Hot weather and ... fans?

We have fans here & I prefer the windows open just so they are stirring fresh air around..

 

That study was done to try and solve the puzzle of whether it's more fuel efficient to use aircon or have the windows open.

You need to add the comfort value to that factor. The aircon will actually lower the temperature in the car and keep it more comfortable. There is a cooling effect when the windows are open but there can be problems. If you have the windows open because of fuel efficiency at lower speeds you come up against the problem of driving conditions affecting comfort and temperament.

At the worst end you have the 'driving in heavy traffic' syndrome. The low speed and the stop/start problems done give much, or any, throughput of air if the windows are open. Therefore you still get too hot and, with a lot of people, being too hot and in poor traffic conditions causes frustration and tempers to rise. This tends to have a knock on effect when you arrive home afterwards (or at work).

Studies have shown that this has a larger deleterious effect on work and homelife than people thought. Therefore the conclusion was that there is only a small 'driving condition gap' in the centre of the scale where it may be no worse to the mental state to have the windows open.

 

Getting back to the original topic , the reason the houses in hotter climates have the shutters on the outside is because they stop the direct heat of the sun reaching the house. Drawing the curtains when the sun is on the house works to a certain degree but the heat has already penetrated the windows and gets trapped to a certain degree behind the curtains. Therefore it can be better to open the windows behind the curtains if there is sufficient breeze to draw that trapped air out.

fc is, naturally, correct .

If you are able to afford it, then it's a no brainer. The modern heat exchange airconditioners are much more efficient than the old ones but, as with a lot of things nowadays, they aren't built as sturdily as the older types.

I remember when central heating was only a future hope for most people (although the Romans had it ) but is now extremely common. Aircon will become more common if we continue to have hotter periods.

 

Some of the modern cars need the aircon on even in the winter. A friend bought a new car and took it back because, even with the fan on demist, the screen was staying misty. They told him that the aircon needs to be switched on - and his screen cleared immediately. It doesn't need to be set on cold to do that.

With my car, even when it has been 40C inside the car, the aircon cools it down within a mile.

Victoria, I agree with you . We have aircon in the bedroom and it's used quite often to cool it down to a comfortable temperature. It has a 'Sleep' setting which takes it down to the preset temperature and then, after a preset period of time, lets the temperature gradually rise by 2 degrees before switching of. The 'Sleep' setting is, virtually, silent.

Pete, I suppose it's a matter of priorities.
We don't smoke or drink and use the money we have 'saved' for comfort and holidays. I'm amazed at how much some of our friends spend each year on booze and fags, but they're happy to do that instead of having good holidays.

 

Driving in barefeet is not illegal but driving in bare sweaty feet is!