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joe_mambayesterday at 10:57 PM4 repliesview on HN

Bollocks. This is more eco-communist propaganda cope from German greens, to justify why their people should keep suffering hot summers living without AC while the other parts of the world and Europe do it just fine.

AC is heat pump like your fridge, it moves the heat from inside to outside, meaning the average between the two sides stays in equilibrium, it doesn't create new heat for the outside to be a measurable impact on the planet's heating. Everyone running refrigerators in their homes to keep the food cold, and transferring that heat to their kitchen, doesn't heat up the cities and planet.

You're also contradicting yourself. If the world is indeed getting fucked heating wise like you say, then at least it will be less fucked if you have AC where you live than trying to live without AC and being more fucked. The planet will not be saved if you give up on having residential AC, you'll just suffer more versus those with AC. So it makes sense form an individaul self preservation perspective.


Replies

rnewmeyesterday at 11:11 PM

During the day once the room is cold my minisplit spends around 800w keeping the room cold. Say, what happened to those 800w? Where does that go?

fraserphysicstoday at 1:49 AM

The second law of thermodynamics implies that one must spend energy as work to move thermal energy up a temperature difference. So the net effect of an air conditioner is to increase the total amount of thermal energy.

andrewflnryesterday at 11:50 PM

It's already silly coming from the US, but jumping to the conclusion that a random comment, on a US-based forum, is propaganda specifically for a German political slapfight, is a very funny form of political egocentrism.

littlexsparkeetoday at 12:14 AM

it's the Prisoner's Dilemma - AC helps the individual at the expense of those outside, for whom it is now hotter (can raise ambient air temp by 2-4C). It worsens global warming in how it is powered (on hot days might have to fire up peaker plants using gas) and leaks of refrigerants.