Exactly. There could be an alternative discussion about the sustainability of cities that are entirely AC dependent, but the suggestion that AC is simply a luxury that could be largely replaced by fans gives me the impression that the author hasn't spent much time in Houston, Atlanta or Washington DC in the summertime. I don't like AC all that much, but I don't think I could continue to live and work in NYC in the summer without it, nevermind somewhere further south, it's just too damn humid.
Also, the author suggests leaving the air conditioning at a too-warm setting and supplementing it with fans...having experienced this as friends and family try to save money on cooling, I can't recommend it. At least with a typical residential HVAC system, it seems to me to make the air feel very stale, to where I'd much rather open a window even if it's sweltering outside.
HVAC systems should only circulate dry air. When they circulate lukewarm (read: insufficiently dehumidified) air, various smelly and unhealthy substances tend to accumulate in the ducts and filters. Stale air is a telltale sign that you've got a mycotoxin factory in your house.
I have made it through a number of Washington summers simply on fans. Now, I was in a deeply shaded neighborhood, and to be sure I did not sleep that well on the hot nights. I wouldn't do it now: for one thing, my wife would regard it as insane.
The problem that occurs to from NYC is the noise that would come in through open windows.
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Exactly. There could be an alternative discussion about the sustainability of cities that are entirely AC dependent, but the suggestion that AC is simply a luxury that could be largely replaced by fans gives me the impression that the author hasn't spent much time in Houston, Atlanta or Washington DC in the summertime. I don't like AC all that much, but I don't think I could continue to live and work in NYC in the summer without it, nevermind somewhere further south, it's just too damn humid.
Also, the author suggests leaving the air conditioning at a too-warm setting and supplementing it with fans...having experienced this as friends and family try to save money on cooling, I can't recommend it. At least with a typical residential HVAC system, it seems to me to make the air feel very stale, to where I'd much rather open a window even if it's sweltering outside.
HVAC systems should only circulate dry air. When they circulate lukewarm (read: insufficiently dehumidified) air, various smelly and unhealthy substances tend to accumulate in the ducts and filters. Stale air is a telltale sign that you've got a mycotoxin factory in your house.
I have made it through a number of Washington summers simply on fans. Now, I was in a deeply shaded neighborhood, and to be sure I did not sleep that well on the hot nights. I wouldn't do it now: for one thing, my wife would regard it as insane.
The problem that occurs to from NYC is the noise that would come in through open windows.