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Given the power costs of running AC non-stop I assure you most Floridians would jump on some kind of passive option. What strategies did you find that are effec

Given the power costs of running AC non-stop I assure you most Floridians would jump on some kind of passive option. What strategies did you find that are effective in humid climates?

hermitcrab 3y ago
You would think they would jump on solar panels as well, but apparently not. Someone else commented that this might be partly down to hurricanes and insurance. Here are some articles I found from a quick search: https://www.novatr.com/blog/passive-design-strategies-for-warm-and-humid-climate https://www.novatr.com/blog/passive-design-strategies-for-wa... https://ijmme.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40712-014-0014-7 https://ijmme.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40712-014-0... https://thefifthestate.com.au/housing-2/ways-to-keep-cool-without-costing-the-planet-part-1-passive-cooling/ https://thefifthestate.com.au/housing-2/ways-to-keep-cool-wi... https://uplevelgreen.com/passive-solar-cooling-in-hot-humid-climates/#how-does-humidity-effect-passive-solar-cooling https://uplevelgreen.com/passive-solar-cooling-in-hot-humid-... I've only had time to skim them. Even if these strategies don't do away with the need for aircon, they might substantially reduce it,
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  NB/ Designing your house to improve ventilation might be a problem during a hurricane!
- BWStearns 3y ago
  Except for some of the more exotic ones (phase change wax cooling) these are frequently used in Florida and you still need AC, certainly during the summer. Don’t get me wrong, bad dumb Americans and especially Floridians and all that, but this place is strictly uninhabitable without AC.
  - hermitcrab 3y ago
    Coming from a temperate country it is hard to comprehend how hot and humid Florida is in August without personally experiencing it.
    - itishappy 3y ago
      For some intuition, ocean surface temperatures peaked over 100°F this summer. The exact numbers are somewhat debatable, but "the ocean cannot cool a human" is not. The best map I can find is actually from the Washington Post as it shows the measurements in context. Article (paywalled): https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/25/florida-record-warm-ocean-climate/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/25/florida-re... Map (direct link): https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WFQONMVI45CADAZ4AMCPLWQA5M.png https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.c...
      - nickpp 3y ago
        Actually it turns out that was a baseless claim made by alarmist legacy media. Florida Bay is a very shallow estuary basically inside Florida, not “the ocean”. https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2023/08/06/being-boiled-alive-in-the-101-degree-ocean-according-to-nyt/ https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2023/08/06/being-boiled-al...

Given the power costs of running AC non-stop I assure you most Floridians would jump on some kind of passive option. What strategies did you find that are effective in humid climates?

hermitcrab 3y ago

You would think they would jump on solar panels as well, but apparently not. Someone else commented that this might be partly down to hurricanes and insurance. Here are some articles I found from a quick search: https://www.novatr.com/blog/passive-design-strategies-for-warm-and-humid-climate https://www.novatr.com/blog/passive-design-strategies-for-wa... https://ijmme.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40712-014-0014-7 https://ijmme.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40712-014-0... https://thefifthestate.com.au/housing-2/ways-to-keep-cool-without-costing-the-planet-part-1-passive-cooling/ https://thefifthestate.com.au/housing-2/ways-to-keep-cool-wi... https://uplevelgreen.com/passive-solar-cooling-in-hot-humid-climates/#how-does-humidity-effect-passive-solar-cooling https://uplevelgreen.com/passive-solar-cooling-in-hot-humid-... I've only had time to skim them. Even if these strategies don't do away with the need for aircon, they might substantially reduce it,

hermitcrab 3y ago
NB/ Designing your house to improve ventilation might be a problem during a hurricane!
BWStearns 3y ago
Except for some of the more exotic ones (phase change wax cooling) these are frequently used in Florida and you still need AC, certainly during the summer. Don’t get me wrong, bad dumb Americans and especially Floridians and all that, but this place is strictly uninhabitable without AC.
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  Coming from a temperate country it is hard to comprehend how hot and humid Florida is in August without personally experiencing it.
  - itishappy 3y ago
    For some intuition, ocean surface temperatures peaked over 100°F this summer. The exact numbers are somewhat debatable, but "the ocean cannot cool a human" is not. The best map I can find is actually from the Washington Post as it shows the measurements in context. Article (paywalled): https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/25/florida-record-warm-ocean-climate/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/25/florida-re... Map (direct link): https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WFQONMVI45CADAZ4AMCPLWQA5M.png https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.c...
    - nickpp 3y ago
      Actually it turns out that was a baseless claim made by alarmist legacy media. Florida Bay is a very shallow estuary basically inside Florida, not “the ocean”. https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2023/08/06/being-boiled-alive-in-the-101-degree-ocean-according-to-nyt/ https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2023/08/06/being-boiled-al...