8 ms·

In much of the world for much of the year, it doesn't get below freezing for at least part of the day. The solution to the heating problem is simple then: sim

In much of the world for much of the year, it doesn't get below freezing for at least part of the day. The solution to the heating problem is simple then: simply don't. Open windows when it's above 50F / 10C (to give a healthy safety margin to the water pipes) and tell people to wear sweaters. Do this where it's possible and you'll offset the energy expenditure of heating in places were it actually earnestly gets cold. And for that matter, limit their thermostats to 50F / 10C too. Being able to wear t-shirts in the winter when there's a blizzard outside is an absurd luxury.

antoniuschan99 5y ago
I'm surprised the opening the window part is still not been mentioned much. It's been several months since Hong Kong made all establishments to maintain air flow of 25 times per hour (something like that). It's definitely more difficult to tell colder climate countries to open windows, but really just wear a sweater or a jacket.
- 5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
  If your definition of "colder climate" is around 0°C, ugh-huh. It's −15°C where I live, and it's not even winter. In December-January I expect the usual −30-40°C, with down to −50°C for short periods of time. Open your windows for more than two minutes once every few hours and die.
  - antoniuschan99 5y ago
    I live in Toronto. You can still open the windows just wear a sweater, sweatpants, and socks. When the polar vortex happened a few years ago we had no power for a week but the -40C is usually just in Jan-Feb.
    - tsimionescu 5y ago
      Toronto is the same latitude as Cannes in southern France. Sure, it's colder because of wind and ocean patterns, but it's not exactly the ultimate argument in "I know what it's like to live in a cold climate".
      - antoniuschan99 5y ago
        Cannes weather is more like Vancouver. Toronto might not be as Cold as Winnipeg, Edmonton, or Montreal but it's in Canada. Other than if they lived in Vancouver, to say someone who lives in Canada doesn't know what it's like to live in a cold climate is strange.
- bluGill 5y ago
  > just wear a sweater or a jacket. Where I live my pipes will freeze and burst sometime in late December, but I won't find out until late February when the pipes start to thaw again. I have a few HEPA air filters in my house. They work with whatever HVAC you have and make a difference.
chiefalchemist 5y ago
This article on Covid in Africa supports your theory / case. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-united-nations-fcf28a83c9352a67e50aa2172eb01a2f https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-heal...
Macha 5y ago
> Open windows when it's above 50F / 10C https://www.rte.ie/weather/22259-dublin/ https://www.rte.ie/weather/22259-dublin/ I live in Ireland, it's not typically considered a cold climate. But it won't be above 10C this week, and probably the case for most weeks until mid-March so this advice is less globally accurate than you might imagine.
- Eelongate 5y ago
  The forecasts for Dublin I'm seeing predict 10C or higher for most of Tuesday. Regardless, my advice is to keep the windows open where possible and it will offset the energy needed where it isn't. And the other component of my advice, turning down the thermostat in places where it gets cold, is certainly applicable in Ireland. You don't need 25C indoors in the winter.
viraptor 5y ago
> Open windows when it's above 50F / 10C (to give a healthy safety margin to the water pipes) and tell people to wear sweaters. Yeah, please don't. There's a comfortable level somewhere above that, but at 10C I wouldn't be able to function in context of work / school. With worse circulation you just end up with your hands / feet feeling like they're constantly freezing. Some teachers thought that's a good idea, but I can tell you writing in gloves just gets annoying.
- Eelongate 5y ago
  Dress appropriately for the season and you'll be just fine. If you wear warm clothes that cover your arms, your hands will be warmer too. Poor bloodflow to your hands is a consequence of your core loosing too much heat; your body compensates for that by reducing bloodflow to the extremities. Warm clothing makes gloves utterly unnecessary at 10C.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    Is it possible other humans are different than you? Is it also possible the person wearing gloves at 10C was also wearing warmer clothing considering they bothered to use gloves in the first place? I also do not think it is possible to describe what one should feel at 10C without specifying the humidity.
  - viraptor 5y ago
    Did you really try to explain dressing appropriately to someone dealing with this issue for years? Did you expect me to go "sure, I wear winter thermals sub 10C, but this random person may have a point about dressing warmer?"
  - 3np 5y ago
    I’d say something similar but no, I think there are very few individuals who will not suffer in 10C, whatever the clothing. Being physically active makes a huge difference too. With the same clothes I can be perfectly comfortable on a promenade at the same temperature that makes my fingers hurt typing at my desk. My house is currently ~10C if I don’t activate heating. That’s miserable. My fingers get stiff and hurt a bit when at the keyboard. Even with 3 warm layers legs/4 warm layers upper. And I’m born and raised just a few miles from the Arctic circle. People around me see me as “that guy who can handle any cold” and my breaking point for comfortable sedentary is around 15C. Oh, and humidity does make a huge difference for how could absolute temperatures are experienced.
andi999 5y ago
Do you live in a non tropical region?
- Eelongate 5y ago
  I live in Seattle. It's 12C in my apartment right now, I have the windows open and I'm certainly not wearing any gloves. Hell, I'm not even wearing any socks. I'm wearing long pants and a thickish shirt with long sleeves, and I feel totally toasty.
  - andi999 5y ago
    Next holiday try Shanghai in winter.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    West coast of North America is less humid than many other places, and hence 12C in Seattle is not 12C in the Midwest or East coast. Less humidity means less heat transfer, and so 12C in Seattle can feel like 17C in NYC. And 12C in NYC can feel like 6C in Seattle.

antoniuschan99 5y ago

I'm surprised the opening the window part is still not been mentioned much. It's been several months since Hong Kong made all establishments to maintain air flow of 25 times per hour (something like that). It's definitely more difficult to tell colder climate countries to open windows, but really just wear a sweater or a jacket.

5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
If your definition of "colder climate" is around 0°C, ugh-huh. It's −15°C where I live, and it's not even winter. In December-January I expect the usual −30-40°C, with down to −50°C for short periods of time. Open your windows for more than two minutes once every few hours and die.
- antoniuschan99 5y ago
  I live in Toronto. You can still open the windows just wear a sweater, sweatpants, and socks. When the polar vortex happened a few years ago we had no power for a week but the -40C is usually just in Jan-Feb.
  - tsimionescu 5y ago
    Toronto is the same latitude as Cannes in southern France. Sure, it's colder because of wind and ocean patterns, but it's not exactly the ultimate argument in "I know what it's like to live in a cold climate".
    - antoniuschan99 5y ago
      Cannes weather is more like Vancouver. Toronto might not be as Cold as Winnipeg, Edmonton, or Montreal but it's in Canada. Other than if they lived in Vancouver, to say someone who lives in Canada doesn't know what it's like to live in a cold climate is strange.
bluGill 5y ago
> just wear a sweater or a jacket. Where I live my pipes will freeze and burst sometime in late December, but I won't find out until late February when the pipes start to thaw again. I have a few HEPA air filters in my house. They work with whatever HVAC you have and make a difference.

chiefalchemist 5y ago

This article on Covid in Africa supports your theory / case. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-united-nations-fcf28a83c9352a67e50aa2172eb01a2f https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-heal...

Macha 5y ago

> Open windows when it's above 50F / 10C https://www.rte.ie/weather/22259-dublin/ https://www.rte.ie/weather/22259-dublin/ I live in Ireland, it's not typically considered a cold climate. But it won't be above 10C this week, and probably the case for most weeks until mid-March so this advice is less globally accurate than you might imagine.

Eelongate 5y ago
The forecasts for Dublin I'm seeing predict 10C or higher for most of Tuesday. Regardless, my advice is to keep the windows open where possible and it will offset the energy needed where it isn't. And the other component of my advice, turning down the thermostat in places where it gets cold, is certainly applicable in Ireland. You don't need 25C indoors in the winter.

viraptor 5y ago

> Open windows when it's above 50F / 10C (to give a healthy safety margin to the water pipes) and tell people to wear sweaters. Yeah, please don't. There's a comfortable level somewhere above that, but at 10C I wouldn't be able to function in context of work / school. With worse circulation you just end up with your hands / feet feeling like they're constantly freezing. Some teachers thought that's a good idea, but I can tell you writing in gloves just gets annoying.

Eelongate 5y ago
Dress appropriately for the season and you'll be just fine. If you wear warm clothes that cover your arms, your hands will be warmer too. Poor bloodflow to your hands is a consequence of your core loosing too much heat; your body compensates for that by reducing bloodflow to the extremities. Warm clothing makes gloves utterly unnecessary at 10C.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  Is it possible other humans are different than you? Is it also possible the person wearing gloves at 10C was also wearing warmer clothing considering they bothered to use gloves in the first place? I also do not think it is possible to describe what one should feel at 10C without specifying the humidity.
- viraptor 5y ago
  Did you really try to explain dressing appropriately to someone dealing with this issue for years? Did you expect me to go "sure, I wear winter thermals sub 10C, but this random person may have a point about dressing warmer?"
- 3np 5y ago
  I’d say something similar but no, I think there are very few individuals who will not suffer in 10C, whatever the clothing. Being physically active makes a huge difference too. With the same clothes I can be perfectly comfortable on a promenade at the same temperature that makes my fingers hurt typing at my desk. My house is currently ~10C if I don’t activate heating. That’s miserable. My fingers get stiff and hurt a bit when at the keyboard. Even with 3 warm layers legs/4 warm layers upper. And I’m born and raised just a few miles from the Arctic circle. People around me see me as “that guy who can handle any cold” and my breaking point for comfortable sedentary is around 15C. Oh, and humidity does make a huge difference for how could absolute temperatures are experienced.

andi999 5y ago

Do you live in a non tropical region?

Eelongate 5y ago
I live in Seattle. It's 12C in my apartment right now, I have the windows open and I'm certainly not wearing any gloves. Hell, I'm not even wearing any socks. I'm wearing long pants and a thickish shirt with long sleeves, and I feel totally toasty.
- andi999 5y ago
  Next holiday try Shanghai in winter.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  West coast of North America is less humid than many other places, and hence 12C in Seattle is not 12C in the Midwest or East coast. Less humidity means less heat transfer, and so 12C in Seattle can feel like 17C in NYC. And 12C in NYC can feel like 6C in Seattle.