{"items": [{"author": "David", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799270842702", "anchor": "fb-799270842702", "service": "fb", "text": "this is cool i am going to try it", "timestamp": "1468372741"}, {"author": "Perry", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802", "anchor": "fb-799272289802", "service": "fb", "text": "Doesn't air conditioning not only cool the air but also remove humidity in the air? Night time air is the most humid because that is generally the time of the day when the temperature approaches the dew point. I have had the window open and fans running and often I still wake up sweaty because it's so humid. I get a better sleep when I have the AC on.", "timestamp": "1468372983"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799272778822", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799272778822", "service": "fb", "text": "→ You're a lot farther south! MD gets hotter than Boston, doesn't cool off as much at night, and is more humid. All of these make this work less well.", "timestamp": "1468373172"}, {"author": "Perry", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799272988402", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799272988402", "service": "fb", "text": "→ I guess the Boston area is not as humid. :)", "timestamp": "1468373315"}, {"author": "Gawain", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799273277822", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799273277822", "service": "fb", "text": "→ My use of AC usually is dictated by the dew point rather than the temperature. Dew points higher than 60F are pretty unbearable no matter the temperature.", "timestamp": "1468373468"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799273412552", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799273412552", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Weird: DC is actually less humid than Boston.", "timestamp": "1468373502"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799273427522", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799273427522", "service": "fb", "text": "→ https://weather-and-climate.com/.../average-relative...", "timestamp": "1468373505"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799273507362", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799273507362", "service": "fb", "text": "→ https://weather-and-climate.com/.../average-relative...", "timestamp": "1468373523"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799276376612", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799276376612", "service": "fb", "text": "→ @Gawain: looks like you're right, and dew point is a better measurement of what we're talking about when we say it feels humid. Unfortunately I can't find typical numbers for DC and Boston.", "timestamp": "1468373772"}, {"author": "Mac", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799278422512", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799278422512", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Even with the humidity, the strategy of cooling the house interior -- furniture, walls, floors -- to night time temps is useful. The article touches on closing curtains and windows. I describe it as closing it up tighter than a tomb. It is also critical to avoid energy use: lights, refrigerator (don't open the door), cooking, dishwasher. In tee shirt and shorts, living alone, and having grown up in South Carolina, I'm totally comfortable with the results. But multiple people in the house? Not so effective. All those 100 watt generators walking around, turning on lights.
If it's not too bad, I'll crack the curtains on either side of the window for the illusion of daylight and openness.", "timestamp": "1468374931"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799279225902", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799279225902", "service": "fb", "text": "→ @Walker: Three of the people in our house during the day are 1w, 4m, and 2y, so they're putting out less heat!
Also lights aren't as bad as they used to be, with CFLs and LEDs.", "timestamp": "1468375136"}, {"author": "Gawain", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799279979392", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799279979392", "service": "fb", "text": "→ If the outside air temp is cooler than inside, It may make sense to open the windows even if you're simultaneously running the AC to remove moisture. Once the temperatures are equal, or it starts to warm up outside, then you shut the windows.", "timestamp": "1468375685"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799283187962", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799283187962", "service": "fb", "text": "→ @Gawain: \"it may make sense to open the windows even if you're simultaneously running the AC\"
I'd be pretty surprised if that was helpful: letting in moist cool air while letting out warmer drier air should be worse than just letting the AC keep working.", "timestamp": "1468376989"}, {"author": "Gawain", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799284495342", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799284495342", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Jeff it depends on the temp and humidity difference. If the ouside dew point is lower than inside, then it makes sense, but in many of those cases you wouldn't even need the AC", "timestamp": "1468377584"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799284999332", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799284999332", "service": "fb", "text": "→ @Gawain: Yes, I think in those cases you should just try to run lots of outside air through your house.", "timestamp": "1468377905"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799285069192", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799285069192", "service": "fb", "text": "→ If you run your AC and window fans at the same time you just blow your nice cooled dried air out the window.", "timestamp": "1468377956"}, {"author": "Gawain", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799285613102", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799285613102", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Yeah in most cases I think you're right. If you start with a really warm humid room though, the AC and fan are both adding cold air to the room.", "timestamp": "1468378251"}, {"author": "James", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799272289802&reply_comment_id=799294969352", "anchor": "fb-799272289802_799294969352", "service": "fb", "text": "→ If you're south of the Mason Dixon this works for about twelve days in the year. Also, 1. Never run a/c with the windows open unless you're on a mission to cool the entire neighborhood and damn the carbon cost, and 2. If you find yourself having to run the a/c at any time during the day don't do the open window night purging. You're just replacing dry conditioned air with humid outside air and it takes much more energy to dehumidify air than to cool it. Keep the house closed up tight and your energy bills low.", "timestamp": "1468382949"}, {"author": "Mike", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799277639082", "anchor": "fb-799277639082", "service": "fb", "text": "Sound interesting but won't where I'm at, it's still in the 80's even now and will rise back into the mid nineties by the late morning.", "timestamp": "1468374545"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799277639082&reply_comment_id=799277728902", "anchor": "fb-799277639082_799277728902", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Yup, sorry! This approach needs a large day-night differential, probably 15F+.", "timestamp": "1468374627"}, {"author": "Mike", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799277639082&reply_comment_id=799278158042", "anchor": "fb-799277639082_799278158042", "service": "fb", "text": "→ The thunderstorm dropped the temperature by +15 but soon after the temperature shot right back up with a high humidity. This is called welcome to the South.", "timestamp": "1468374834"}, {"author": "Mike", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799284814702", "anchor": "fb-799284814702", "service": "fb", "text": "Simultaneously running AC with open windows will make the power company quite happy. Now talking about AC, what kind, a window unit or central. In the warmer months, I run two central units and it is not cheap. Leaving widows open is a no no.", "timestamp": "1468377756"}, {"author": "Jean", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799285049232", "anchor": "fb-799285049232", "service": "fb", "text": "We do exactly this. It works well unless a heat wave goes on too many days.", "timestamp": "1468377929"}, {"author": "Bob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799290543222", "anchor": "fb-799290543222", "service": "fb", "text": "one of the things people do that drives me crazy is to leave the fans running all day while they're gone, thinking it's somehow keeping things cooler. fans produce a Tremendous amount of heat, and only cool you via evaporation if you're in front of them.", "timestamp": "1468380276"}, {"author": "Owen", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799330817512", "anchor": "fb-799330817512", "service": "fb", "text": "The point is to use no ac and no fans. This is how my dad kept the house cool when I was growing up.", "timestamp": "1468413455"}, {"author": "John", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799348522032", "anchor": "fb-799348522032", "service": "fb", "text": "We have a fan in the attic - automatic - and that makes a big difference because it used to be that the attic got really hot and supplied unwanted heat during the night.", "timestamp": "1468419961"}, {"author": "Frederic", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799367928142", "anchor": "fb-799367928142", "service": "fb", "text": "Are you sure you have a vampire-free household?", "timestamp": "1468427754"}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799374579812", "anchor": "fb-799374579812", "service": "fb", "text": "My spouse grew up with a whole house fan, and says they work great. We have a fan in our attic window. We open windows at night and close during the day. Odes a pretty good job until there is an extended warm streak.", "timestamp": "1468430318"}, {"author": "Gwyn", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799375567832", "anchor": "fb-799375567832", "service": "fb", "text": "In southern Virginia near the coast where it is hot and humid, my geothermal system works wonderfully. It exchanges water with groundwater at 55F and circulates it into the house etc... Had to have them drill down 230 feet. Costs around a third of the cost of conventional hvac to run, uses a heat pump which works in reverse in our mild winter. Provides hot water with some of the excess heat.", "timestamp": "1468430834"}, {"author": "Mac", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799451929802", "anchor": "fb-799451929802", "service": "fb", "text": "In South Carolina, our house fan blew into the attic. The air flow exited from the attic through grates in our screen porch ceiling. After the attic had cooled off -- half hour or so -- the porch always had a very pleasant breeze.", "timestamp": "1468461690"}, {"author": "Anna", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799752692072", "anchor": "fb-799752692072", "service": "fb", "text": "We independently discovered this method a few weeks ago. Right now our house is a full 14 degrees cooler than outside!", "timestamp": "1468614838"}, {"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799785830662", "anchor": "fb-799785830662", "service": "fb", "text": "I love this trick, and have an additional suggestion, which is to have a tub of water (like an aquarium) in your house somewhere. Bubble air through it to increase the rate of heat exchange. Water has 4000x the heat capacity of air by volume, so a sizeable tub should significantly increase the aggregate heat capacity of the house.", "timestamp": "1468628032"}, {"author": "Frederic", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/799270243902?comment_id=799785830662&reply_comment_id=799792367562", "anchor": "fb-799785830662_799792367562", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Running water would also help keep the vampires away.", "timestamp": "1468630522"}]}