American Summer: Before Air-Conditioning (1998)

http://newyorker.com/archive/1998/06/22/1998_06_22_144_TNY_LIBRY_000015831

by sizzle • 12 years ago

36 53 12 years ago

newyorker.com

greenyoda• 12 years ago

This piece was written by Arthur Miller[1], the famous playwright who wrote "Death of a Salesman", "The Crucible", etc.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller

slyrus• 12 years ago

and was once married to Marilyn Monroe

mturmon• 12 years ago

Who, in turn, starred in the movie "Some Like it Hot."

danieltillett• 12 years ago

Reminds me of where I grew up (no air-conditiong). Sometimes it was so hot and humid that we could not do any other than just lie on the veranda and sweat. The amount of water you would drink a day was staggering. I can't say I miss that sort of weather.

hacknat• 12 years ago

I'm sitting on the floor by my window in my top floor apartment in Seattle, which is not air-conditioned. I've lived in Seattle for over 5 years, and I've noticed the summers getting hotter. Air conditioning used to be a rare thing in this city, but more and more people I talk to are caving this July.

I've always been sensitive to the heat, sleep being hard to come by in the "pall", as Miller calls it. It's nice to commiserate with the past, because my wife can sleep through anything.

grogenaut• 12 years ago

you are empirically incorrect. Pull up the values. in 2010 it got up to 98, 2011, 2012 it didn't break 90, last year it hit 92 for 2 days. This year it still hasn't broken 90, though the insurance building in SLU said 92 at the peak today but that sign is in direct sun by their solar panels which are also hooked to the sign. Also that sign was reading higher solar output (5.8 vs 3.2) earlier this year when it was cooler which shows the effect of heat on solar panels.

aaronbrethorst• 12 years ago

We're about to have five consecutive days of >= 90º weather[1]. Also hacknat was lucky to miss the Worst Week Ever in Summer 2009 when the temperature peaked at 103º[2]

Meanwhile, I'm unlucky enough to be heading down to Portland for the weekend, where temperatures are expected to peak at 95º and 98º. Yuck.

(Also, I broke down and bought an air conditioner last year, as I had a south-facing apartment and a brachycephalic dog[3], who couldn't deal with the heat. I have the AC running and my apartment is currently a glorious 68º :D)

[1] http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/Seattle+WA+98122:4:US

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Pacific_Northwest_heat_wav...

[3] Moxie: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8590965099/in/s...

adventured3• 12 years ago

Wouldn't the average temperatures be a lot more important than brief highs on one or two days?

Many of the record highs for Seattle were set 40 or 50 years ago. There is only one new monthly record high in the last 20 years.

http://www.seattle.gov/html/weather_averages.htm

Would love to see a 50 year breakout on the average highs and lows by year and month for eg Summer in Seattle. I can't seem to locate data of that sort pre-organized.

bumbledraven• 12 years ago

Could humidity be a factor here?

lelandbatey• 12 years ago

As someone who grew up in the Seattle area, i remember not having air conditioning and how miserable it was (briefly) each summer. I've since moved somewhere much hotter (Richland), but since everywhere is air conditioned, I actually prefer it!

WalterBright• 12 years ago

I've lived in Seattle for 35 years. An awful lot depends on how the house was built. I used to live in a house that was poorly designed, and it would heat up like a greenhouse. The house was so uncomfortable when I finally moved and had one built, I spent a lot of time with the design so that it passively cools itself. It'll stay at least 10 degrees cooler than outside with no power applied.

It really isn't that hard, but it's clear to me looking at typical houses around here that nobody even thinks about it when building.

m_mueller• 12 years ago

Back in Switzerland we still rarely have AC in homes and offices. My parents still work in an office that can get 40C/104F for two to three weeks in summer. Everything is built for winter.

foz• 12 years ago

I live in CH now, and I noticed that most buildings have massively thick exterior walls which seem to insulate against the blazing sun during the day, so that at night things are tolerable.

In my office in Zurich, we break out the electric fans during a hot day, and people take off their button shirts and walk around in flimsy undershirts. Most large stores have A/C though.

I honestly don't miss A/C at all, I remember living in NYC during heat waves, and dreading the shock transition from extreme hot to cold that happened when you entered or exited a building.

speakeron• 12 years ago

I live in CH too (for more than 20 years now) and although in can get hot in the summer, the humidity is normally much lower than the US east coast and southern states.

I used to regularly travel to North Carolina from Basel (normally warmer than Zurich) and could really feel the difference, even though the temperatures were similar in the summer. In NC, A/C was essential; in Basel not so much.

mjn• 12 years ago

That's also true in Denmark (everything is built for the winter). Although since it doesn't get that hot, rather than AC, it would suffice if things were just better ventilated. There are 2-4 weeks every summer where office buildings, the metro, buses, etc. get incredibly hot (e.g. 35º inside when it's 28º outside), which could be fixed with better window-opening technology.

On the other hand, very few people will be in the office during those 2-4 weeks anyway, since everyone just takes that time as vacation. And apartments (unlike office buildings) typically have good ventilation.

Udo7• 12 years ago

Here in Germany, private households generally don't have an AC either. Office buildings do though, thankfully, as even those sturdy ancient stone monsters do heat up quite a bit.

The thing is, while there is an intense heat wave in almost every German summer, most of the time it's too cold rather than too hot.

When I bought my house two years ago, I decided to put an AC in. Not only because it gets ridiculously hot sometimes, but also as a general heat pump (the electrical heating system used in it before was really inefficient and expensive). I'm very happy with that decision, but as far as I can tell this is the only private house with AC in that part of the town. Not even luxury houses have them, though some probably do have ground-based heat pumps.

Instead of real split/wall-type AC Germans do buy a lot of mobile AC units seemingly not realizing how limited they are.

On the whole, this is surprising for a country with extreme temperature fluctuations, especially since it's common here for people to live in roof apartments.

I think it's cultural. In the Philippines, where I spent some time, every building (lower middle class and up) has air conditioning. The temperature extremes aren't nearly as bad as in Germany.

adventured3• 12 years ago

Isn't the problem in the Philippines, as compared to Germany, that it stays so hot all year-round (and reaches higher average highs all year-round as well)? I assumed the temperatures are much hotter overall in the Philippines as compared to Germany, leading logically to a much higher use of AC.

The average high in Manila for example, never drops below 30 degrees C in any months:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_Philippines#Type...

Udo7• 12 years ago

Yes, of course, it would be a miserable place without AC, no question. The climate is pretty stable though, with the exception of rainy season.

But the point is, it gets just as intolerable (maybe even more so) in Germany.

Zak• 12 years ago

I've had several Germans tell me AC makes them sick. Some complain that the air is stale. This is a big deal to Germans; most will open windows for fresh air every few hours even in extreme heat or cold, claiming that the air is unbearable to breathe otherwise. Some complain that the rapid change in temperature when transitioning from a hot outdoor environment to a cool indoor one (which I find pleasant) is unhealthy.

nospecinterests2• 12 years ago

It really helps to put in an air exchanger. If our office space didn't have one the stink would be unbearable in the summer. It also helps to change the filters every couple of months.

Udo7• 12 years ago

There is a ubiquitous phenomenon in Germany, called "catching a draft". It's a real thing which as far as I can tell only befalls Germans, with physical symptoms and everything. On top of that and somewhat paradoxically they do believe you have to open the window every hour or so, even if the building is sufficiently ventilated in theory, otherwise they get headaches, complain of unbearable CO2 levels and/or a stinky atmosphere. For something to be unhealthy, it is sufficient to believe that it's unhealthy.

Even though I was born in Germany, I never really understood these compulsions, but they do seem to run very deep (I'd say 50% of my German friends exhibit them on a level that can become disruptive).

I suspect in theory the temperature variation experienced by going for a swim in a lake during summer (which is an activity generally enjoyed by Germans) should be larger than what you get from moving in and out of a properly air conditioned building. It probably depends hugely on individual lifestyle, but I think ubiquitous air conditioning would in fact reduce the temperature variations a person experiences during the day. Even in a country like Germany, people do tend to spend most of their time indoors or in their cars.

derda• 12 years ago

Its not only the lack of AC in houses here in Germany. Public Transport is even worse. In my town only the last delivery of new buses had AC fitted to them (and I think not even all of them). But you cannot really open the windows either, so you are stuck in afternoon traffic in a bus full of sweaty people with no ventilation at all.

kghose• 12 years ago

This is a very interesting thread for me. My spouse is from Germany, and it was nice to hear that the tussles we have with opening windows in the middle of a New England winter are part of a much broader "war" ;-)

Also, in New England very few homes have central air - new construction and renovations do have central, but it seems a waste, given you only really need it in July and then usually the nights (when we are in the house) are cool.

But yes, this month and a few days in June I think, every day, so, how much would it cost to put in a ductless in the bedrooms? The living room has a GIANT ancient wall mounted air-conditioner from the days of the cold war and moon landings which sounds like a rocket and seems to flood the first floor with cold air the moment you switch it on. I have not seen the electric bill yet.

Udo7• 12 years ago

so, how much would it cost to put in a ductless in the bedrooms?

I didn't install central air either, it's basic split units (probably the precursors to your moon rocket cooler) where the only thing you really need to get through the walls are relatively thin coolant lines that run to the outside heat exchangers. It's about 600€ per unit, I'd say. The modern ones are pretty quiet as well.

The nice thing I noticed about them is they have an efficiency of around 2.6 - meaning that for every Watt you put in, around 2.6 Watts of energy are being moved, both in or out. Obviously, that subject to some adjustment depending on the temperature gradient, but it's way more efficient than the electrical heating that was installed in my bungalow before.

I have not seen the electric bill yet.

I remember an episode of "Married with Children", where Al brings home a ancient German AC that was made by the Nazis or something, and when they plugged it in the entire neighborhood lost power. That's what I picture is in your house ;)

barking• 12 years ago

Someone I know who spent a few years in the southern US had lots of fans in the house rather than air conditioning. His rationale was that AC made the contrast between indoors and outdoors too great making it harder to acclimatise.

hornetblack• 12 years ago

I live in Australia. My dad won't get air-conditioner because he knows it cost at least $1,200 to add another A/C to the grid.

rdtsc• 12 years ago

A South African gentleman once told me that New York in August was hotter than any place he knew in Africa, yet people here dressed for a northern city.

Well what is often forgotten is that humidity is just as big of a culprit as the temperature of the air. Hot but dry air can be tolerated much easier than colder but more humid air.

US on the East Coast has humid air. I remember the first time landing in NY flying from Europe. The air felt like a sauna, it was almost hard to breathe.

Given the heat, people smelled, of course,

Hehe. It is really interesting how in some cultures people deal with smell of sweat different. In some countries the "body" smell (don't want to call it b.o. as that automatically negative in American English) mixed with some perfume or cologne is not considered that terrible.

bluerobotcat• 12 years ago

Well what is often forgotten is that humidity is just as big of a culprit as the temperature of the air. Hot but dry air can be tolerated much easier than colder but more humid air.

I hear this a lot but my experience is different.

Humid weather is annoying because it makes you sweat more. However, spending a few minutes at 35C in Beijing (where the air is extremely dry) I would like I'm about to burst into flames and can't breathe. At over 35C in Thailand I would only be annoyed with the weather if I had to spend significant time outside.

nospecinterests2• 12 years ago

Is it just me or is this the 2nd or 3rd time this has been posted on HN? I read the same article (which was/is great) last year from a similar post on HN last summer.... Maybe its just me I don't know.

kyberias• 12 years ago

I'm pretty sure it was here before.

dalke2• 12 years ago

359 days ago. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6062738 .

prasoon2211• 12 years ago

I see people conveying their tales of the hot weather - where the temperatures rose to 95 to 100 degree fahrenheit - just around 35 to 40 degree celsius - for a brief few days each summer.

The truth is, this is a little more than moderately hot for many parts of the world. Here in India (in the parts around the capital), you're lucky if temperature keeps on the lesser side of the 45 degree mark. And this happens for weeks on end, not just for a few days. Just before the arrival of monsoon, it is both extremely hot and extremely humid - humid as in drenched humid.

Now imagine this - you've got a 45 degree blazing heat on top of the 98% relative humidity. The fans just don't seem to work and you're sweating profusely from the minimal of exertions. Add to this not having an AC and you get an idea how most of us lived for the past decade or so. It got so hot that you felt a physical pressure pushing you down and all we could do was lie down on the cold floor as we waited for night to bring some relief with it.

Things are changing though and most people are getting ACs now. The floor is no longer cool.

ssiddharth• 12 years ago

Haha. And then you have a video call with your remote work people. It's either switch on the AC and fan and drown everything out or sweat like you're dying and have them ask you what's wrong. Oh the joy...

dalke2• 12 years ago

I think you should be aware of the effect of building design and culture, in addition to temperature and humidity.

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. The high for today is 30, with 80% humidity. Low is 26. Mumbai's high today is 28, with 94% humidity and a low of 26. Miami is next to the sea, which helps keep it cool. By comparison, Orlando, which is inland, has a high today of 34 and 89% humidity. Kolkata's high for today is 34, with a 67% humidity.

I think fair to say that I have some experience with this sort of weather.

We did not have air conditioning in Miami, unlike most of our friends. My father, who himself was raised in Cuba during the 1950s, thought it was too expensive. And he would be right, because our house was not designed for it. Instead, it was designed to keep cool naturally.

It had high ceilings, so the heat would gather above head level, it had no insulation, the windows were not air tight, and the house itself sat on cinder blocks so there could be air flow under the house. We also had ceiling fans, to keep the air moving.

On the other hand, a house designed for cold weather has insulation, air-tight windows, and minimal surface area, in order to keep the heat in. A house designed for air conditioning does the same, in order to keep the heat out.

Temperatures which would be no problem in Florida would be horrid up north. New York apartment buildings are not designed for cooling. There's no cross-breeze and too much insulation. There's also a lot of stone and concrete in NYC to absorb heat, while Florida has more plant cover. NYC is 3-4 degrees warmer than the areas around it, due to this heat island effect. (It's also why NYC is the northernmost major city on the North American with a humid subtropical climate.)

But there's also cultural reasons. Think of the old stories of the British in India, during time of imperial rule. The British wore wool clothes in that heat, because to do otherwise was "un-British", and as a way to separate them (as part of the ruling class) from the rest of the people in India.

This story even mentions one of the cultural reasons - no one wore shorts, despite the heat. At this time (1920s and 1930s) in New York, it was illegal even for men to be topless on the beach. Quoting from http://www.bikiniscience.com/costumes/soutien-gorge_SS/tople... , "Euro-American confrontation with topless prior to the 1960s are often deeply conflicted and involved a racial separation. This is because the dark-skinned, tropical people world-wide often are topless, whereas their white-skinned northern hemisphere counterpoints wear more clothes."

Cultural expectations run deep. Northerns have a stereotype about the "lazy" Southerners. Indeed, when I moved up north I discovered that I was actually a slow walker, when I used to think I was a bit faster than average. A friend of mine told a story the other way, of someone from Maine, who moved to Florida and wasn't going to give up his northern ways. Only to discover that there's a reason for slow movements the first time he tried to take a brisk walk. As prasoon2211 commented, "you're sweating profusely from the minimal of exertions."

So yes, you're both right in pointing out that "this is a little more than moderately hot for many parts of the world". But temperature and humidity alone aren't the only important factors.

Because by the same token, weather that New Yorkers could handle without blinking - freezing temperatures for a month with dips down to -12 - would have destroyed most of the homes in Miami. All of our plumbing was exposed to the outside, so the water pipes and sewer lines would freeze in that sort of weather. Even the municipal water mains would likely freeze and burst, since they are just below the surface and not designed for that weather.

That sort of cold weather would likely create similar havoc and huge numbers of deaths in most of the cities in India.

For that matter, since we had no insulation, when it was 5 outside, it was also 5 inside. We didn't have the warm wool blankets or down comforters that people up north would use, because it isn't worthwhile to buy and store them for the few weeks a year they might be used, so we piled on all of the thin cotton blankets we had.

arbuge• 12 years ago

> The truth is, this is a little more than moderately hot for many parts of the world.

Or the American South for that matter. The article was written from the perspective of New York. Here in Texas we get weeks of 100+ degree days pretty much every summer.

oftenwrong• 12 years ago

Texas is fairly dry, though, yes? The heat combined with humidity is the real killer.

buyx• 12 years ago

A South African gentleman once told me that New York in August was hotter than any place he knew in Africa

That's surprising, since it sometimes seems that the only bearable place in the South African summer is Johannesburg, because of its altitude. Even in other cities, I've never heard of people sleeping on balconies or anything, despite aircons being a bit of a luxury item still, in residences.

I wonder if the annual temperature swings in climates like New York's make the heat seem worse than it is.

rollthehard6• 12 years ago

How much does the use of AC in the US contribute to overall energy usage I wonder? Solar powered AC FTW I think.

danelectro• 12 years ago

One thing's for sure, today's air-conditioning is one of the most energy-wasteful indulgences among electrical appliances.

Growing up around Tampa, as a native in the old days not only did very few residences have A/C, but most businesses did not either. Mainly just banks and supermarkets.

Most people were from up north anyway, and among them there were two interesting extremes.

"The Adaptable" good life lover. They retired or moved to Florida because they wanted the clean air, slower pace, and natural beauty of the sub-tropical resort environment. They let the fresh air in all the time, and only complained slightly when there was a heat wave and they had to use window or ceiling fans around-the-clock. They weren't about to consider air-conditioning though since they had worked all their life for the resort atmosphere to begin with and had strong desires to get what they were paying for.

"The Snowbird" migratory variety. Can not conceive of adapting to the sub-tropical environment very much, so they only spend winters that far south, generally while it is freezing up north. They didn't need A/C either since they weren't going to be there in the summer.

Kids love A/C though. We would plan our bike routes to include stops for rest at the buildings having A/C, where they had lobbies for us to gather with the retired people to cool off before heading back out.

Even as kids we knew Houston was the most air-conditioned city in the world at the time, then when the Astrodome was built it just emphasized so much the excesses that oil money can make possible.

Anyway, after being in Houston now for over a dozen years without A/C, I can't complain since I've adapted OK myself.

For me it's a no-brainer, I simply can't afford waste, especially wasting overpriced energy. Even Houston natives sometimes have an incredulous reaction and think I must be suffering, especially on 100 degreeF days like this. So more to satisfy them than myself, I invented a solar A/C where "the hotter it gets the cooler it gets" would be my trade or service mark. Don't expect to be building a prototype any time soon, with other inventions more pressing, but it's going to be a good one when the situation is right.

American Summer: Before Air-Conditioning (1998)

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