Air Con — And it Might Just Be
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.28.07
A study by Japanese researchers had found that “air conditioners dump enough heat into the streets to raise the temperature at least 1 to 2ºC.” and not only that, but, “heat blasting from the rear-ends of air conditioners is contributing to the "heat island" effect that makes cities hotter and their weather sometimes more severe.” The lab coat guys go on to explain that for extra two degrees of warmth on summer’s day Tokyo drawns down on 1.6 gigawatts of electricity — equivalent to the output of one-and-a-half nuclear power plants. A researcher at Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University in New York notes that the heat island effect of cities is not well appreciated. But it can impact the local weather, in places like Dallas and Atlanta, effectively assisting more violent thunder storms, as a result of the supercharging of storms by city heat. The solution? Maybe more AC free office buildings like this cleverly designed one in Mexico. ::News in Science.
Are there any airconless ways to cool a room off in the middle of summer though? Especially for the many of us who can't redesign everything to take advantage of passive cooling?
In my neck of the woods, it rarely gets very hot. 90 degrees is about the worst it gets even in the depths of August. The problem for me isn't the heat, but the humidity.
I took a trip to Colorado a few years ago, and even when it was in the upper 80s it was still comfortable because I didn't feel like I was covered by sweat. I was suprised when I looked at the thermometers on the banks we passed to see the temperature, which I thought was at least 10 degrees cooler.
So a better solution wouldn't be to eliminate the heat but to eliminate the humidity. By doing that, evaporative cooling would work more effectively, meaning our bodies would be able to do what they do naturally without us becoming uncomfortable or unpleasant for others to be around, if you catch my drift.