JannikOkay so high temperatures in Europe are a thing right now, but I guess we can all agree that we’ll have to live with it from now on…
Any #solarpunk ideas on how to keep yourself and living/sleeping spaces bearable?
Gabriel Pettier@jannikn if the air is dry enough, a surface of water will partially evaporate overnight absorbing some of the heat, surface is more important than quantity. A fan moving the air will make that more effective. Ice melting can also work, though it requires more energy to get in the first place.
@tshirtman This is a good one. Unfortunately rel. humidity at my place is already at 60%+ :/
@jannikn ouch, i'm sorry for you. ventilation of the place can help, especially if you can have an opening high in the building and one low, so hot air exits naturally at the top and is replaced by fresher air at the bottom, but tough luck if you are in a flat, not a house.
In many places, AC will be the only way short of redesigning buildings.
@tshirtman the latter it is. ACs are kinda obvious, but I try to avoid these - just for the few weeks of heat
Torx@jannikn Dehumidifier or Aircon makes a heated room bearable. A dehumidifier draws just a fraction of the power an aircon uses (~200W). However its heat will slightly contribute to the room temperature (normally neglible). Dry air feels cooler, because sweating works better. The dry air takes up the sweat easier than already moisture saturated air, sweat being absorbed into air takes energy of your skin.
Running an aircon with excess solar just during the day might keep the room cool enough even overnight, if insulation fits. But that dependens very much on the room.
Or just get a pool. Ideal for cooling down and also a nice reserve of water in case things turn to shit quickly.
Maybe sleep in the basement, in case you have one? Obviously a basement is cooler then an attic.
More ideas?
@Torx interesting point. I used a dehumidifier to keep the windows shut, but stopped because of the added heat.. what I didn’t do though is to compare how it actually feels like! Will give it a short tomorrow :)
Living in a flat with no balcony (at least atm) the alternatives can’t really be applied
Ann Antidote (n.p.) 🍉🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️♾️🐾🔗🐐@jannikn all solutions I list, as a person coming feim a place with such temperatures are not made by individuals but by society, or a change of cultural habits by the collective.
Not my solutions, just things already existing in the so called southern countries.
Naps so that one can use fresher evenings and early mornings without sacrificing hours if sleep, longer lunch breaks, more tolerance on punctuality (will public transportation or car be feasible at 42 degrees?), checking on friends, neighbours and strangers, networking, solidarity. Changing crop choice, water management, the sense of community.
Staying away from a/c as the easy solution at least until the grid can take it.
Pure technological solutions or individual I believe will have a marginal effect.
Some obvious things: smaller windows, different building materials, wood curtains, energy network, collective water management.