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Interior spaces were built taller, more attention was paid to ventilation, giving a natural draft where possible. People sweated and drank more alcohol. It wa

Interior spaces were built taller, more attention was paid to ventilation, giving a natural draft where possible. People sweated and drank more alcohol. It was easier for many, before air conditioning, to adjust their schedule to the hot months, rise earlier and nap in the afternoon.

Jtsummers 4y ago
Home construction styles are a major one. Modern homes are generally blocky and offer little protection from the sun. They have large exposed exterior walls on the east and west side so that you have less than a foot of material protecting the interior from the heat introduced by sunlight. And often larger windows which are nice for lighting, but offer no help when the sun bears down on the home. Wraparound covered porches, or even a covered porch providing protection for at least the ground floor from being hit with direct sunlight makes a major difference in the temperature of a building. Homes can be built like they are now because of air conditioning, and since they are designed with an assumption that AC will be available they are miserable places to be when the AC fails.
- cududa 4y ago
  Yep. 120 year old house and my AC bill is insanely low. It’s very drafty and has an east facing covered porch on both levels that does a great job with heat mitigation. Just as a tip I noted in another comment, got into indoor plants over the winter and happened to just like humidity sucking ones. Required a lot of humidifiers during winter, but during the summer those plants just zap humidity from my home when I have my windows open. I usually like my AC at ~73° but with all the plants I feel perfectly comfortable with the windows open (plus two window fans) up until about 78° indoors and outdoor humidity at 80% - the plants draw down humidity by at least 15%
  - wrycoder 4y ago
    TIL. What kinds of plants suck down humidity?
    - cududa 4y ago
      I have 2 very large monstera deliciosas (require a lot of humidity in winter/ early spring but suck up a ton of humidity this summer), 4 golden pathos in 2 wall mounted baskets near the ceiling around the living room, 2 Hoyas “ceiling mounted” (the chains come down so the planters are about 6 feet off the ground), and a lemon lime pray plant in my dining room ceiling mounted.

Jtsummers 4y ago

Home construction styles are a major one. Modern homes are generally blocky and offer little protection from the sun. They have large exposed exterior walls on the east and west side so that you have less than a foot of material protecting the interior from the heat introduced by sunlight. And often larger windows which are nice for lighting, but offer no help when the sun bears down on the home. Wraparound covered porches, or even a covered porch providing protection for at least the ground floor from being hit with direct sunlight makes a major difference in the temperature of a building. Homes can be built like they are now because of air conditioning, and since they are designed with an assumption that AC will be available they are miserable places to be when the AC fails.

cududa 4y ago
Yep. 120 year old house and my AC bill is insanely low. It’s very drafty and has an east facing covered porch on both levels that does a great job with heat mitigation. Just as a tip I noted in another comment, got into indoor plants over the winter and happened to just like humidity sucking ones. Required a lot of humidifiers during winter, but during the summer those plants just zap humidity from my home when I have my windows open. I usually like my AC at ~73° but with all the plants I feel perfectly comfortable with the windows open (plus two window fans) up until about 78° indoors and outdoor humidity at 80% - the plants draw down humidity by at least 15%
- wrycoder 4y ago
  TIL. What kinds of plants suck down humidity?
  - cududa 4y ago
    I have 2 very large monstera deliciosas (require a lot of humidity in winter/ early spring but suck up a ton of humidity this summer), 4 golden pathos in 2 wall mounted baskets near the ceiling around the living room, 2 Hoyas “ceiling mounted” (the chains come down so the planters are about 6 feet off the ground), and a lemon lime pray plant in my dining room ceiling mounted.