Comment by Panino | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Panino | Hacker News Reader

> Lukewarm showers

I think this is personal. Ice cold showers help me immensely and consistently in multiple climates. My wife (originally from another country) prefers to take hot showers. Although that sounds awful, if I feel her skin afterward, it's cool to the touch, so I know it works for her. So I of course tried it and it was a nightmare. Never again.

Where I live it was 40C/105F yesterday and we don't have air conditioning. It's actually not bad when you have a strategy in place. In college I lived on the 10th floor of concrete building that also lacked air conditioning. I think the list in this article is good mainly for short term relief. It's also optimized for situations that aren't very applicable to most of its readers.

In France, it's standard for windows to have white exterior shutters that both repel sunlight and prevent it from entering a home through the window. They are controlled easily from a handle indoors next to the window. This should be standard in homes and buildings worldwide. If you prevent heat from entering in the first place then you can greatly reduce the "need" to use air conditioning. I can personally attest to how effective they are.

Simply opening the windows at night helps a lot since where we live it gets cool enough. Whole house fans (run in the early morning or late evening), ceiling fans, and cool drinks are enough to keep me comfortable indoors no matter the temperature.

> In France, it's standard for windows to have white exterior shutters that both repel sunlight and prevent it from entering a home through the window.

Italy too, although in most newer places, they have the roll-down ones -they're fantastic! On the other hand, the idea of mosquito netting hasn't caught on, which is bizarre.

https://blog.therealitaly.com/2007/08/09/window-technology/

Yes, that's the kind France has, rolling shutters. And like the article says, they're awesome for blocking out light and helping you sleep. I'd bet they also at least slightly reduce noise.

Unfortunately I can't install rolling shutters on my windows because the gap between the top of the window and the roof outcrop is too short, and existing products are just way overpriced anyway since it's such a niche product. Maybe we'll make something ourselves that produces the same effect.

I think exterior rolling shutters and white rooftops are the two most effective changes we can make.

They are almost in any Spanish house too, and I've sorely missed them everywhere. In Denmark, Sweden and the UK.

Rolling shutters are great against summer heat, but IMHO their biggest advantage is the ability to let you have a totally dark room for optimal sleep.

They are also really good at preventing thermal leaks during very cold weather, and provide extra protection against storms and hail. Lastly, really good shutters can be locked into window frames to keep thieves away.

I don't understand why they are not more popular. Coupled with mosquito nets, they are a really convenient and energy-efficient all-weather solution.

Spain too. Great for siestas.

Nobody take "siestas" in Spain. Only some toddlers and old people, so they are not designed with that intent on mind.

Their aim is to avoid sunlight in summer and keep warm in winter.

> On the other hand, the idea of mosquito netting hasn't caught on, which is bizarre.

If you have mosquitos try different brands of mosquito repellant that don't smell that bad. They have been very effective for me. I'm not sure about the health concern of the toxic they produce, however.

I often wonder why nobody paints their roof white. I see all this black asphalt soaking up heat on roofs in the south and think that everyone must be crazy.

You'll see a lot more white roofs in hot countries than cold ones. Can't repaint just for the summer here in Canada :-)

It'd be interesting if we saw an e-ink like tech that can switch the color of paint with a single electrical signal and not need to stay powered the rest of the time.

or the ink could change color based on temperature/light exposure

It'd be tricky to get it just right on a sunny but cold day. You'd want it dark to absorb more sunlight, but that absorption makes it get warm despite the cold air.

The 40 cm thick snow cover would probably negate the effect.

Cold climates generally have insulation meaning roof color isn't as significant as in warmer climates. Also cold climates also imply snow which brings us back to a white roof.

A few years ago they had a program in Philadelphia to do just that. Too many elderly people dying due to heat-related illnesses.

You do that in Arizona, white or silver.

Fun fact - in Bermuda they paint their roofs exclusively white. Though that isn't necessarily for heat conservation, they use their roof to catch rain water for household use.

It is crazy. But houses with dark roofs look better, so they sell better. And replacing a roof is very expensive, so no one is going to do that on a new house just for the heat. Further, many new construction houses are in HoA neighborhoods, and HoAs don’t like people to be unique because it “spoils” the uniform look and “decreases” property values. It’s the system working against us. The only solution would be to codify requirements in building codes.

White roofs stain and get dirty. Especially if leaves get on them.

Lighter colors, even if not white, would still reduce absorption and increase reflection. A middle-gray would help, and possibly something with a color tint to it.

Home owner Association, in case anyone else is wondering.

In a similar vein, I've sometimes wondered why roads aren't a lighter color.

I drive on some recently paved roads and they were all paved black. Seems that if we mixed the asphalt with a small amount something light and unwanted (plastic bottles?), but light in color, we could put a dent in both the garbage problem and the heat absorption problem.

Doesn't have to be full white, as that would glare worse than dark black. But a few shades lighter could help some.

> In a similar vein, I've sometimes wondered why roads aren't a lighter color.

Years ago the freeway maintainers were applying rubberized asphalt to the freeways in the metropolitan Phoenix area. The newly-rubberized freeways were very, very black. "Brilliant, just brilliant", I thought.

Some time later I read that while rubberized pavement gets hotter than plain asphalt during the day, it cools much, much quicker at night. The article had infrared aerial photos of the Phoenix metro area pre-rubberized freeways and post-rubberized freeways. Before the project the freeways were all lit up. After the rubberized surface was applied, the freeways were entirely black on the infrared photos.

  Rubberized asphalt, applied to Valley freeways to 
  minimize noise, has an unintended benefit: It's cooler 
  at night than other pavement, according to the Arizona 
  Republic.

  That's because air holes constitute 20 % of rubberized 
  asphalt, said Kamil Kaloush, an assistant professor of 
  civil and environmental engineering. Those pockets of 
  air allow heat to escape, something that dense concrete 
  can't do.

- https://www.roadsbridges.com/rubberized-asphalt-cooling-phoe...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberized_asphalt

Los Angeles is starting to paint its streets white.

https://www.popsci.com/la-is-painting-its-streets-white-to-k...

When I was growing up (in a desert town) we had a house with a flat roof. When we bought it, it had tar based black sealant painted on top of it, and it was hell. The next year we covered it with white polymer based sealant, and the difference was huge.

Also, in the US, ducted AC vents in the attic, and thr air handler in the garage.

Although, minisplits have become more prevalent.

Roll roofing in places like New Mexico is white.

In Israel, where the climate is warm, almost all roofs are painted white. In fact, many buildings repaint the roof every summer, just to help lower the temperature for the top floors.

I think they repaint the roof for rain insulation.

My guess is that if you are on a house with a roof you already have colder climate? (because the roof is for the snow). But it might not be the case for the US.

I'm guessing that you mean something other than "roof" because a house without a roof would just be an open box.

As a French the lack of "volet" (these white shutters) in other countries drives me mad. How can you sleep in a bedroom that is not totally dark after sunset? At least here in Japan they have these anti-typhoon metal shutters that I can use...

Personally, I can sleep if it's not completely dark (although it's way better if it is). What I can't stand is if there is no fresh airflow, which closing these shutters also blocks. But I am in general extremely angry at the amount of light polution everywhere, too.

It is definitively personal. Hot showers make me feel cooler afterwards in a hot climate.

How do you get ice cold water in the shower? I get lukewarm water in summer in my apartment .

I imagine it depends on your water source in the area. I don't think there is anything you can do to make it colder than the source.

You could fill a tub with ice though.

Or you could save the ice and just get an air conditioner. Most normal people don’t have bags of ice ready to go to dump into a bathtub.

Depends on your water source. It can be 100F in the California Sierra Nevada foothills but the water (from mountain snowmelt) is still freezing cold.

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