The first heatwaves of the season reveal how ill-prepared governments across the continent are to protect people from increasingly dangerous temperatures
It didn’t use to be necessary.
With well-insulated homes and temperatures cooling down during the night even in summer, you could just open your windows for a while in the morning and the house would stay cool during the day.
Now Europe has warmed up by 4°C on average due to climate change and that doesn’t work anymore.
But retro-fitting every house in Europe, building the necessary energy infrastructure and above all, for people to change their habits takes a lot of time.
Sure, with a two story house you can mimic a whole house fan and it can work. But even so. The option to slap a unit into a window is still there.
Granted, the new ones are kinds shitty. The old ones from the 80s and 90s would last decades, just hose them out every so often and make sure the dust filter is cleaned.
The option to slap a unit into a window is still there.
AFAIK, slapping a unit into a window only works when the window is of the sliding sort. But in Europe, especially north of the alps, windows usually have hinges at the side and open like a door. You can’t easily “slap a unit into a window” with that, the next best option is monoblock AC units with an exhaust tube and it’s a bitch to somewhat isolate the input/exhaust stream(s). Even harder for people living in attics.
Replace the window? I’m forever in 100yo houses (ik, that’s cute relative to you guys) and there’s typically a spot or 3 adapted for window units if it’s never been set up for central air.
It may suck, but you’re probably at that point, especially for your night shifters. Day sleeping isn’t easy in this.
Lots of people in Europe rent rather than own, in some countries like Germany it’s the majority. Good luck trying to convince your landlord of letting you install sliding windows. Plus it’s probably cheaper to just install the AC properly, anyway.
It didn’t use to be necessary.
With well-insulated homes and temperatures cooling down during the night even in summer, you could just open your windows for a while in the morning and the house would stay cool during the day.
Now Europe has warmed up by 4°C on average due to climate change and that doesn’t work anymore.
But retro-fitting every house in Europe, building the necessary energy infrastructure and above all, for people to change their habits takes a lot of time.
Sure, with a two story house you can mimic a whole house fan and it can work. But even so. The option to slap a unit into a window is still there.
Granted, the new ones are kinds shitty. The old ones from the 80s and 90s would last decades, just hose them out every so often and make sure the dust filter is cleaned.
AFAIK, slapping a unit into a window only works when the window is of the sliding sort. But in Europe, especially north of the alps, windows usually have hinges at the side and open like a door. You can’t easily “slap a unit into a window” with that, the next best option is monoblock AC units with an exhaust tube and it’s a bitch to somewhat isolate the input/exhaust stream(s). Even harder for people living in attics.
Replace the window? I’m forever in 100yo houses (ik, that’s cute relative to you guys) and there’s typically a spot or 3 adapted for window units if it’s never been set up for central air.
It may suck, but you’re probably at that point, especially for your night shifters. Day sleeping isn’t easy in this.
Lots of people in Europe rent rather than own, in some countries like Germany it’s the majority. Good luck trying to convince your landlord of letting you install sliding windows. Plus it’s probably cheaper to just install the AC properly, anyway.