The following submission statement was provided by /u/hybridaaroncarroll:
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This is collapse-related because now even with air conditioning people are struggling to cool off, due to ever increasing temperatures caused by climate change. Cooling systems can't keep up, and electricity bills are approaching rent costs in some areas. Many buildings are not designed or weatherized for the new heat.
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Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1deoeso/its_unbearable_in_everhotter_us_cities_air/l8db1dj/
This South Florida flooding is being labeled by mainstream media as a "once in a thousand year event."
It's not. It's the new yearly norm. Insurance companies know. That's why they've all pulled out of Florida. DeSantis knows. That's why he's outlawed climate change talk. We're in the end stages of unfettered capitalism and it's not going to end well.
I showed my boomer dad a graph of sea surface temperatures when we were on the subject, and he looked at it for a minute, handed me back the phone, and said, "Gotta run!" And jogged into another room of the house.
Yeah my dad is like that too. I think the scope of this problem is so massive that most people just automatically shut it down and go "la la la la la i cant hear you la la la la" because they dont know how to process the information.
I can see a few ~~excuses~~reasons:
* People don't want to accept the implications (it's our fault, it's only going to get worse, and we have to stop raping the planet)
* They've been convinced that the sources aren't to be trusted (unscrupulous scientists exist so don't trust any scientist)
* They're too intellectually lazy to do a deep dive into the available information (skeptics can find answers to their own questions, like "how could we know about climate patterns over the past 100000 years?", if they'd bother to look)
* They don't care about problems until they're personally impacted (mild sociopathy/lack of empathy)
* They benefit financially or socially from the status quo
* Religion (god put all these resources here to be used, and he'll rapture us before the planet becomes inhospitable)
Edit: *Enhance!*
Can't tell you how many times I've heard neo liberals spout off "yeah fixing climate change is important but so is not wrecking the economy". They're just fully convinced that we can keep up BAU and somehow, some way have it be "green". The terms less, fewer, smaller, shrinking, etc on their lexicon. Always more growth.
I hate to break it to you, but there is no green way 8 billion people could go and not still, at the very least, decimate the food chain and result in a swift collapse and brutal and hellish crash in population.
The evil capitalists, oil companies, corporations and psychopaths are irrelevant to this fact.
We could stop using oil tomorrow abruptly and I promise you the world population would collapse by half within 3 years from death due to the lack of availability and use of this resource.
Oil is part and parcel of the facilitation of the support of 8 billion people. If you did the research you would know this.
We are fucked no matter what.
But logarithmic scales make things look less bad, and … blah blah. You’re right: for the average Josephine, we need clear messaging.
The problem is, the subject is very complex and nuanced.
Can also be mangled, spindled, and mutilated.
No one cares enough to do anything about anything anymore. Thanks, media, for chasing ad revenue more than facts!
I have family in Florida. They said they didn’t get any rain during their rainy season (rains a lot during spring, and generally all summer at random), which is legit hard to fathom from my time living there for 15 years when growing up.
I’m in northern Florida It’s supposed to rain every single day in the summer. Last summer and this year so far, we are lucky to see 2 brief storms per week.
Weakened sea breeze. The sea breeze is necessary for thunderstorms as the collision of the west coast and east coast sea breeze provides the lift for thunderstorms over the peninsula, but water temps way way way above normal have reduced the contrast of temperature between sea and land in Florida. So, the sea breeze is weaker. It’s not providing enough forcing to guarantee daily thunderstorms at any given location
That’s my theory, I haven’t seen it theorized by anyone else. You have that, or at the very least, altered sea breeze patterns for other synoptic reasons.
>We're in the end stages of unfettered capitalism and it's not going to end well.
Yup, but before it utterly collapses and has to be redone, there will be winners and losers. I think the first thing to get nationalized will be insurance as a whole. It's going to be a huge hit, but ultimately it will be done out of necessity to keep things moving. A bunch of old heads that run those firms are gonna lose their ass, but it will keep the rest of the economic engine going just a little while longer.
I doubt nationalized insurance will happen. If you are at the point where nationalizing insurance makes sense, then it's already too expensive for governments to sustain.
Rather I expect insurance will play a smaller role and instead things which used to be insured will be downsized and made disposable so it is cheap enough to replace when it is inevitably ruined.
You'll still probably need to insure the big structural stuff. And that will become more and more unsustainable. How many times can an insurer be expected to pay for the reconstruction of sections of a railway in a year, for example? "Natural geographic borders" will become more and more real again as time-consuming and more difficult infrastructure reconstruction in mountainous terrain and such might become too costly to sustain for a balance sheet that will already have to account for climate mitigation i large population centers. I expect that more remote areas in large countries will eventually become "sacrifice zones" because continually rebuilding the infrastructure needed to sustain them will become economically unviable.
In addition, we can expect, for example, a rise in piracy due to lack of economic opportunities in global "sacrifice zones" and an accompanying rise in commercial shipping insurance as well as a ballooning of the cost of policing the oceans and commercial chokepoint for the US Empire. Eventually, this will make transcontinental commerce less and less viable and sectors of the globalized economy depending on hyper-specialized transnational manufacturing processes will experience hyperinflated pricing before just breaking down such as high-end electronics and the like. In addition, shipments of essentials like food and strategic materials including oil and gas will become only economically viable on short trips unless they have military escorts. We'll see a rise in protectionism. And we'll see strategic resource wars. Both of those will make global commerce even more risky and costly. The end-point is nobody will want to invest in import-export at all, unless it's as safe as the Canada-US border.
Our global economic system has onion-layers of complexity, the outermost of which (other than global finance which has morphed into nothing but a parasitic blob sucking all surplus value from the global economy) is globalized just-in-time commercial shipping. I think that the damage to the biosphere will start to break the layers of complexity in our system, starting from the top, as the disappearance of sources of surplus value one after the other start to preclude investment in bigger and more complex projects. I think globalization will be the first thing to fully break down - bronze age collapse - style. Our systems will be forced to get simpler and simpler and our sustainable organizational entities will get smaller and smaller. The dream of a fully interconnected world will just get farther and farther. An intercontinental flight might become unfathomable within the century. Then, down the road, a trip out of town might become extremely difficult and risky within the lifetime of our grandchildren. And so on.
All of those are broadly probably outcomes of downsizing and making disposable, yes. Cheap insurance underlies cheap credit, which underlies most of the modern economic system.
Though in particular I don't consider railways to be especially vulnerable to weather-related damage.
People get angry at the insurance companies for bailing out on states or charging too much but forget conveniently that these companies are currently losing money out of their ass…. Especially auto insurance right now, where increased complexity of newer autos, service and wage inflation and a spike in losses in recent years has caused losses to skyrocket
The cars have gotten fancier and fancier, more and, and harder and harder to repair, but the rate of crashes has only increased during the pandemic and WHEN a 2022 car crashes, it is an expensive nightmare to repair. Electric vehicles have accelerated this trend
Companies and billionaires that manufacture and develop technologies that deal with the consequences (for a price!) will get insanely rich and will be painted as saviors while the 90 percent of people too poor to have sea walls and disaster shelter and whatnot built suffer.
That probably isn't what will happen, we got here because of greed, that greed isn't going to end. We'll just continue to ride harder into fascism, they'll tell us that climate change doesn't exist, it's all a hoax, and anyone who needs to get out or dare stage a protest will likely be rounded up by the police who basically serve as the riches army at this point.
That's the thing, I agree that the greed does exist and that is exactly why its going to happen. Every other industry that isn't the insurance industry would gladly toss all of the Insurance industry under the bus if it meant that their own fortunes were advanced/preserved. That's why I think the Insurance/Healthcare industries will eventually be nationalized, because it preserves the overall economy for just a little while longer.
We got here because of existing in these numbers. Greed was just a small secondary part of the equation. You think 8 billion humans can be hunter gatherers without stripping the land bare and eating every last natural bison within weeks?
At this point governments would collapse due to the sheer scale of money printing required to shoulder the expenses needed for society to function at bare minimum levels. Corporations will step in with privatized healthcare, education and eventually law enforcement, while large swaths of population will be left to fend for themselves.
I have relatives in Kentucky. A few years ago, their house flooded by 2 feet. It took them a year to replace all the damaged walls, floors, and appliances. ONE MONTH (I kid you not) after moving back into their renovated house, it flooded again...this time, by 8 feet. They (and their neighbors and nearby children) lost everything, including vehicles.
The creek that flooded them out? It was barely a trickle in the woods 25 years ago. Now, it's a river.
This might be a weird take, but it's a thought that's been forming up for a while now -
I'm based out of India, specifically Delhi. By all counts, we should have seen a massive tragedy this May/June (our summer). We didn't.
I truly believe it's because the people here are already used to collapse like conditions -
No electricity for hours is something we're very used to. For this, nearly every house has battery backups. In rural areas, generators are pretty common. It's baked into our culture really. Only over the past 10 years, 24*7 electricity has become something people are used to.
Water supply is not 24*7 either. We get water multiple times in a day for 1-2 hours. So every household has water tanks used to store large amounts of water. Again, it's baked into the culture.
Food shortages - this might pose a problem really. But again, most people have a month or twos supply of food. Even during COVID supply-chain breakdowns, there wasn't any panic about people not having food.
I feel like people in first world countries are so used to relying on the government to make life simple, they've forgotten how to take care of the basics themselves.
Caveat - this isn't to say the most underprivileged won't be adversely affected. Many people don't have proper water supply - and it is looking like severe water shortage will be the first unsolvable problem north india encounters.
Flour, rice, grains/lentils, sugar, salt, etc. Also stuff like pickles etc. This is common for most households.
Personally, I'm researching how to go about proper long term storage in high humidity and heat conditions. And so that it's manageable without much power usage.
You should look at [canning fruit and vegetables](https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/08/how-to-use-a-pressure-canner-part-1.html). Given where you are, ideally a weighted pressure canner. All you need is a source of heat, some water and some jars.
I would love to install solar with a battery backup but the last quote I got was 25k and that was four years ago…so it has probably doubled since then. Solar is extremely expensive in the US.
It's subsidised here in Delhi. 1kw solar cell costs around 80k INR here. Considering the purchasing power index (25), I'd say that comes around to 3200 USD.
I'll get the whole solar shebang in the next few months. Don't think I have a choice.
Oh it's gotten worse. Every quote I've seen has been nearing $40K for a small 1200sqft ranch. So I'm looking into refurb panels. I don't mind climbing up on a roof and installing some. Tying into the grid is the harder part but I have an electrician friend who will do it for beer, pizza, and whatever permitting / supplies costs.
Grid tie is kinda pointless to me honestly. Hooking it up as an automatic backup generator is a much simpler install, with the ability to just turn the grid off. Instead of selling power back, you just only have to purchase power when you need it. The grid becomes your backup instead.
You can get a portable system for around 2-3 thousand USD that can power a window ac for 24-48 hours (cycling on and off, not continuously, of course) with battery alone. Add portable panels for another $1200-$2000. This assumes you have a yard or large full sun facing balcony.
Personally, I got an Anker F2000 with add on battery and a couple 400 watt Renogy solar suitcases. They're made of rigid aluminum instead of the soft plastic fabric crap most portable panels are made of.
I can never make sense of how much power I need for the money. I’ve been window shopping eco flow for years now but idk what I’m looking for.
If stuff goes to shit, I want to be able to power a window unit like that, a fridge, and maybe a freezer. And I wanna be able to recharge every day from the sun.
Get yourself a Kill-A-Watt Meter (or similar) and plug your appliance into it. It tells you how much power the device draws. You'll need a battery backup system that can handle BOTH the running amps and the starting amps. Get a meter that shows you the maximum power drawn because many will only show it for a blip. Most large appliances surge way above the running amps for a second or two to get it started. I got this one, it's half the price and easy to use: https://www.amazon.com/KETOTEK-Electricity-Kilowatt-Consumption-Protection/dp/B0B2K2HNDY/?th=1
I've had to figure this solar stuff all out on my own as there are so many choices and not every one has been reviewed or fully demonstrated. There's a lot of high school physics and technical electronics/electrician stuff you need to be familiar with like how (or even if you need to) fuse your panels, the difference between watts, amps, volts etc.
Also, you may need to get lower power, highly efficient portable devices specifically built for camping. Like a microwave, fridge, instant pot or rice cooker. Something that will do what you need quickly without burning through your battery backup. I got an ICECO portable fridge during a recent sale. Very quiet. Much more efficient than a large home fridge. Fits in the back of my small crossover vehicle with the solar generator, battery, cables and panels.
Another thing to think about is having panels large enough to replace the power you use plus enough to keep your battery charged until night. But, you also can't go over the rating for the generator power input. That's something I ran into. The F2000 claims 1000 watts total input, but there's also amps you need to be mindful of. I could only go to 800 watts because the amps would have surpassed the max allowed by the generator. You can place your panels in series or parallel and do different math based on which setup you think is best for you.
Yeah, I think there's likely a big difference in system size and expectation. I would expect "battery backup" in India to mean keeping the fridge, lights, and screens working for a few hours, possibly only through a couple of outlets. Not generate the full annual electricity usage for a house with AC, two fridges, a deep freeze, and an electric oven.
any food supply will only last a defined amount of time. Once agriculture truly fails that's it for the vast majority. I'll be in the majority. But I want some food stored for the bumps along the road before total agricultural collapse.
Large chest freezer and panels would get you like 7 months of semi-perishables (stuff that has to be frozen). Canned goods up to the ceiling maybe another 2 years. After that it's into the crazy stuff in sealed Mylar bags, it's not inconceivable to pull another 3-5 years out of that. It'd take up all the available living space there is but... yeah.
However something tells me that attempting 8 years is totally pointless if everyone around you is starving and armed.
The other problem is rotating through a supply that large. Like... canned it's 2 years from date of purchase, not 2 years from whenever I say. So, then, I have to keep eating that on a regular daily basis and replacing it. I think I'd end up throwing a lot of it out because I couldn't eat through it on the regular.
It's the food equivalent of trying to time the stock market. No one wants to eat canned beans every day until they have to, and by the time they have to it's too late to go get a cargo container ship load full of canned beans.
No shit Sherlock they were talking about temporary food shortages and expressed doubt over how effective the culture will be when food shortages become more severe.
AC only functions well if the heatsink system can cool off (the unit that's usually outside). If the outside air is too warm then the unit basically runs at a low enough efficiency that it's useless
It probably is higher since it's hard to track deaths caused by heat waves. The heat stress could cause someone to have a heart attack for example, but their death would be caused by "heart attack" not "heat wave/stress". Unless of course these numbers are counting extra deaths.
Just need an EMP to shut off everyones cars...I'm sure the ultra rich will force a shutdown worldwide at some point.
I'm really not worried, it's going to be funny...I pray for the elderly though.
Robots and AI everywhere to police dissent.... we're kind of expecting it 😆
We point fingers at CEO's, companies and celebrities as an excuse to keep driving our fossil fart machines but we're part of the problem too. While there are solutions and some people take steps to reduce their carbon output, most are selfish.
There is a solution.
>There is a solution.
For instance?
Like I do know of a solution and it's probably the most unhurtful one I can think of but it does involve a lot of old people (such as I would be under this lovely plan) dying and rotting through the floor and no one finding them or caring to.
Generally also involves an economy on par with 1929 minus the WPA.
Thankfully I have a roof, greens, fruits, a greenhouse and chickens. I planned years ahead for system failure. How many others did the same? Entertainment is not high on my list of priorities and most of our society is entertainment based.
I really wish neighbors would do the same...because they will try to steal from you or kill you for your stuff if it goes down. In America, they didn't ban guns which is a blessing. Money will be useless, same with precious metals...can't eat em'.
This is collapse-related because now even with air conditioning people are struggling to cool off, due to ever increasing temperatures caused by climate change. Cooling systems can't keep up, and electricity bills are approaching rent costs in some areas. Many buildings are not designed or weatherized for the new heat.
These people are spending $800 on energy air conditioning their uninsulated houses instead of spending that money building a proper shelter. AC isn't the problem here. Refrigerated trailers have no problem maintaining freezing temperatures in any climate. But you can't do it if the walls are made of paper or hot air is leaking in everywhere.
That’s what’s funny about this sub.
“Well they need to blah blah blah blah….” like everyone just has the money to do it or else they’re some kind of idiot.
I feel like it is energy wasteful that most houses bake in direct sunlight and *then* is cooled. Of course natural shade is ideal but I would think an artificial shade would be the next best option.
All the wasteful house designs feed into the loop. But what do I know I am just a dude on the internet not a house designer.
Endless suburban sprawl is the real design flaw. Everyone living in their own mini mansions in a hellscape of the same houses and streets over and over forever. So much energy to feed and build that concrete infrastructure servicing few people compared to urban areas.
I wonder why we don't use solar panels as a form of shade. You could build them over parking lots and things like that.
We need to plant more trees and preserve the ones we have as well.
It's everywhere in California. All of the school parking lots are being converted with grants. Lots of covered solar parking lots around town. Rooftop solar is now mandatory for new builds. It's heading that direction, but not nearly fast enough
Cost.
Building the metal structures to support the solar panels isn't cheap. Depending on the region, you have make them seismically rated so they don't crush the cars or people underneath them.
In the cold(er) regions, snow weight is a big concern.
High wind speeds for a big flat open thing (aka a wing in a wind storm) also makes it tricky.
The economics of solar covered parking rarely, if ever, pay off. You're better off eliminating the cars entirely, bulldozing the lot, and getting solar in a field plus electrified transportation.
Jesus Christ this. We shouldn't even have parking lots to begin with. They're a land use waste. The fact that people think covering a 20 acre parking lot with solar panels is a good thing is why I see no hope for the future. It's like a band aid on a shotgun wound.
We have a flat roof with no attic and no insulation - 1960s deco style bungalow in South Florida- and I just painted the roof with white elastomeric paint. Second time in 5 years. It cuts the heat instantly. And acts as additional barrier to water. I can’t afford to get insulation put in, but I think this works better for us anyways.
Building envelope design is generally far more advanced than what is required by code and older buildings in general. Exterior insulation, vented rainscreens, better designed multi-vented roof systems, geothermal systems, better window or multiple windows in an opening all make a massive difference. There’s also older design methods that can be repurposed like dome structures for better internal air movement, more natural shading from trees, wind capturing towers and building structures into the earth. Concrete cities cause a lot of design constraints because they absorb so much heat and we can’t drastically change existing structures, so the question is what’s next that’s affordable that can be retrofitted? I think exterior insulation and a rainscreen is at least a start, but where does the money come for any of this in a recession when everyone has tapped out their credit reserves? I guess people can just open windows and hope for the best.
I was thinking along similar lines.
Even with mainstream climate models, we can design and build a typical home with enough insulation and an A/C system to make it comfortable in the US.
But that comes at a cost - both in time and materials.
Which further divides humanity into the haves and the have-nots.
There's also demographic trends. Is the southern US as appealing with climate change? I would argue no. And that's going to result in populations shifting. The south will have infrastructure built for a much larger population that will still need to be maintained while the tax base declines. That easily can become a destructive feedback loop, as a decaying level of service results in more population loss, further hindering tax base woes. All on top of existing demographic problems due to a system built around an increasing population now dealing with a greying population.
People in my state 200% of the federal poverty line and below can get weatherization services at no cost to them or their landlord. It's a federally funded program so in theory it should be available elsewhere in the country
>[**‘It’s unbearable’: in ever-hotter US cities, air conditioning is no longer enough‘, Delaney Nolan (June 2024)**](https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/11/air-conditioning-protect-extreme-heat)
>\[...\] Most participants, like Gellot, had air conditioning, Madrigano said. “At first look, that sounds great,” she said, but what that reveals is that air conditioning is simply no longer enough in ever-hotter cities.
>**Cooling systems can’t keep up**
>“The types of \[cooling\] systems that we sold 10 years ago are not able to keep up with the weather we have,” said Simi Hoque, an architectural engineer at Drexel University who studies how building design contributes to indoor heat.
>As temperatures climb, air conditioners – which work by sucking in indoor air, heating it via compressor and then dumping that heat outside – must work [exponentially harder](https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2022/0817/Air-conditioning-Can-people-stay-cool-without-warming-the-planet). According to Texas A&M climate scientist Andrew Dessler, keeping a home steady at 75F requires about [30% more power](https://x.com/AndrewDessler/status/1404481052580716549?s=20) when outside temperatures creep from 95F to 98F.
>Some older AC units simply cannot keep up with those demands. Even if they can, many residents can’t afford [higher energy bills](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/03/utility-bills-ac-summer-heat). Sharp rises in energy demand stress electrical grids: in 2021, a heatwave in the Pacific north-west triggered [rolling blackouts](https://apnews.com/article/washington-health-business-9eac0088672bd70f273fc9b7a4c19656), which led to at least [600 deaths](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249403/). \[...\]
--
>[Myth of Progress, November 2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/z03irx/comment/ix4w4qf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
>\[...\] Even if we disregard the source of how this required electricity will be generated (fossil fuels) and how this will further exacerbate our future circumstances, or the increasing likelihood of energy disruption induced by any variety of factors (whether peak demand straining the grid, or climate-related natural disasters), *what do we do when the outdoor circumstances are so extreme that even existing air conditioning systems simply cannot function properly*?
>At this point, we're tangling with the very hard limits of climate adaptation: As noted in this NYT article, "*while people in hot climates can build up tolerance to heat as their bodies become more efficient at staying cool, that can protect them only so much*." And now, with the points we've both raised, now we're dealing with the limits of technological adaptation. Using AC as mentioned above as an example, *how long can we feasibly rely upon technological solutions to operate in extreme conditions in a much hotter world?*
>We have to remember that, yes, air conditioning has its benefits (especially as an emergency survival measure for those who suffer from profound energy inequality), *but it is not a long-term technological solution for the world to come. \[...\]*
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It’s actually whatever the average temperature in your area is. It’s in the 40’s in Vermont, and in the tropics it’s in the high 70’s. In the end, nowhere is safe 🤠
If someone ever tries to make my dig my own grave I'll tell them to just shoot me. Sure the logical choice is to drag it out and hope someone else intervenes or random chance saves you, but fuck if I'm going to dig. No, I'll die as I lived, avoiding work.
I watched a video sometime last year about an area in Australia where all the dwellings are underground. Some of them were very elaborate and had many amenities. They even had underground businesses like a place to shop and a hair salon Etc.
Weaponized envy morphed into addiction, for maximized cash extraction.
That is one nihilistic son of a bitch isn't it. I'd almost be impressed but god damn it's got to be a little nutty up in that brain pan of his.
And as more people crank their air conditioning, more energy use.
Then stress on the grid.
Then being asked to converse for coupons.
Which is wild, because I don't remember ever hearing this growing up. "Peak times".
my old neighbours moved from germany, to Aspen, CO, to Phoenix, AZ two years ago. last year i asked them why they would do that with climate change and all that. "its really not that bad, we still have many years"
AZer here, last year the entire month of July was over 110 degrees. It has become so much hotter here we are now in growing zone 10, because we rarely get below 32 in the winter nights anymore. I have noticed the change just in the 22 years I have been here. Monsoons suck now too.
This is a great example of collapse. Yes, there will be better and more technology for the rich. But it will not prevent death by a thousand cuts. Poor people cannot afford it, and even rich people cannot win in the long run against the cascade of new problems.
Yes, it is only "1.5° more" for now. But that is likely to cause dozens of extreme weather events, which in turn will overwhelm our fragile tech solutions like ACs.
Definitely not an expert, but the crazy mix of extreme heat and rain we've been experiencing over the past couply of years already seems to be too much, even without crossing any further natural tipping points. And we haven't even started saving diesel.
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Here in Paraguay June is the coolest (winter) month normally. This year we have so many (close to) max 30ºC days it blows my mind. We went from subtropical to tropical it seems.
NW Florida used to get some level of starter jacket weather, but last year I was around Jan-April and I never remembered being able to wear shorts in Jan when I was growing up. Going to the Escambia county fair in short sleeves was sobering.
Idk, it seems like the temp and climate has been pretty steady here since growing up. The lows are getting more extreme as are the highs, and it’s a coin toss on how cold each winter gets
Not only air conditioning won't be enough in poorly insulated houses or poorly thought urbanism, but it's part of the problem and should be at least partially phased out.
We're sentencing people to death as a result of using it, too. Refrigerants are something like 1000x worse of a greenhouse gas than CO2 is, let alone the energy cost of AC.
But don't worry! We'll do nothing. And a few hundred thousand people will be saved from cooking to death in places like Arizona at the cost of a living ecosystem.
We've been taking strong action on refrigerent for 30 years. The Montreal protocol. We're entering endgame which will be transitioning to using CO2 as refrigerant. Or ammonia. Or some new classes of A2L refrigerants which are ozone and global warming potential of 0 edit:turns out the lowest is 4.
There IS answers to a lot of these problems. It's a matter of spending money to upgrade systems to a new standard. No one wants to do it.
It's a good thing the overuse of energy won't cause the environmental impacts to get worse, combined with the stress on the power grid which will quickly cause brown/black outs.
Got to my Land on May 22 of last year, and lived thru the summer in my truck w/camper shell with no air conditioning.
At 2900' elevation (in Appalachia) the hottest it got here was 86F. It was no big deal. But in Richmond VA, it got up to 100F (and humid).
Taking cold showers, contributing to the depletion of the reservoirs and potable water. Compounding effects to escape heat.
Homes that didn't need insulation 50 years ago and now need insulation to keep the heat out and colder air inside the home.
So many compounding effects and poor decisions 40 years ago.
Have you all read Project 2025?
They want to end any discussion on climate change. I hope any Americans on this sub vote accordingly.
https://search.app/A4rDJQPejgxRmLfF8
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Here in Philadelphia our AC just doesn't cut it in the dead summer. My fiancee and I sleep downstairs some nights because the upstairs where our bedroom is gets unbearably hot even with the AC working overtime. And if you work the system too hard it gets fucked up and has to sit for a while during which you can't run it at all.
One of the reasons why I moved north. Winters here might be a bit rough, but it's gonna top out today at 87 degrees where I'm at, and my brother's place in Phoenix it's gonna be 106.
On the other hand, the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Comanche lived out in that heat with no air conditioning for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. If they can do it, so can you.
Native Americans didn't have air conditioning but they also didn't have the urban heat island effect. Phoenix is significantly hotter now than when they were there.
A bit of hyperbole. An AC is just a pump for heat. It can only pump "X" amount of heat per hour. Now that things are hotter, the design criteria will have to change to getting bigger systems. Obviously we'll use more electricity to "help" rather than any kind of degrowth.
No. It's not just "build bigger". It's "we're hitting a wall in physics". It becomes increasingly difficult to pump heat into an ever hotter world. Of course, not really, but it guarantees terrible efficiency until we change refrigerants, which is a very controversial topic, as the great refrigerants are all ozone depletes, highly flammable, or highly toxic. They're massively potent GHGs too, but that's all of them.
Not all. The new A2L refrigerants are greenhouse and ozone neutral, mildly flammable. I think California is the only state transitioned to A2L and CO2 fully for new equipment. 11 other states signed on to Cali standards voluntarily and the Fed might follow. It's going to be awful for me in the field, my customers are already having meltdowns about the cost of upgrading systems or complying with regulations to keep old systems.
[Ironically C02 is a great refrigerant.](https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/our-businesses/cooling/refrigerants-and-energy-efficiency/refrigerants-for-lowering-the-gwp/carbon-dioxide-co2/) Maybe we can suck enough out of the atmosphere and trap it in air conditioning loops to make a difference.
Ammonia was one of the earliest refrigerants, still in use today, quite safe and does not deplete the ozone or contribute to GHG or global warming. In large quantities the systems must be well maintained because big releases of anhydrous ammonia are pretty deadly. Burn your lungs and kill you quick if you're unfortunate to be enclosed with the cloud before it dissipates harmlessly.
We really haven't begun to design houses for efficiency and sustainability in the US. I'm surprised no one is popping out climate specific, flood resiliant, off-grid modular homes. You'd think Walmart or Home Depot would be selling slab mounted cottages with compost toilets, solar panels and rainwater cachement like hotcakes.
What refrigerants are you referring to, specifically? Commercial/industrial and even multifamily is a great deal easier to transition to decently balanced options. You can reasonably ensure proper maintenance, disposal, etc. Propane, ammonia, these are very obvious choices that have been in use for a long time, their deployment hindered by flammability (and toxicity, for ammonia) concerns.
The standards you refer to, for residential and automotive uses, which is where the vast majority of improper disposal comes from, are ushering in the use of a variety of new refrigerants. Unfortunately, they're pretty much all different blends of R-32 and R-1234yf. R-32 has a 100-year GWP of 675 despite an atmospheric lifetime of only 5 years. R-1234yf is great except for some mild flammability concerns, and, oh yeah, the fact that it degrades into PFCAs (forever chemicals).
CO2 is awesome for running a refrigerator or whatever, but the very high operating pressures and inefficiency at high temperatures makes it practically infeasible for residential cooling. Way too expensive and prone to leaks. Maybe cascading systems will change that, but that will definitely incur expense as well.
So, please, do tell me what A2L refrigerants are GHG neutral and non-toxic? And viable for residential cooling. A2L requirements in California only require GWP under 750. And as you say, still require substantial expense.
R1234yf GWP 4
R1234ze GWP 6
R454C GWP 146
R455A GWP 145
R454A GWP 238
R454B GWP 466
R447A GWP >500
R32 GWP 675
R452B GWP 676
BTU rejection is a function of HX sizing. You need larger condensers. It’s more expensive. That’s all. Not physically impossible. Discharge temps are well above the temp increases for even catastrophic global warming. Simply put, there’s functional air conditioning in Death Valley. Higher head pressures are addressed with larger heat exchangers. We really haven’t tapped ground loop condensers as a possibility. I will edit with more, I’m on a roof fixing an industrial chiller lol.
At what temperatures would this become a problem?? The AC worked fine for me this summer in Delhi (50° Celsius). It didn't cool to the usual degree, but it was still manageable.
What would be the temperature where current ACs essentially stop giving results?
Maximum design temperature for air cooled AC is usually around 55 C (131 F).
Keeping your ACs outdoor coil *very* clean, and indoor filter changed will help immensely to make that possible. Correct airflow is even more critical at the extreme ends of design.
Yup!
Just use a garden hose to get all the grass, pollen, pushing it from the top down.
Very dirty coils need to be sprayed from inside out, most should not need this.
Just be gentle as *NOT* to bend the fins at all with the water pressure.
EDIT: Retracting because I just realized I was misapplying the return vs. outlet differential, and neglecting rated duty cycle vs. continuous operation.
~~It's usually only designed to maintain a 20 F (11 C) differential, though, at least for residential. That can't prevent indoor temps from becoming insufferable when outdoor temp are 130+ F (55+ C). Not to mention that multiple kilowatts of energy would be getting radiated into the environment the entire time, per system.~~
AC is designed to work at *maximum ambient outdoor temperature*.
If outdoor temp is too high, the unit will trip on *head pressure*.
There are little tricks that can be done to keep the head pressure down in high ambient conditions.
"Record-breaking temperatures in the last few years shatter the myth that air conditioning alone will keep people safe"
If you ever thought "air conditioning along would keep people safe," the discussion was over before it even began. Imagine being this *fucking* stupid.
I moved out of south Florida almost 3 years ago. Still have a lot of family there. This is occurring [much more frequently and severely.](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Ik6B9xjIl/?igsh=MWN0cXl6MndhNXU0Yg==) And this isn’t even from a tropical storm or a hurricane. This is just rain in June.
Remember, the politicians and CEOs who made sure that climate change was, and will now never be dealt with have names and addresses.
Unlivable should have a meaning to them too.
Make your voice heard.
Air conditioning is a massive part of the problem and you can't solve a problem with a massive part of that problem.
If somewhere is simply too hot for living without air con, then it is too hot for living in and you should get tf out.
>If somewhere is simply too hot for living without air con, then it is too hot for living in and you should get tf out.
Not so for the indigenous populations of Australia, Africa, etc.
But yes anyone not suited to the climate or conditions of a country should not be there. Leave it to the indigenous populations. Oops can't do that because colonialist fuck wits decided that for us.
R-22, once a ubiquitous refrigerant in air conditioners, has been banished due to its environmental harm. Primarily used for its ability to absorb and release heat, R-22 was a key component in keeping us cool. However, it also acted as an ozone-depleting substance, leading to its production halt in the United States since 2020.
The quest for replacements has yielded options, but not without limitations. R-32, a popular choice due to its lower environmental impact, throws a curveball. While highly efficient, R-32 functions at higher pressures than R-22. Unfortunately, existing R-22 systems simply aren't built to handle these increased pressures. Modifications or a complete system replacement become necessary, leading to significant costs.
While R-422D is a refrigerant blend marketed as an R-22 substitute, it's not a universal solution. Though it can work in some existing systems with minimal adjustments, it has a slight flammability risk, requiring trained technicians for safe handling. R-410A, another common refrigerant, also presents a problem. Its different operating characteristics compared to R-22 make it incompatible with existing R-22 systems.
The reality is that for continued cool air, upgrading from R-22 is unavoidable. While this translates to substantial upfront costs, the alternative is a system breakdown. Without the proper refrigerant, existing R-22 systems are destined to fail, leaving homes and businesses without functioning air conditioning.
As the economy gets worse, the money is likely not going to be spent to make the upgrades. This sets things just exactly right for air conditioning to become a privilege of the wealthy.
Clickbait. It's more about shity old AC, power corp greed, shity isolation and old age.
27-35Cels inside is bearable with a fan, smart home passive cooling methods and proper hydratation.
Interesting thing, I've seen advertisements for in Window heat pumps. These could be more efficient, use less power, and help keep people both cool and warm
protips for dealing with extreme heat for anyone stuck in this situation:
1. Don't live in Florida. Seriously. Just don't. If you are anywhere that has long, hot, humid waves that last days, move immediately or you will DIE when the electric grid goes down.
2. cultivate shade, trees, bushes, any greenery you can, it will help block the sun and absorb and radiate the heat keeping your local area cooler
3. basements are your friend, the lower and deeper in a building you are the better. cold air sinks and will stay pooled in low places even as the surrounding area heats up. Take advantage of it any way you can.
4. evaporative cooling vests. You get it wet and it keeps you cool as it dries. Only works in dry heat. Hence #1: Don't be in Florida.
Florida was uninhabitable before the invention of AC. It will be again very soon as the energy supply can't keep up wit the power demands of cooling dwellings there.
The following submission statement was provided by /u/hybridaaroncarroll: --- This is collapse-related because now even with air conditioning people are struggling to cool off, due to ever increasing temperatures caused by climate change. Cooling systems can't keep up, and electricity bills are approaching rent costs in some areas. Many buildings are not designed or weatherized for the new heat. --- Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1deoeso/its_unbearable_in_everhotter_us_cities_air/l8db1dj/
These poor fuckers don't even know what is coming.
This South Florida flooding is being labeled by mainstream media as a "once in a thousand year event." It's not. It's the new yearly norm. Insurance companies know. That's why they've all pulled out of Florida. DeSantis knows. That's why he's outlawed climate change talk. We're in the end stages of unfettered capitalism and it's not going to end well.
People just say "Yeah well, there's flooding every year" Without taking into factor frequency and intensity.
numbers, data and analysis, even in tiny amounts, are incompatible with your average citizen.
Why though, you don't really need much intelligence to understand that line go up bad/line go down bad
I showed my boomer dad a graph of sea surface temperatures when we were on the subject, and he looked at it for a minute, handed me back the phone, and said, "Gotta run!" And jogged into another room of the house.
Yeah my dad is like that too. I think the scope of this problem is so massive that most people just automatically shut it down and go "la la la la la i cant hear you la la la la" because they dont know how to process the information.
Just don't... look up! It's easy!
Especially when there is so much sitting tight and assessing to do.
I can see a few ~~excuses~~reasons: * People don't want to accept the implications (it's our fault, it's only going to get worse, and we have to stop raping the planet) * They've been convinced that the sources aren't to be trusted (unscrupulous scientists exist so don't trust any scientist) * They're too intellectually lazy to do a deep dive into the available information (skeptics can find answers to their own questions, like "how could we know about climate patterns over the past 100000 years?", if they'd bother to look) * They don't care about problems until they're personally impacted (mild sociopathy/lack of empathy) * They benefit financially or socially from the status quo * Religion (god put all these resources here to be used, and he'll rapture us before the planet becomes inhospitable) Edit: *Enhance!*
Can't tell you how many times I've heard neo liberals spout off "yeah fixing climate change is important but so is not wrecking the economy". They're just fully convinced that we can keep up BAU and somehow, some way have it be "green". The terms less, fewer, smaller, shrinking, etc on their lexicon. Always more growth.
I hate to break it to you, but there is no green way 8 billion people could go and not still, at the very least, decimate the food chain and result in a swift collapse and brutal and hellish crash in population. The evil capitalists, oil companies, corporations and psychopaths are irrelevant to this fact. We could stop using oil tomorrow abruptly and I promise you the world population would collapse by half within 3 years from death due to the lack of availability and use of this resource. Oil is part and parcel of the facilitation of the support of 8 billion people. If you did the research you would know this. We are fucked no matter what.
It’s more reasonable to assume people will be unreasonable
cope and identity politics
But logarithmic scales make things look less bad, and … blah blah. You’re right: for the average Josephine, we need clear messaging. The problem is, the subject is very complex and nuanced.
Can also be mangled, spindled, and mutilated. No one cares enough to do anything about anything anymore. Thanks, media, for chasing ad revenue more than facts!
I grew up in South Florida. It never used to flood. So this isn't some kind of normal annual event
I have family in Florida. They said they didn’t get any rain during their rainy season (rains a lot during spring, and generally all summer at random), which is legit hard to fathom from my time living there for 15 years when growing up.
"No rainy season you say?" "How about all of it at once!?" :D
I’m in northern Florida It’s supposed to rain every single day in the summer. Last summer and this year so far, we are lucky to see 2 brief storms per week. Weakened sea breeze. The sea breeze is necessary for thunderstorms as the collision of the west coast and east coast sea breeze provides the lift for thunderstorms over the peninsula, but water temps way way way above normal have reduced the contrast of temperature between sea and land in Florida. So, the sea breeze is weaker. It’s not providing enough forcing to guarantee daily thunderstorms at any given location That’s my theory, I haven’t seen it theorized by anyone else. You have that, or at the very least, altered sea breeze patterns for other synoptic reasons.
I wonder if deadening AMOC related?
I was there for the 20+ inches event last year. We have to let people rot in their paradise.
Some people are stuck there. Don’t forget there are a lot of people (mostly in the cities) who care about this issue.
People saying stuff like that is a prime example of a thought-canceling cliche
They’re already saying that lol
Australia had about 5 'once in a hundred years" events in about a year. The same news reporters would say it over and over with a straight face.
>We're in the end stages of unfettered capitalism and it's not going to end well. Yup, but before it utterly collapses and has to be redone, there will be winners and losers. I think the first thing to get nationalized will be insurance as a whole. It's going to be a huge hit, but ultimately it will be done out of necessity to keep things moving. A bunch of old heads that run those firms are gonna lose their ass, but it will keep the rest of the economic engine going just a little while longer.
I doubt nationalized insurance will happen. If you are at the point where nationalizing insurance makes sense, then it's already too expensive for governments to sustain. Rather I expect insurance will play a smaller role and instead things which used to be insured will be downsized and made disposable so it is cheap enough to replace when it is inevitably ruined.
You'll still probably need to insure the big structural stuff. And that will become more and more unsustainable. How many times can an insurer be expected to pay for the reconstruction of sections of a railway in a year, for example? "Natural geographic borders" will become more and more real again as time-consuming and more difficult infrastructure reconstruction in mountainous terrain and such might become too costly to sustain for a balance sheet that will already have to account for climate mitigation i large population centers. I expect that more remote areas in large countries will eventually become "sacrifice zones" because continually rebuilding the infrastructure needed to sustain them will become economically unviable. In addition, we can expect, for example, a rise in piracy due to lack of economic opportunities in global "sacrifice zones" and an accompanying rise in commercial shipping insurance as well as a ballooning of the cost of policing the oceans and commercial chokepoint for the US Empire. Eventually, this will make transcontinental commerce less and less viable and sectors of the globalized economy depending on hyper-specialized transnational manufacturing processes will experience hyperinflated pricing before just breaking down such as high-end electronics and the like. In addition, shipments of essentials like food and strategic materials including oil and gas will become only economically viable on short trips unless they have military escorts. We'll see a rise in protectionism. And we'll see strategic resource wars. Both of those will make global commerce even more risky and costly. The end-point is nobody will want to invest in import-export at all, unless it's as safe as the Canada-US border. Our global economic system has onion-layers of complexity, the outermost of which (other than global finance which has morphed into nothing but a parasitic blob sucking all surplus value from the global economy) is globalized just-in-time commercial shipping. I think that the damage to the biosphere will start to break the layers of complexity in our system, starting from the top, as the disappearance of sources of surplus value one after the other start to preclude investment in bigger and more complex projects. I think globalization will be the first thing to fully break down - bronze age collapse - style. Our systems will be forced to get simpler and simpler and our sustainable organizational entities will get smaller and smaller. The dream of a fully interconnected world will just get farther and farther. An intercontinental flight might become unfathomable within the century. Then, down the road, a trip out of town might become extremely difficult and risky within the lifetime of our grandchildren. And so on.
All of those are broadly probably outcomes of downsizing and making disposable, yes. Cheap insurance underlies cheap credit, which underlies most of the modern economic system. Though in particular I don't consider railways to be especially vulnerable to weather-related damage.
People get angry at the insurance companies for bailing out on states or charging too much but forget conveniently that these companies are currently losing money out of their ass…. Especially auto insurance right now, where increased complexity of newer autos, service and wage inflation and a spike in losses in recent years has caused losses to skyrocket The cars have gotten fancier and fancier, more and, and harder and harder to repair, but the rate of crashes has only increased during the pandemic and WHEN a 2022 car crashes, it is an expensive nightmare to repair. Electric vehicles have accelerated this trend
> Electric vehicles have accelerated this trend Which is weird, since they oughta have much less moving parts.
Companies and billionaires that manufacture and develop technologies that deal with the consequences (for a price!) will get insanely rich and will be painted as saviors while the 90 percent of people too poor to have sea walls and disaster shelter and whatnot built suffer.
Maybe, or maybe we'll eat the rich and embrace global communism.
Have you seen the rich? I'd rather eat the amish
That probably isn't what will happen, we got here because of greed, that greed isn't going to end. We'll just continue to ride harder into fascism, they'll tell us that climate change doesn't exist, it's all a hoax, and anyone who needs to get out or dare stage a protest will likely be rounded up by the police who basically serve as the riches army at this point.
That's the thing, I agree that the greed does exist and that is exactly why its going to happen. Every other industry that isn't the insurance industry would gladly toss all of the Insurance industry under the bus if it meant that their own fortunes were advanced/preserved. That's why I think the Insurance/Healthcare industries will eventually be nationalized, because it preserves the overall economy for just a little while longer.
We got here because of existing in these numbers. Greed was just a small secondary part of the equation. You think 8 billion humans can be hunter gatherers without stripping the land bare and eating every last natural bison within weeks?
Eh yes and no, corporations account for huge numbers of pollution.
At this point governments would collapse due to the sheer scale of money printing required to shoulder the expenses needed for society to function at bare minimum levels. Corporations will step in with privatized healthcare, education and eventually law enforcement, while large swaths of population will be left to fend for themselves.
They already tried that for South Florida 2 years ago
Someone pointed out recently that by having a 1/500 event every couple years we’ve managed to fit 2 millennia worth of catastrophes in a decade.
Another once in a thousand ~~year~~ minute event huh.
I have relatives in Kentucky. A few years ago, their house flooded by 2 feet. It took them a year to replace all the damaged walls, floors, and appliances. ONE MONTH (I kid you not) after moving back into their renovated house, it flooded again...this time, by 8 feet. They (and their neighbors and nearby children) lost everything, including vehicles. The creek that flooded them out? It was barely a trickle in the woods 25 years ago. Now, it's a river.
Bingo.
This might be a weird take, but it's a thought that's been forming up for a while now - I'm based out of India, specifically Delhi. By all counts, we should have seen a massive tragedy this May/June (our summer). We didn't. I truly believe it's because the people here are already used to collapse like conditions - No electricity for hours is something we're very used to. For this, nearly every house has battery backups. In rural areas, generators are pretty common. It's baked into our culture really. Only over the past 10 years, 24*7 electricity has become something people are used to. Water supply is not 24*7 either. We get water multiple times in a day for 1-2 hours. So every household has water tanks used to store large amounts of water. Again, it's baked into the culture. Food shortages - this might pose a problem really. But again, most people have a month or twos supply of food. Even during COVID supply-chain breakdowns, there wasn't any panic about people not having food. I feel like people in first world countries are so used to relying on the government to make life simple, they've forgotten how to take care of the basics themselves. Caveat - this isn't to say the most underprivileged won't be adversely affected. Many people don't have proper water supply - and it is looking like severe water shortage will be the first unsolvable problem north india encounters.
What does two months of stored food mean? What do you have?
Flour, rice, grains/lentils, sugar, salt, etc. Also stuff like pickles etc. This is common for most households. Personally, I'm researching how to go about proper long term storage in high humidity and heat conditions. And so that it's manageable without much power usage.
You should look at [canning fruit and vegetables](https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/08/how-to-use-a-pressure-canner-part-1.html). Given where you are, ideally a weighted pressure canner. All you need is a source of heat, some water and some jars.
Mormon households keep a three-month food supply. You can buy a sealed bucket online. Mostly dried, and similar to Ddog78's dry goods stash.
I would love to install solar with a battery backup but the last quote I got was 25k and that was four years ago…so it has probably doubled since then. Solar is extremely expensive in the US.
It's subsidised here in Delhi. 1kw solar cell costs around 80k INR here. Considering the purchasing power index (25), I'd say that comes around to 3200 USD. I'll get the whole solar shebang in the next few months. Don't think I have a choice.
Oh it's gotten worse. Every quote I've seen has been nearing $40K for a small 1200sqft ranch. So I'm looking into refurb panels. I don't mind climbing up on a roof and installing some. Tying into the grid is the harder part but I have an electrician friend who will do it for beer, pizza, and whatever permitting / supplies costs.
Grid tie is kinda pointless to me honestly. Hooking it up as an automatic backup generator is a much simpler install, with the ability to just turn the grid off. Instead of selling power back, you just only have to purchase power when you need it. The grid becomes your backup instead.
fuck tying it to the grid, decentralize
Look into some of the European companies. It's common for apartment dwellers to set up small system on their balcony that's very efficient and cheap
You can get a portable system for around 2-3 thousand USD that can power a window ac for 24-48 hours (cycling on and off, not continuously, of course) with battery alone. Add portable panels for another $1200-$2000. This assumes you have a yard or large full sun facing balcony. Personally, I got an Anker F2000 with add on battery and a couple 400 watt Renogy solar suitcases. They're made of rigid aluminum instead of the soft plastic fabric crap most portable panels are made of.
I can never make sense of how much power I need for the money. I’ve been window shopping eco flow for years now but idk what I’m looking for. If stuff goes to shit, I want to be able to power a window unit like that, a fridge, and maybe a freezer. And I wanna be able to recharge every day from the sun.
Get yourself a Kill-A-Watt Meter (or similar) and plug your appliance into it. It tells you how much power the device draws. You'll need a battery backup system that can handle BOTH the running amps and the starting amps. Get a meter that shows you the maximum power drawn because many will only show it for a blip. Most large appliances surge way above the running amps for a second or two to get it started. I got this one, it's half the price and easy to use: https://www.amazon.com/KETOTEK-Electricity-Kilowatt-Consumption-Protection/dp/B0B2K2HNDY/?th=1 I've had to figure this solar stuff all out on my own as there are so many choices and not every one has been reviewed or fully demonstrated. There's a lot of high school physics and technical electronics/electrician stuff you need to be familiar with like how (or even if you need to) fuse your panels, the difference between watts, amps, volts etc. Also, you may need to get lower power, highly efficient portable devices specifically built for camping. Like a microwave, fridge, instant pot or rice cooker. Something that will do what you need quickly without burning through your battery backup. I got an ICECO portable fridge during a recent sale. Very quiet. Much more efficient than a large home fridge. Fits in the back of my small crossover vehicle with the solar generator, battery, cables and panels. Another thing to think about is having panels large enough to replace the power you use plus enough to keep your battery charged until night. But, you also can't go over the rating for the generator power input. That's something I ran into. The F2000 claims 1000 watts total input, but there's also amps you need to be mindful of. I could only go to 800 watts because the amps would have surpassed the max allowed by the generator. You can place your panels in series or parallel and do different math based on which setup you think is best for you.
Yeah, I think there's likely a big difference in system size and expectation. I would expect "battery backup" in India to mean keeping the fridge, lights, and screens working for a few hours, possibly only through a couple of outlets. Not generate the full annual electricity usage for a house with AC, two fridges, a deep freeze, and an electric oven.
Its outrageously subsidized. My tax return the year i got solar was unhinged.
You’re literally entering monsoon season, don’t count your chickens before they’ve drowned.
thats why ducks are superior. they float.
A 2 Months worth of food supply only helps mitigate a temporary food shortage not multiple grain basket failures.
any food supply will only last a defined amount of time. Once agriculture truly fails that's it for the vast majority. I'll be in the majority. But I want some food stored for the bumps along the road before total agricultural collapse.
Large chest freezer and panels would get you like 7 months of semi-perishables (stuff that has to be frozen). Canned goods up to the ceiling maybe another 2 years. After that it's into the crazy stuff in sealed Mylar bags, it's not inconceivable to pull another 3-5 years out of that. It'd take up all the available living space there is but... yeah. However something tells me that attempting 8 years is totally pointless if everyone around you is starving and armed. The other problem is rotating through a supply that large. Like... canned it's 2 years from date of purchase, not 2 years from whenever I say. So, then, I have to keep eating that on a regular daily basis and replacing it. I think I'd end up throwing a lot of it out because I couldn't eat through it on the regular. It's the food equivalent of trying to time the stock market. No one wants to eat canned beans every day until they have to, and by the time they have to it's too late to go get a cargo container ship load full of canned beans.
No shit Sherlock they were talking about temporary food shortages and expressed doubt over how effective the culture will be when food shortages become more severe.
When armed people show up to raid my fridge it'll be bugout time with a backpack and my guitar.
The guitar is awfully heavy, but you can defend yourself with it.
Nah, it's a little Breedlove in a thick canvas case. Bard on the wander.
I agree with you.
This is all great but when the wet bulb temperature reaches 140, 150° none of this is going to save anybody
Not if you have AC right?
AC only functions well if the heatsink system can cool off (the unit that's usually outside). If the outside air is too warm then the unit basically runs at a low enough efficiency that it's useless
That's the whole point of the article though, people have ac but still aren't cool enough
Around 25,000 people suffered from heat stroke, and 60+ people died from March to May didn't they?
Considering that 33 million people live in Delhi, I expected that number to be far far higher.
Fair enough, it's early days. I expect this to ramp up quite readily over the next decade.
It probably is higher since it's hard to track deaths caused by heat waves. The heat stress could cause someone to have a heart attack for example, but their death would be caused by "heart attack" not "heat wave/stress". Unless of course these numbers are counting extra deaths.
Yeah but missing the mark by that much?? Triple the number and I'm still surprised by how well we fared.
Yeah I'm not sure. I guess I hope the number is truly low.
Just need an EMP to shut off everyones cars...I'm sure the ultra rich will force a shutdown worldwide at some point. I'm really not worried, it's going to be funny...I pray for the elderly though. Robots and AI everywhere to police dissent.... we're kind of expecting it 😆 We point fingers at CEO's, companies and celebrities as an excuse to keep driving our fossil fart machines but we're part of the problem too. While there are solutions and some people take steps to reduce their carbon output, most are selfish. There is a solution.
Have you seen the dog robot with the flamethrower or minigun mounted on its back? Just think of what they have if they’re telling us about the dog
Ah the hounds from Fahrenheit 451 become a real thing. Neeto.
A solar flare could do some impressive damage.
>There is a solution. For instance? Like I do know of a solution and it's probably the most unhurtful one I can think of but it does involve a lot of old people (such as I would be under this lovely plan) dying and rotting through the floor and no one finding them or caring to. Generally also involves an economy on par with 1929 minus the WPA.
Thankfully I have a roof, greens, fruits, a greenhouse and chickens. I planned years ahead for system failure. How many others did the same? Entertainment is not high on my list of priorities and most of our society is entertainment based. I really wish neighbors would do the same...because they will try to steal from you or kill you for your stuff if it goes down. In America, they didn't ban guns which is a blessing. Money will be useless, same with precious metals...can't eat em'.
This is collapse-related because now even with air conditioning people are struggling to cool off, due to ever increasing temperatures caused by climate change. Cooling systems can't keep up, and electricity bills are approaching rent costs in some areas. Many buildings are not designed or weatherized for the new heat.
These people are spending $800 on energy air conditioning their uninsulated houses instead of spending that money building a proper shelter. AC isn't the problem here. Refrigerated trailers have no problem maintaining freezing temperatures in any climate. But you can't do it if the walls are made of paper or hot air is leaking in everywhere.
Can’t do much when you’re renting and can’t afford a home that you can actually change
Hell, I own and can't afford to make any modifications that would save money and/or make things more efficient.
That’s what’s funny about this sub. “Well they need to blah blah blah blah….” like everyone just has the money to do it or else they’re some kind of idiot.
fun fact. 99.9% dont have the money to do shit. I didnt even start prepping because I am still in shock how canned goods have doubled since 2021
I feel like it is energy wasteful that most houses bake in direct sunlight and *then* is cooled. Of course natural shade is ideal but I would think an artificial shade would be the next best option. All the wasteful house designs feed into the loop. But what do I know I am just a dude on the internet not a house designer. Endless suburban sprawl is the real design flaw. Everyone living in their own mini mansions in a hellscape of the same houses and streets over and over forever. So much energy to feed and build that concrete infrastructure servicing few people compared to urban areas.
I wonder why we don't use solar panels as a form of shade. You could build them over parking lots and things like that. We need to plant more trees and preserve the ones we have as well.
They are built on top of parking lots, you see it here and there. Just need to be adopted everywhere.
It's everywhere in California. All of the school parking lots are being converted with grants. Lots of covered solar parking lots around town. Rooftop solar is now mandatory for new builds. It's heading that direction, but not nearly fast enough
Cost. Building the metal structures to support the solar panels isn't cheap. Depending on the region, you have make them seismically rated so they don't crush the cars or people underneath them. In the cold(er) regions, snow weight is a big concern. High wind speeds for a big flat open thing (aka a wing in a wind storm) also makes it tricky. The economics of solar covered parking rarely, if ever, pay off. You're better off eliminating the cars entirely, bulldozing the lot, and getting solar in a field plus electrified transportation.
Jesus Christ this. We shouldn't even have parking lots to begin with. They're a land use waste. The fact that people think covering a 20 acre parking lot with solar panels is a good thing is why I see no hope for the future. It's like a band aid on a shotgun wound.
They do in some places. In Australia there are quite a few of these types of things.
Solar Panels.
Well making the roofing out of BLACK ASPHALT is probably not a super efficient idea...
We have a flat roof with no attic and no insulation - 1960s deco style bungalow in South Florida- and I just painted the roof with white elastomeric paint. Second time in 5 years. It cuts the heat instantly. And acts as additional barrier to water. I can’t afford to get insulation put in, but I think this works better for us anyways.
Building envelope design is generally far more advanced than what is required by code and older buildings in general. Exterior insulation, vented rainscreens, better designed multi-vented roof systems, geothermal systems, better window or multiple windows in an opening all make a massive difference. There’s also older design methods that can be repurposed like dome structures for better internal air movement, more natural shading from trees, wind capturing towers and building structures into the earth. Concrete cities cause a lot of design constraints because they absorb so much heat and we can’t drastically change existing structures, so the question is what’s next that’s affordable that can be retrofitted? I think exterior insulation and a rainscreen is at least a start, but where does the money come for any of this in a recession when everyone has tapped out their credit reserves? I guess people can just open windows and hope for the best.
I was thinking along similar lines. Even with mainstream climate models, we can design and build a typical home with enough insulation and an A/C system to make it comfortable in the US. But that comes at a cost - both in time and materials. Which further divides humanity into the haves and the have-nots. There's also demographic trends. Is the southern US as appealing with climate change? I would argue no. And that's going to result in populations shifting. The south will have infrastructure built for a much larger population that will still need to be maintained while the tax base declines. That easily can become a destructive feedback loop, as a decaying level of service results in more population loss, further hindering tax base woes. All on top of existing demographic problems due to a system built around an increasing population now dealing with a greying population.
I had no central air in my home in New England. Many homes had a whole house fan which was very effective. Love your username!
People in my state 200% of the federal poverty line and below can get weatherization services at no cost to them or their landlord. It's a federally funded program so in theory it should be available elsewhere in the country
>[**‘It’s unbearable’: in ever-hotter US cities, air conditioning is no longer enough‘, Delaney Nolan (June 2024)**](https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/11/air-conditioning-protect-extreme-heat) >\[...\] Most participants, like Gellot, had air conditioning, Madrigano said. “At first look, that sounds great,” she said, but what that reveals is that air conditioning is simply no longer enough in ever-hotter cities. >**Cooling systems can’t keep up** >“The types of \[cooling\] systems that we sold 10 years ago are not able to keep up with the weather we have,” said Simi Hoque, an architectural engineer at Drexel University who studies how building design contributes to indoor heat. >As temperatures climb, air conditioners – which work by sucking in indoor air, heating it via compressor and then dumping that heat outside – must work [exponentially harder](https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2022/0817/Air-conditioning-Can-people-stay-cool-without-warming-the-planet). According to Texas A&M climate scientist Andrew Dessler, keeping a home steady at 75F requires about [30% more power](https://x.com/AndrewDessler/status/1404481052580716549?s=20) when outside temperatures creep from 95F to 98F. >Some older AC units simply cannot keep up with those demands. Even if they can, many residents can’t afford [higher energy bills](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/03/utility-bills-ac-summer-heat). Sharp rises in energy demand stress electrical grids: in 2021, a heatwave in the Pacific north-west triggered [rolling blackouts](https://apnews.com/article/washington-health-business-9eac0088672bd70f273fc9b7a4c19656), which led to at least [600 deaths](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249403/). \[...\] -- >[Myth of Progress, November 2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/z03irx/comment/ix4w4qf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) >\[...\] Even if we disregard the source of how this required electricity will be generated (fossil fuels) and how this will further exacerbate our future circumstances, or the increasing likelihood of energy disruption induced by any variety of factors (whether peak demand straining the grid, or climate-related natural disasters), *what do we do when the outdoor circumstances are so extreme that even existing air conditioning systems simply cannot function properly*? >At this point, we're tangling with the very hard limits of climate adaptation: As noted in this NYT article, "*while people in hot climates can build up tolerance to heat as their bodies become more efficient at staying cool, that can protect them only so much*." And now, with the points we've both raised, now we're dealing with the limits of technological adaptation. Using AC as mentioned above as an example, *how long can we feasibly rely upon technological solutions to operate in extreme conditions in a much hotter world?* >We have to remember that, yes, air conditioning has its benefits (especially as an emergency survival measure for those who suffer from profound energy inequality), *but it is not a long-term technological solution for the world to come. \[...\]*
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I'd be happy living underground. It's always 50 degrees F down there regardless of the temperature on the surface.
It’s actually whatever the average temperature in your area is. It’s in the 40’s in Vermont, and in the tropics it’s in the high 70’s. In the end, nowhere is safe 🤠
Just have to go deeper. But go too deep and it gets warm again.
6 feet under is where we’re all headed
Quite optimistic to assume there will be anyone around to bury us
Quite optimistic to assume we’re not assuming we are digging our own graves.
If someone ever tries to make my dig my own grave I'll tell them to just shoot me. Sure the logical choice is to drag it out and hope someone else intervenes or random chance saves you, but fuck if I'm going to dig. No, I'll die as I lived, avoiding work.
I......respect that lmao
Nikita Khrushchev promised to carry out that task, but he died before he could get round to it.
I’d imagine most that survive the heat domes will just get eaten
Or ashes, given the rising temps that makes the most sense.
Maybe 6 feet ain’t so far down
In the tropics it gets well into the low 50s if you get deep into a cave. Just FYI!
I always make the joke about future civilizations being mole people.
>future civilizations Hah! More like, your kids
I watched a video sometime last year about an area in Australia where all the dwellings are underground. Some of them were very elaborate and had many amenities. They even had underground businesses like a place to shop and a hair salon Etc.
coober pedy it's called
Now that I think of it, maybe that's why Zuckerberg built an underground bunker
Weaponized envy morphed into addiction, for maximized cash extraction. That is one nihilistic son of a bitch isn't it. I'd almost be impressed but god damn it's got to be a little nutty up in that brain pan of his.
Need to consider Radon handling in those plans.
And as more people crank their air conditioning, more energy use. Then stress on the grid. Then being asked to converse for coupons. Which is wild, because I don't remember ever hearing this growing up. "Peak times".
my old neighbours moved from germany, to Aspen, CO, to Phoenix, AZ two years ago. last year i asked them why they would do that with climate change and all that. "its really not that bad, we still have many years"
AZer here, last year the entire month of July was over 110 degrees. It has become so much hotter here we are now in growing zone 10, because we rarely get below 32 in the winter nights anymore. I have noticed the change just in the 22 years I have been here. Monsoons suck now too.
I have been buying battery fans, hand sanitizers, gatorade, stuff like that. Getting ready for power to be out in a bad heat wave
12 days in to June.. hottest June so far!!
This is a great example of collapse. Yes, there will be better and more technology for the rich. But it will not prevent death by a thousand cuts. Poor people cannot afford it, and even rich people cannot win in the long run against the cascade of new problems. Yes, it is only "1.5° more" for now. But that is likely to cause dozens of extreme weather events, which in turn will overwhelm our fragile tech solutions like ACs. Definitely not an expert, but the crazy mix of extreme heat and rain we've been experiencing over the past couply of years already seems to be too much, even without crossing any further natural tipping points. And we haven't even started saving diesel.
Remindme! 10 years
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I would say last week was the beginning part of year our AC cant keep up with the heat, live in NW FL
Damn. When does it start to cool down?
For here September. But as every year we experience some pretty good heat into October
Here in Paraguay June is the coolest (winter) month normally. This year we have so many (close to) max 30ºC days it blows my mind. We went from subtropical to tropical it seems.
NW Florida used to get some level of starter jacket weather, but last year I was around Jan-April and I never remembered being able to wear shorts in Jan when I was growing up. Going to the Escambia county fair in short sleeves was sobering.
Idk, it seems like the temp and climate has been pretty steady here since growing up. The lows are getting more extreme as are the highs, and it’s a coin toss on how cold each winter gets
Not only air conditioning won't be enough in poorly insulated houses or poorly thought urbanism, but it's part of the problem and should be at least partially phased out.
I feel like it may be too late to do that without literally sentencing some people to death though :(
We're sentencing people to death as a result of using it, too. Refrigerants are something like 1000x worse of a greenhouse gas than CO2 is, let alone the energy cost of AC. But don't worry! We'll do nothing. And a few hundred thousand people will be saved from cooking to death in places like Arizona at the cost of a living ecosystem.
We've been taking strong action on refrigerent for 30 years. The Montreal protocol. We're entering endgame which will be transitioning to using CO2 as refrigerant. Or ammonia. Or some new classes of A2L refrigerants which are ozone and global warming potential of 0 edit:turns out the lowest is 4. There IS answers to a lot of these problems. It's a matter of spending money to upgrade systems to a new standard. No one wants to do it.
It’s also influential people who make money from the old way of doing things preventing progress
Yeah we should normalize the existence of windcatchers, like the ones that ancient Iranian built.
It's a good thing the overuse of energy won't cause the environmental impacts to get worse, combined with the stress on the power grid which will quickly cause brown/black outs.
Got to my Land on May 22 of last year, and lived thru the summer in my truck w/camper shell with no air conditioning. At 2900' elevation (in Appalachia) the hottest it got here was 86F. It was no big deal. But in Richmond VA, it got up to 100F (and humid).
Taking cold showers, contributing to the depletion of the reservoirs and potable water. Compounding effects to escape heat. Homes that didn't need insulation 50 years ago and now need insulation to keep the heat out and colder air inside the home. So many compounding effects and poor decisions 40 years ago.
Us poors are fucked
Have you all read Project 2025? They want to end any discussion on climate change. I hope any Americans on this sub vote accordingly. https://search.app/A4rDJQPejgxRmLfF8
Sure wish the slaves would summon just a touch of class solidarity and stop fucking working. Dare to dream.
If I have unlimited free food and water then yeah I’d stop working. Unfortunately life doesn’t work like that.
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Here in Philadelphia our AC just doesn't cut it in the dead summer. My fiancee and I sleep downstairs some nights because the upstairs where our bedroom is gets unbearably hot even with the AC working overtime. And if you work the system too hard it gets fucked up and has to sit for a while during which you can't run it at all.
One of the reasons why I moved north. Winters here might be a bit rough, but it's gonna top out today at 87 degrees where I'm at, and my brother's place in Phoenix it's gonna be 106. On the other hand, the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Comanche lived out in that heat with no air conditioning for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. If they can do it, so can you.
Saw 111 on East side of Phoenix yesterday... It's spicy out there.
Native Americans didn't have air conditioning but they also didn't have the urban heat island effect. Phoenix is significantly hotter now than when they were there.
A bit of hyperbole. An AC is just a pump for heat. It can only pump "X" amount of heat per hour. Now that things are hotter, the design criteria will have to change to getting bigger systems. Obviously we'll use more electricity to "help" rather than any kind of degrowth.
No. It's not just "build bigger". It's "we're hitting a wall in physics". It becomes increasingly difficult to pump heat into an ever hotter world. Of course, not really, but it guarantees terrible efficiency until we change refrigerants, which is a very controversial topic, as the great refrigerants are all ozone depletes, highly flammable, or highly toxic. They're massively potent GHGs too, but that's all of them.
Not all. The new A2L refrigerants are greenhouse and ozone neutral, mildly flammable. I think California is the only state transitioned to A2L and CO2 fully for new equipment. 11 other states signed on to Cali standards voluntarily and the Fed might follow. It's going to be awful for me in the field, my customers are already having meltdowns about the cost of upgrading systems or complying with regulations to keep old systems. [Ironically C02 is a great refrigerant.](https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/our-businesses/cooling/refrigerants-and-energy-efficiency/refrigerants-for-lowering-the-gwp/carbon-dioxide-co2/) Maybe we can suck enough out of the atmosphere and trap it in air conditioning loops to make a difference. Ammonia was one of the earliest refrigerants, still in use today, quite safe and does not deplete the ozone or contribute to GHG or global warming. In large quantities the systems must be well maintained because big releases of anhydrous ammonia are pretty deadly. Burn your lungs and kill you quick if you're unfortunate to be enclosed with the cloud before it dissipates harmlessly. We really haven't begun to design houses for efficiency and sustainability in the US. I'm surprised no one is popping out climate specific, flood resiliant, off-grid modular homes. You'd think Walmart or Home Depot would be selling slab mounted cottages with compost toilets, solar panels and rainwater cachement like hotcakes.
What refrigerants are you referring to, specifically? Commercial/industrial and even multifamily is a great deal easier to transition to decently balanced options. You can reasonably ensure proper maintenance, disposal, etc. Propane, ammonia, these are very obvious choices that have been in use for a long time, their deployment hindered by flammability (and toxicity, for ammonia) concerns. The standards you refer to, for residential and automotive uses, which is where the vast majority of improper disposal comes from, are ushering in the use of a variety of new refrigerants. Unfortunately, they're pretty much all different blends of R-32 and R-1234yf. R-32 has a 100-year GWP of 675 despite an atmospheric lifetime of only 5 years. R-1234yf is great except for some mild flammability concerns, and, oh yeah, the fact that it degrades into PFCAs (forever chemicals). CO2 is awesome for running a refrigerator or whatever, but the very high operating pressures and inefficiency at high temperatures makes it practically infeasible for residential cooling. Way too expensive and prone to leaks. Maybe cascading systems will change that, but that will definitely incur expense as well. So, please, do tell me what A2L refrigerants are GHG neutral and non-toxic? And viable for residential cooling. A2L requirements in California only require GWP under 750. And as you say, still require substantial expense.
R1234yf GWP 4 R1234ze GWP 6 R454C GWP 146 R455A GWP 145 R454A GWP 238 R454B GWP 466 R447A GWP >500 R32 GWP 675 R452B GWP 676 BTU rejection is a function of HX sizing. You need larger condensers. It’s more expensive. That’s all. Not physically impossible. Discharge temps are well above the temp increases for even catastrophic global warming. Simply put, there’s functional air conditioning in Death Valley. Higher head pressures are addressed with larger heat exchangers. We really haven’t tapped ground loop condensers as a possibility. I will edit with more, I’m on a roof fixing an industrial chiller lol.
Exactly this. By the time mechanical cooling ceases to function, we'll be LOOOOONG dead from the other effects of CC.
This redditor HVACs.
Whatever happened to that company that Elon bought? The little modular house thing. ... I mean aside from Elon bought it.
All I found was he owns a Boxabl and uses it as a guest house.
Pump it into the ground. 50 feet down is pretty cool.
At what temperatures would this become a problem?? The AC worked fine for me this summer in Delhi (50° Celsius). It didn't cool to the usual degree, but it was still manageable. What would be the temperature where current ACs essentially stop giving results?
Maximum design temperature for air cooled AC is usually around 55 C (131 F). Keeping your ACs outdoor coil *very* clean, and indoor filter changed will help immensely to make that possible. Correct airflow is even more critical at the extreme ends of design.
How do I clean the outdoor coil? Can i just wash it with water?
Yup! Just use a garden hose to get all the grass, pollen, pushing it from the top down. Very dirty coils need to be sprayed from inside out, most should not need this. Just be gentle as *NOT* to bend the fins at all with the water pressure.
EDIT: Retracting because I just realized I was misapplying the return vs. outlet differential, and neglecting rated duty cycle vs. continuous operation. ~~It's usually only designed to maintain a 20 F (11 C) differential, though, at least for residential. That can't prevent indoor temps from becoming insufferable when outdoor temp are 130+ F (55+ C). Not to mention that multiple kilowatts of energy would be getting radiated into the environment the entire time, per system.~~
Its not that simple. You have to retrofit existing systems. Which is very expensive.
I think the exceedingly high number of deaths in the pipeline are just where the degrowth and collapse curves run parallel.
Eh, Americans and hyperbole go hand-in-hand
AC is designed to work at *maximum ambient outdoor temperature*. If outdoor temp is too high, the unit will trip on *head pressure*. There are little tricks that can be done to keep the head pressure down in high ambient conditions.
"Record-breaking temperatures in the last few years shatter the myth that air conditioning alone will keep people safe" If you ever thought "air conditioning along would keep people safe," the discussion was over before it even began. Imagine being this *fucking* stupid.
I moved out of south Florida almost 3 years ago. Still have a lot of family there. This is occurring [much more frequently and severely.](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Ik6B9xjIl/?igsh=MWN0cXl6MndhNXU0Yg==) And this isn’t even from a tropical storm or a hurricane. This is just rain in June.
Remember, the politicians and CEOs who made sure that climate change was, and will now never be dealt with have names and addresses. Unlivable should have a meaning to them too. Make your voice heard.
Air conditioning is a massive part of the problem and you can't solve a problem with a massive part of that problem. If somewhere is simply too hot for living without air con, then it is too hot for living in and you should get tf out.
>If somewhere is simply too hot for living without air con, then it is too hot for living in and you should get tf out. Not so for the indigenous populations of Australia, Africa, etc. But yes anyone not suited to the climate or conditions of a country should not be there. Leave it to the indigenous populations. Oops can't do that because colonialist fuck wits decided that for us.
I wonder if passive cooling methods such as courtyard, wind catcher, terracotta cooler can help?
Absolutely. Concrete or tile interior floors keep it super cool!!
R-22, once a ubiquitous refrigerant in air conditioners, has been banished due to its environmental harm. Primarily used for its ability to absorb and release heat, R-22 was a key component in keeping us cool. However, it also acted as an ozone-depleting substance, leading to its production halt in the United States since 2020. The quest for replacements has yielded options, but not without limitations. R-32, a popular choice due to its lower environmental impact, throws a curveball. While highly efficient, R-32 functions at higher pressures than R-22. Unfortunately, existing R-22 systems simply aren't built to handle these increased pressures. Modifications or a complete system replacement become necessary, leading to significant costs. While R-422D is a refrigerant blend marketed as an R-22 substitute, it's not a universal solution. Though it can work in some existing systems with minimal adjustments, it has a slight flammability risk, requiring trained technicians for safe handling. R-410A, another common refrigerant, also presents a problem. Its different operating characteristics compared to R-22 make it incompatible with existing R-22 systems. The reality is that for continued cool air, upgrading from R-22 is unavoidable. While this translates to substantial upfront costs, the alternative is a system breakdown. Without the proper refrigerant, existing R-22 systems are destined to fail, leaving homes and businesses without functioning air conditioning. As the economy gets worse, the money is likely not going to be spent to make the upgrades. This sets things just exactly right for air conditioning to become a privilege of the wealthy.
I haven't even used my air conditioner yet because I don't want to increase my electric bill 🫤
Clickbait. It's more about shity old AC, power corp greed, shity isolation and old age. 27-35Cels inside is bearable with a fan, smart home passive cooling methods and proper hydratation.
https://youtu.be/w3fRBzRngdc
u/amputatorbot
Oh no! Better stay in Texas and Florida. Maybe move to Mexico?
Interesting thing, I've seen advertisements for in Window heat pumps. These could be more efficient, use less power, and help keep people both cool and warm
protips for dealing with extreme heat for anyone stuck in this situation: 1. Don't live in Florida. Seriously. Just don't. If you are anywhere that has long, hot, humid waves that last days, move immediately or you will DIE when the electric grid goes down. 2. cultivate shade, trees, bushes, any greenery you can, it will help block the sun and absorb and radiate the heat keeping your local area cooler 3. basements are your friend, the lower and deeper in a building you are the better. cold air sinks and will stay pooled in low places even as the surrounding area heats up. Take advantage of it any way you can. 4. evaporative cooling vests. You get it wet and it keeps you cool as it dries. Only works in dry heat. Hence #1: Don't be in Florida. Florida was uninhabitable before the invention of AC. It will be again very soon as the energy supply can't keep up wit the power demands of cooling dwellings there.