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Comment by pmlnr | Hacker News Reader

I'm disappointed how many don't try to cross-ventilate, spin fans, or to use blackouts before thinking of AC cooling.

Here, have a read: http://archive.kuow.org/post/modern-seattle-building-doesn-t...

What the article describes won't work in most houses as it's designed around a thermal chimney. It doesn't work with high temperatures, even at only 85 degrees it's 78 inside. They note that building is effectively unusable during heat waves and the hottest part of the day. And the article ends by noting that the problems are continuing to get worse as the temperatures increase.

AC cooling has massive advantages, there are solid reasons why every building should have heat pumps. Doing some of these techniques can reduce the load on HVAC systems, but eliminating them entirely is a bit silly.

> but eliminating them entirely is a bit silly.

What's silly is the fixed working time and not allowing and training our bodies and ourselves to accommodate the temperature. There's a reason for siesta, and a reason for Mediterranean people being active at night.

Yes and HVAC prevents people from dying due to heat waves. It's been an increasing problem in the Mediterranean region because of climate change. HVAC is needed more in those areas than ever before. I can't imagine you're seriously arguing against HVAC and it's more an argument that we need to build more efficient houses and commercial structures so HVAC works more effectively.

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