Getting Warmer

maltrab

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We hit 35.5c (96F in old money) today, so pleased we have air con front and back of our home, though I have had to sell a kidney to pay the electric bill
 
I've said it before but I'm very impressed anyone in this country that has aircon built into their house! The only time I've ever come across it is the very occasional stay in posh hotels :38: How the other half live....
 
I've said it before but I'm very impressed anyone in this country that has aircon built into their house! The only time I've ever come across it is the very occasional stay in posh hotels :38: How the other half live....

We knew these oversized sheds we live in got very hot in the summer months, so we had the first one install the 1st summer we moved in, I did not think it was that expensive under £900 installed, it's 12 years old and still going strong, and this is one of the larger output units, the bedroom one is 3 years old and a less powerful unit, but ample for what we need, cost £700 installed
Because these home have tins roofs, the can easily exceed 40c inside on a hot day
 
That's a fair point, I also suspect they need a little more heating in the winter too! Everyone seems to have aircon in warmer climes, do they cost a lost in electricity to run?
 
That's a fair point, I also suspect they need a little more heating in the winter too! Everyone seems to have aircon in warmer climes, do they cost a lost in electricity to run?
The large one about 0.8kw per hour heating or cooling, the small one 0.6kw per hour
 
We wouldn't survive here (Texas) without air conditioning; we had a heat index of 111F yesterday and its unlikely to drop under 100F during the day for at least the next week or two. They've instituted a burn ban and may declare it a drought. We do what outdoor chores we can early in the morning and hide inside the rest of the day. Mom has a Central HVAC system (heat pump) and I have window units, but the electric bill is astronomical either way.
 
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Air Con very usual over here too. Not so much for warming (although some do) but definitely for cooling. Terry's 35.5C is a relatively COOL day here in summer. Not sure how it would go over there in Blighty but a lot of homes (mine included) use Evaporative type air con, rather than what we call reverse cycle (refridgerated type). It is a LOT cheaper to run but has a couple of downsides,
1. It only cools
2. If it is hot AND humid, it doesn't work as well as it should.
3. You cannot control the temp. You get what you get, the only variable you can change is the speed and amount of air it produces.

Having said that, for MOST purposes it is satisfactory. You can see the big evaporator units on a lot, if not most house roofs over here.
 
I, too have succumbed to the heat and invested in a mobile air con. A few hundred pounds but hopefully providing a more comfortable home.
 
My thoughts are with anyone who has to contend with sky high temperatures, for me it's a novelty as we only get a handful of really hot days in the UK. I think it's a lot easier to keep warm on a really cold day than cool on a hot one (if that makes sense!)
 
I've said it before but I'm very impressed anyone in this country that has aircon built into their house! The only time I've ever come across it is the very occasional stay in posh hotels :38: How the other half live....

My late Parents House ,which was on a large commercially built estate, was originally fitted with air ducted heating which could used to be heat the house in colder months and cool the house in warmer months . When I had to sell the house for my late Mum's care the original heating system remained in situ but I can guarantee 100 % the purchaser would rip it all out and replace with a new boiler and radiators[as other residents did in their droves] instead of maybe just looking at a replacement upgraded boiler and keeping the system which is a godsend in warm days like we have experienced.
 
Don't leave your car out in the sun either if you can avoid it Terry, The steering wheel (and seat) gets VERY hot.
Here we can buy steering steering wheel covers, or more commonly front window covers which are reflectorised and only take a few seconds to fold/unfold when needed. They just sit basically on the dash and block the sun from coming in the windscreen when you are parked.
 
A lot of the newer models have cabin preconditioning where it remotely starts the aircon up to 1/2 before you get into your nicely chilled car :cool:
 
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