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We need to mandate (by appropriately subsidizing improvements while taxing externalities) houses become more energy efficient at heating and cooling, so we can

We need to mandate (by appropriately subsidizing improvements while taxing externalities) houses become more energy efficient at heating and cooling, so we can use as little AC and heating as possible and try to stop some of the runaway energy usage due to extreme weather events. Install window fans, ceiling fans, attic fans, use evaporative coolers in dry climates, install H/ERVs. Change your AC and heating to a heat-pump model if you need both. Try to tap into geothermal where possible. If we continue treating home construction as copy-paste races to the bottom for cost then we'll see AC and heating usage climb through the room as extreme weather events become more frequent.

exporectomy 5y ago
What's wrong with heavy AC/heating use during extreme weather events? You say runaway as if there's some sort of feedback loop. Insulating houses is balance between cost of insulating and cost of heating/cooling. It's no use spending more on insulation than you save in power use. So "as much as possible" is a wrong goal, as well as being obviously unachievable.
- Karrot_Kream 5y ago
  > What's wrong with heavy AC/heating use during extreme weather events? You say runaway as if there's some sort of feedback loop. Emissions is the feedback loop. I'm not talking about spending money. Using more heavy AC/heating during extreme weather events means we use more energy which makes it even harder to bring renewables online because as it is renewables aren't cutting it. Of course with money it makes no sense to spend money on insulation if you're only going to spend a fraction of that on AC costs for extreme events, but that's because externalities are not being passed on to emissions costs.
  - exporectomy 5y ago
    Extreme events are rare by definition so I don't think the energy use is significant in exacerbating climate change.
mytailorisrich 5y ago
In many European countries AC in homes is a fairly new phenomenon (20 years or so).
pembrook 5y ago
Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning). Sure, let’s make it more efficient where possible, but let’s stop pretending air conditioning is some evil we should feel guilty over. If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer.
- Karrot_Kream 5y ago
  > Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning) The number is higher in places like the South. I don't mean to demonize AC; I think AC should be a fundamental part of living in high-humidity climates. I just think we need to do everything we can to make its use more efficient. > If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer. Definitely! Heat pumps should be mandatory for heating. In many newer building codes they are, but it's too expensive for residents of older buildings to upgrade.

exporectomy 5y ago

What's wrong with heavy AC/heating use during extreme weather events? You say runaway as if there's some sort of feedback loop. Insulating houses is balance between cost of insulating and cost of heating/cooling. It's no use spending more on insulation than you save in power use. So "as much as possible" is a wrong goal, as well as being obviously unachievable.

Karrot_Kream 5y ago
> What's wrong with heavy AC/heating use during extreme weather events? You say runaway as if there's some sort of feedback loop. Emissions is the feedback loop. I'm not talking about spending money. Using more heavy AC/heating during extreme weather events means we use more energy which makes it even harder to bring renewables online because as it is renewables aren't cutting it. Of course with money it makes no sense to spend money on insulation if you're only going to spend a fraction of that on AC costs for extreme events, but that's because externalities are not being passed on to emissions costs.
- exporectomy 5y ago
  Extreme events are rare by definition so I don't think the energy use is significant in exacerbating climate change.

mytailorisrich 5y ago

In many European countries AC in homes is a fairly new phenomenon (20 years or so).

pembrook 5y ago

Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning). Sure, let’s make it more efficient where possible, but let’s stop pretending air conditioning is some evil we should feel guilty over. If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer.

Karrot_Kream 5y ago
> Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning) The number is higher in places like the South. I don't mean to demonize AC; I think AC should be a fundamental part of living in high-humidity climates. I just think we need to do everything we can to make its use more efficient. > If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer. Definitely! Heat pumps should be mandatory for heating. In many newer building codes they are, but it's too expensive for residents of older buildings to upgrade.