To absolutely detest air conditioning

[SomewhereNow]

Fair enough I was glad of it during the very hot spell this summer but it’s back to normal temperatures now and I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve just sat on a Eurostar train for 3 hours absolutely freezing and it’s a horrible kind of cold, really unnatural. My office is just as bad - what’s wrong with just opening a window ffs?

It’s not as simple as just put more clothes on, the nature of aircon means that your whole body feels freezing especially exposed bits like face and hands. I totally see it’s needed in hotter environments but I think it’s really overused here.

Why

I am not being selfish. I have a medical condition. Yes, you could wear gloves and I think that is an excellent solution if you are so sensitive. Even naked I would still be miserable without the ac.

We live in central Spain and have lived part of this past summer (including the heatwave) and last summer without aircon - as in we didn't switch it on once but weren't home for the entire summer. I work in a school that doesn't have aircon.

Of course, babies, the elderly, people with medical conditions, and others need it, and on occasion it is pleasant for all of us to go into cool spaces. However, I agree that it tends to be over used instead of first trying other things to keep cool.

I remember having A/C wars with the maid service in Florida. We kept turning it off as I hate being cold and I'm happy in the 90s.

Every time we came back it was back on. Luckily on day 3 we caught her and asked her to leave it off. She clearly thought we were entirely mad.

The worst job I ever had was in an air conditioned office - I was so utterly miserable I used to dread going in. I was reduced to wearing a coat and fingerless gloves in August. I lived for lunch time when I could shed the coat and fleece and enjoy the warmth outside.

I agree!

You're so right OP!

Air conditioning on British trains does my head in! I mean its not even that hot in the UK.

They are really really noisy for a start! Even at the end of the carriage they are annoying drone noise. In the middle of the carriage its like a small plane taking off!

And some carriages are freezing!

I hate the hermetically sealed thing too! I'd just like to be able to open a window!

any building that needs aircon in the uk means a really really shit architect was employed. obviously not the case in the many ghastly climates elsewhere.

v. true, special.

I hate air-con! In fact, there was an article a few years ago in one of the papers that said most supermarkets in the chiller section were colder than the Antarctic! No need at all it’s never that hot in the UK. I wouldn’t mind it if people had it at a reasonable temperature (20-22) but they always put it around the average fridge temperature and whack the fan up as high as it will go!

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3733954/amp/The-cynical-reason-supermarket-s-colder-Arctic-FEMAIL-takes-temperature-food-chains-chilliest.html

It’s from the DM but still has a point! I couldn’t remember if it was Arctic or Antarctic but either way it’s cold!

I agree, it's always far too cold. If we go to the theatre or cinema in the summer, I always take an extra cardigan or jacket because it's much colder in the auditorium in the summer than it is in the middle of winter!

I’ve just come back from America where the air con was the only thing that kept me sane in their sauna-like heat. Fucking awful climate. Could literally feel sweat dripping off me every time we went out. Never again.

Over-used I think in the UK. Is not part of the problem that clothes are often made with such thin material that they cannot be of much help if temperatures change, and also sleeves being often short or non-existent?

Air conditioning systems harm the environment and contribute to global warming (meaning the need for air con will increase).

It's awful. I had a real problem this summer which as we all noticed was particularly hot.

We hire cars when we travel as a family, this summer we got a Peugeot and what with it being so hot we used the air conditioning in the car quite continuously for 2 weeks, we drove many long journeys, a few up to 6 hours.
I got badly dry lips after a few days and so did my partner. I tried to remedy mine with E45 cream and just rubbed it all around my mouth and face liberally but for some reason this lead to a terrible case of eczema developing on my chin I don't even get eczema normally.
My partner blamed the heat and the fact he ate some salty crisps when he complained about badly dry lips but when I said how mine and our son's were dry too we concluded it was the car air conditioning.

My son almost 4yo developed angular cheilitis which is where the corners of your mouth crack after about 10 days of travelling, the chemist said it was a bad case of dry lips and recommended Blistexe/Blistese.

I haven't known dry skin problems with AC in a car quite as bad as this occurring before. (But to be fair I don't recall needing to use AC so much before, as it was such a hot summer) but it has confirmed my view that it's just bad for you, or used a lot in a Peugeot it's bad for you.

Loved my A/C when we lived in a hot place. I set mine to 28 and left it like that all summer. Couldn't have coped without it in the car either, so hot you couldn't touch the steering wheel and definitly not put babues into car seats due to hot metal buckles that burned immediatly.
I ejoyed it this summer, I liked the heat, Occasionally A/C in a shop was quite welcome.

As a fully fledged member of the menopausal society I will say AC is a lifesaver.

Like many supermarkets, so on a hot day, you go inside wearing light clothing and it's absolutely freezing and all the staff are wearing fleeces. Terrible for the environment to cool it down to freezing, it just needs to be down to about 22 C, not 17 ffs.

Are you sure it's a waste of energy to have the supermarket cool? For one thing it'll help the ambient groceries keep better. For another, the lower the temperatures in the aisles the less energy the fridges will use. I'd be willing to bet they've done the sums.

Modern supermarket buildings like those put up by Lidl and Aldi will be very well insulated, but you can't do much to stop heat getting out of a fridge without adding doors - or those horrible plastic strips you occasionally see.

Gncq did you live in the car?

We had the air con on in the car whenever we went out and we had it in in our apartment too. Nobody complained of dry lips.

I’ve just come back from America where the air con was the only thing that kept me sane in their sauna-like heat. Fucking awful climate. Could literally feel sweat dripping off me every time we went out. Never again

Where I am in the US it's 18C today and sunny. Absolutely perfect.

Purpleartichoke Oh yes we should all suffer because you have a medical condition. Full of self importance much? 🙄 Lots of people have medical conditions where they feel the cold. But obviously you being too hot is priority.

I like really hot weather, but I just came back from Dubai. I can tell you, I like air-conditioning when I'm wearing a sweater so I don't freeze. But when there is nowhere conditioning, and it's like 37 Celsius at 11 o'clock at night? Might make you change your mind. And I have lived in Vietnam where we have had eight hours a day without electricity in April and May weather temperature can reach 42°.

Fucking love mine, I think you mean you hate ac that “you” can’t control.

That's it exactly Alpaca

Stupomax we were in Florida. 30 degrees + most days.

Haha. I live in Australia. Growing up we didnt have air con in the bedrooms so I used to freeze water bottles to put in my bed to keep cool. Air con is definitelybpreferable to that. These days we have cooling throughout and I use it all the time suring summer. But i dont love it. As with the heating, I do find it dries out my skin and makes me more susceptible to sinus issues.

Stupomax we were in Florida. 30 degrees + most days.

Oh dear - Florida is awful at the beat of times, but August is particularly bad.