187 Comments
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eugyppius's avatar

I wanted to let the daft public health advice speak for itself, but one mildly interesting aspect of their hostility to portable AC units, is that they don't really seem to understand how they work. You don't just buy a room AC device and run a hose through an open window, you buy an insulating sleeve that you glue/velcro around the window to keep the exhaust air out. Installation is trivial and takes maybe 5 minutes. Are they super efficient? No. But they're good enough and you only them to cool one room (where you sleep) for about three weeks/year. Not a big deal.

Brad's avatar

I think the public health authorities are critical of portable AC units precisely because they are effective. If everyone takes to portable ACs they can't draw all this attention to themselves as the catastrophe saviors.

Seb Thirlway's avatar

Exactly. Solutions that come from people themselves are _sinful_. "Solutions" from the transcendent Government are _virtuous_. Pay no heed to the trickering deceits from material existence, the very Father of Lies!

It's all very Gnostic.

Larry Birkner's avatar

Knowing the green struggles of the German Government they are likely afraid users will spread the word that the units work and the grid will not have the capacity to carry the A/C demand. Think California

GK's avatar

Well, they shut down a bunch of nuclear power plants, what could go wrong?

Jefferson Perkins's avatar

Wow. They probably have no personal experience with window air conditioning units. Perhaps, when the AfD gets into power, they can fire these idiots en masse, as they so clearly deserve. (And don't give them any unemployment benefits either.)

Peter Hönig's avatar

There are two kinds of mobile AC devices.

The cheaper single block devices have a compressor in the room and transport the heat by blowing hot air through a hose. This does indeed cause the air pressure in the room to drop and warmer air will be sucked into the room from the outside, whether it’s the next room or outside the window. You can reduce this by using a sleeve, but you will never get your window airtight. I have gone so far as to replace the glass pane with a sheet of metal with a hole in it, and this actually prevented any outside air from getting in, but you don’t have a see-through window anymore, which some people may not like.

Of course all this doesn’t mean that this kind of AC won’t help at all, but it’s for small rooms only and will use a lot of energy.

The better solution is a split device, which has a separate box with a compressor and a ventilator, connected to the main unit by two hoses where hot liquid goes out and cooler liquid comes back in. No air is blown outside and therefore no air is sucked in. Having a box hanging out your window with a noisy compressor and fan may not help your popularity with your neighbors, however.

Viv's avatar

Absolutely true, but generally cold damp Germany is a good niche use case for these devices. I have split installed in 4 rooms myself, gets perhaps 6 to 8 weeks sporadic use a year.

Potassium Enjoyer's avatar

They work to a decent extent even without the insulation, unless there’s a strong breeze blowing the exhausted hot air directly back in through the window.

GK's avatar

The sad thing here is either the general population is really stupid enough to believe that non-sense, or the politicians think they are. On the other hand, enough of you voted for these morons.

functional hypocrite's avatar

Rommel’s Afrika Corps famously eschewed portable air conditioners for this exact reason, they couldn’t get a good seal in the Panzers.

Gary Edwards's avatar

Try Florida without central air conditioning.

Kurt's avatar

The other idiocy (maybe pointed out by others already): The "wet cooling clothes" thing does not work in a closed environment. It is like opening the fridge and thinking it will cool your flat. The sum of energy i. e. warmth stays the same, especially if you follow the advice and close the windows 😂

jan van ruth's avatar

so the hose transports warmed up air to the outside.

and that air is replaced by air from the outside that in fact is hotter than the air in the room.

so depending on the difference in temperatures of the inside and outside air the situation may occur that running the mobile ac actually heats up the room...

but even then it will feel like it actually cools because it also extracts a lot of moisture from the air which makes it feel like being cooler.

ZuZu’s Petals's avatar

It’s a miracle that people who live in hotter climates than Europe’s have survived so long without this helpful advice from Germany.

Andrew Marsh's avatar

Well, German air conditioning is famous....

USA: A car has to produce ice fog within minutes of starting the car.

Germany: The same, after many, many hours - which consumes less energy.

Ken Kunda's avatar

Living in Florida I keep wondering "are all Germans this timid and/or stupid?" When do the adults in the room stand up to be counted?

Andrew Marsh's avatar

Harsh - but fair. The Europeans are still working on the answer.....

bgt's avatar

What kinda German cars have you been in dawg? Mine produces ice cold air within a minute.

Andrew Marsh's avatar

It took German OEMs ages to understand consumer requirements of North America and the Pacific rim. I saw a famous exchange between Ford Werke and Ford HQ in deepest Arizona. Both used the same words, neither understood each other, but only one was correct. And it was golfing time he was giving up to argue why it's important.

Ray Noack's avatar

In Palm Springs it is 100-115 from June to September

Tardigrade's avatar

Same here—it helps that it's a dry heat ;)

I have no AC. I practice window management.

Danno's avatar

I don't know how you can stand it. For me sitting on the porch, in the shade, reading a book, with a cold beverage, makes the 34C normal summer day in Tampa almost bearable until the inevitable (and welcome) 4 pm downpour hits. Then maybe I can handle a round of golf or a walk on the beach. But honestly, nothing short of an orgasm beats the relief of coming into AC after being outside.

Tardigrade's avatar

Humidity has a lot to do with it. Admittedly, if I lived in the Midwest today, I might break down and get AC.

Indrek Sarapuu's avatar

Isn't it, though!

Jim Brown's avatar

This is such BS. When I was a child, my siblings and I used to visit my grandparents in Houston in the summer. This was the 1950s. They had no air conditioning. We fought about who got to sleep in front of an open window, where there might be a slight breeze. We were happy, and we were fine. My grandparents lived to a ripe old age. I am pretty sure there is no place in Germany as hot and humid as Houston in the summer.

Codex redux's avatar

It is what you are adapted to. My Brazilian cousins want the heating on at 80 F. They do fine in Houston tier weather with homes designed for hot, humid "summers". Like hammocks on their flat roofs.

Germans are adapted to winter and massive snow loads. One size does not fit all. And that's the beauty of our diverse folk. Let nations change with charity and kindness, like many gentle years of organic choices, not by setting a bomb and blowing up an avalanche.

And that's assuming the what? Of the question "change into...?" is virtuous, beautiful, and / or wise?

Tardigrade's avatar

I don't think acclimatization is a lifelong process. You can get used to changed weather in a shorter time.

Mrs Bucket's avatar

When will Communist Climate Hysteria be properly challenged?

Danno's avatar

When our masters need more electricity to run their data surveillance centers.

Tardigrade's avatar

That's already happening. Suddenly energy efficiency is not so important.

Andrew Marsh's avatar

When the leeches are full of cash

Daniele Vecchi's avatar

Cold kills many more people than heat. I have been living in the middle east for the last 19 years and yes, unless you are so nuts to exercise at lunch time, heat is annoying but bearable, especially with A/C everywhere.

Florida Prophet's avatar

Right now it’s 33 in South Florida. No one is dying. But they display the same red heat maps on the television weather, superimposed with “feels like” temperatures, not actual temps. “Feels like” is usually 15 degrees higher!

INGRID C DURDEN's avatar

yesterday here in GA it was 88 but supposed to feel like 101. It was not, the dog and I could comfortably walk outside in the shade. And today my cooling broke down. I think I will survive till they come out to fix it. The humidity is what causes me to be uncomfortable. I lived in AZ for a year and had no problems with the heat at all, even though I am originally from cool Belgium. Well not so cool these days. I just read that the retirement home dismissed the ball game due to the heat.

Henrybowman's avatar

Well, yeah, 'cuz here in central FL it's just under 32° at 70% humidity (soon climbing to 80%). It feels like you're walking around under a hot wet blanket. Back home it's 38° at 16% and feels like mild summer. You get out of the pool and the air is actually chilly.

Ryan Gardner's avatar

this is so fucking retarded. I'm 54 playing tennis in florida right now in 95 degree weather.

it feels like a million degrees with the humidity on the hard courts....and wait for it...I'm drinking water and sitting in the shade between switching sides of the court. i'll live.

Danno's avatar

When I lived in Florida I survived summers working outdoors using the same strategy. Now when I visit (only in summer - otherwise it's too crowded) I stay inside my air-conditioned-to-subarctic hotel room from about 11 am until 4 or 5 pm, then enjoy the balmy evening and night.

Tardigrade's avatar

I once played in a regional softball tournament at a sunny 110°; our uniforms were black polyester. We hosed ourselves down between innings, and had a great time.

Yuri Bezmenov's avatar

What is your opinion of Freddy the German? He is seeing the best of America during the World Cup. We have monster stadiums with air conditioning.

ThePossum  🇬🇧's avatar

I was just thinking about him, wondering if he'll get processed for Wrong Think when he returns to Germany. Ice (free!) in soda. Hundreds of gas pumps in one single location. A/C cranked so high sweaters are required.... And available to all, with the will to implement.

Tardigrade's avatar

'A/C cranked so high sweaters are required'

When going to the grocery store or visiting friends, I've learned to take a jacket.

GK's avatar

This is the one issue I have with AC here in the south. Every business seems to think that the hotter it is outside, the colder it must be inside.

Tardigrade's avatar

I know, right? Why must it be frigid?

Jefferson Perkins's avatar

Yes, I did wonder if Freddy had commented on our AC.

Abner Knight's avatar

Unlike traditional Christian theology—where Christ paid the price for sin completely and suffering is an ambient condition rather than a quota—climatism relies heavily on a works-based calculus of penance. You must feel the friction of restraint to offset your ecological guilt. This manifests in several ways:

​Asceticism as Virtue: Modern asceticism involves choosing inconvenience or mild suffering—shunning air travel, enduring higher or lower indoor temperatures, adopting dietary restrictions, and reducing consumption. The discomfort itself is proof of moral alignment.

John Wygertz's avatar

Yeah, people in Phoenix really suffer from all the heat being dumped outdoors by the air con....

Henrybowman's avatar

That has a minor effect, but what really loads the city down is the asphalt roadways. I live 35 miles outside the city and slightly higher -- at night we're maybe 3°(F) cooler than Phoenix, but during the day the differential is 2x or 3x that.

John Wygertz's avatar

It's the “heat island” effect. My point was that AC isn't making life unlivable in Phoenix, it allows life in Phoenix.

Henrybowman's avatar

The very town I live in owes its existence to... no air conditioning.

Before A/C, people in Phoenix used to wrap themselves in wet bedsheets and sleep on porches and fire escapes.

The rich would send their family to the "hot springs spa" at higher elevation for the entire hot season. They would get on the train and ride out to "Hot Springs Junction" (we've changed our name since), at which point they would sleep overnight at the hotel, then transfer to a stagecoach for their trip up to the mountain spa. Then in the fall, make the reverse trip.

The spa still operates. Its most famous guest was arguably JFK, sent there to recuperate after his PT boat incident.

https://www.castlehotsprings.com/

Tardigrade's avatar

Exactly the same here. I remember driving through Sacramento many years ago and checking the temperature; because of the pavement, city temps were 10°F higher than immediately outside the city.

Car exhaust and AC exhaust contribute to the heat also. It's a cumulative thing.

Burford Johnson's avatar

Literally smaller than Texas, why not drive to Switzerland for a couple of weeks? Or Bohemia.

eugyppius's avatar

it's pretty pleasant in northern Germany along the coast as well right now.

BigOinSeattle's avatar

Hey! I was in Rostock in the middle of winter. I can well believe that summer is welcome there

RSgva's avatar

Yes, just start driving up the nearby mountains!

bgt's avatar

"Close the windows and hang up damp clothes to maximize chances of mold." Thank you Federal Republic of Germany for the excellent advice.

I will eventually get at least one dreaded portable AC to speed up climate change while selfishly cooling myself down but so far I've been putting it off because I'm a Europoor with third world mindset. I do have stowed away somewhere in the basement a real ghetto AC which functions more like a fan but can be filled with ice cubes to make it blow out cold air. It makes a "clank" every time the vents turn. It's been out of use for 5+ years because it doesn't get that hot in my city. But now climate change has reared its ugly head and has sent us a hyper mega killer death heat wave to claim the lives of German boomers. Brace for impact.

Rosemary B's avatar

Are you certain your ghetto AC has an updated electrical cord?

When you plug it in and turn it on, you could be responsible for the end of the world 😂

Dindu Nuffin's avatar

So I looked at my WW weather app, and it tells me today the highs are:

92° In London

83° In Berlin

97° In Paris

95° in Milan

I’m sorry, but 92° is a warm spring day in Memphis. Sure is a lot of caterwauling over there for a nice, sunny day.

Enjoy it!

Seb Thirlway's avatar

waydaminute.... 92 in your money is 33 Celsius (plus small change). London, 33C. What's the fuss about? Unusual, but not unbearable...

Seb Thirlway's avatar

Over here in the UK, I haven't even dared to look at the "Gnews". (Not that I ever do anyway).

I'm just getting the downstream effects, as when you're standing downwind of someone with weakened anal sphincter muscles who had curried eggs and beans for breakfast... everyone FREAKING OUT about DANGER of DEATH!!!

Forget the World Cup: Germany and the UK are in a far more important competition to find out which country is the more demented. It's a close race...

Andrew Marsh's avatar

Mr Starmer KC is available for interviews!

Seb Thirlway's avatar

... in the changing room, after being sent off: "yeah well we played well, played a blinder, obviously I'm totally gutted - sick as a parrot - that I'm not out there now, but it's a game of two halves know what I mean? I trust the team like, I know the boys will carry on the GREAT work without me".

Andrew Marsh's avatar

It's as if Lord Hermer and Sir Starmer were in the room. 'Come on you blues!'

Andrew Marsh's avatar

Thermal management by people who are not engineers and think of Settled Science.

Also known as complete and utter libtards.

Rosemary B's avatar

do as we say, not as we do.

You can be assured all of them have central AC, and their chauffeur 's cars have massive AC

Andrew Marsh's avatar

I think you are correct.

Mac's avatar

The Climate Change pushers are hell bent on authoritarian rule still as the hoax has been exposed to the masses.

Amazon owner Jeff Bezos wife is now in charge of giving out $ 10 Billion greenbacks to keep it going.

Gonna be awhile before this BS ends with a whimper.

RESIST !