Air conditioning - switch it off!

[horizon]

One thing that cyclists cannot be accused of is wasting the earth's resources to air condition their vehicles, unlike car users. Down here in Cornwall, the most effectively naturally "air conditioned" place on earth, dozens of cafes, petrol stations, trains, restaurants, offices and of course cars are now air conditioned. My own response to businesses that use air conditioning is simple - I don't go there. One of the great ironies of foreign travel is that the means of transportation are usually air conditioned, thereby wiping out at a stroke the differences that you have gone to experience. I do know that sensitive equipment may need air conditioning but here in the UK human beings don't (if you need to shut the windows because of the noise, maybe the noise is from other people's air conditioning).

Can we agree at least on this forum that air conditioning is the highest form of stupidity and that we forum members will commit ourselves to challenging this gross insanity wherever we find it?

The Guardian has some info here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... nditioning

[irc]

I like it actually. We heat buildings when it is cold so why not cool them when it is hot?

Not that there is any need for it in Scotland but it makes sense in hotter climates and I would include the south of England.

[horizon]

We heat buildings when it is cold
.

Certainly more than we used to, certainly to higher levels and certainly to the extent that you rarely need winter clothing inside a building.

[horizon]

so why not cool them when it is hot?

There are lots of ways to cool a building but air conditioning (as we now know it) may not be the best way.

[horizon]

Not that there is any need for it in Scotland but it makes sense in hotter climates and I would include the south of England.

In the 59 years I've lived in southern England I have never known a need for air conditioning. I have never known it to make sense in hotter climates (including my experience of it in West Africa, in fact most certainly there).

[al_yrpal]

Laws are fine, but there is a tendency these days for lots of people to seek to control others behavior. It's a (sort of ) free country. I'm keeping mine on, in my car that is.

Al

[rualexander]

In a hot country, I much prefer a good ceiling fan to air conditioning inside a building.
In a car, when the outside temperature is above 25 degrees, air con is nice around town and to quickly cool the interior, but otherwise I prefer to open the windows.

[alicej]

If you drive along in a car with a window open, doesn't it create drag that reduces the efficiency of the vehicle? Is it more efficient to open a window or to use the air con?

[MarkF]

In a hot country, I much prefer a good ceiling fan to air conditioning inside a building.

A ceiling fan in 40c is next to useless, unless you don't want to sleep and like throwing cold water over yourself, all night, like I did in Seville 2 weeks ago.

[Mick F]

The words are "Air Conditioning" ie conditioning the air.

We have air con in our Clio, and at 79,000miles and 11years, I can confidently state that it's never been switched off. Spring, summer, autumn, winter - always on.

The air in the car is dry, fresh, clean, and can be as hot as you want, or as cold as you want at the turn of the knob. The windows never steam up either. Don't tell me that it costs stacks of fuel coz it doesn't. Maybe if we start the car up in hot weather when the inside of the car is boiling hot and we set the temp to cold, the engine has some work to do, but as the temp gets to where you want it, the load on the engine is negligible. The windows are closed so there's no extra drag on the aerodynamics.

I love it, and I wouldn't own a car without it.

[[XAP]Bob]

I've had a few times when air con would have been really useful, even in the UK. Particularly with a very small baby in the house.

- fans do no good in ambient air above body temp. (wind chill turns to wind heat)


In the automotive world manufacturers spend millions of pounds designing an aerodynamic fairing for the occupants of a vehicle, who then open a window.... Openings create massive drag increase - IIRC it is more efficient, at motorway speeds, to run the A/C than opening a window. Of course at a standstill the window is clearly more efficient. Somewhere between these two is the cut over, which will change according to the requested temperature and external temperature/humidity.


I do agree that we tend to "over" condition our environments, both in summer and winter (I observe people who out the heating on significantly warmer in the winter than they'd accept the air con in the summer)

[DavidT]

[quote="[XAP] Openings create massive drag increase - IIRC it is more efficient, at motorway speeds, to run the A/C than opening a window. Of course at a standstill the window is clearly more efficient. Somewhere between these two is the cut over, which will change according to the requested temperature and external temperature/humidity.

[/quote]

I believe the general cut off point from an efficiency/cost point of view is around 50mph.

Below that, it is better to have the window open, above and the aerodynamic fuel efficiency benefit takes over. Obviously subject to individual cars and immediate temperature environment. Each to their own though to evaluate comfort level against the cost of fuel consumption - probably a few pennies in this case.

I spent the day before last sweltering in a hot and stuffy office that has fully integrated air conditioning that is switched off because a couple of the staff hate it. This is not a retro fit design where someone is sat right under the fan. Very frustrating. Horrid working atmosphere. Unfortunately I am an occassional visitor and understandably don't carry much say when it comes to consultation on such things.

[reohn2]

............Can we agree at least on this forum that air conditioning is the highest form of stupidity.............

Only if we can agree that leaf blowers are equally as stupid.
Which can directly affect cyclists in a very negative way when the debris,not just leaves,is blown onto the road increasing a puncture risk.The same fossil fuel energy can be used to suck up the same debris!!!!
Stupid machines.

[reohn2]

I like it actually. We heat buildings when it is cold so why not cool them when it is hot?

Not that there is any need for it in Scotland but it makes sense in hotter climates and I would include the south of England.

+1

[The Mechanic]

The words are "Air Conditioning" ie conditioning the air.

We have air con in our Clio, and at 79,000miles and 11years, I can confidently state that it's never been switched off. Spring, summer, autumn, winter - always on.

The air in the car is dry, fresh, clean, and can be as hot as you want, or as cold as you want at the turn of the knob. The windows never steam up either. Don't tell me that it costs stacks of fuel coz it doesn't. Maybe if we start the car up in hot weather when the inside of the car is boiling hot and we set the temp to cold, the engine has some work to do, but as the temp gets to where you want it, the load on the engine is negligible. The windows are closed so there's no extra drag on the aerodynamics.

I love it, and I wouldn't own a car without it.

I'm with you Mick. If I could persuade my wife I would get rid of my gas central heating in the house and install A/C instead. I guess the request by Horizon to have a concensus against aircon has been defeated.