when the temp outside is
110-112 degrees F.
--
Wayne in Phoenix
If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
I live in Tucson. My A/C costs are about $30-$40/mo. My neighbors usually
pay over $300/mo. Most of the day I only use air circulation and shade to
keep the house comfortable. For the time I do run the A/C, it is usually
set for 85. If an area gets heat-soaked, it costs more to cool it down,
thus the 85 setting. I keep supply vents to unused areas closed down. The
thermostat is located in the most used area.
--
Russ Lyttle
Not Powered by ActiveX
http://home.earthlink.net/~lyttlec/p...phy/logos.html