Iowa heatwave predictions

[Chickenlounge]

 

[SmokeTownHawk]

Thank god RAGBRAI is next week. Not that I've ever been on it but I do have high school friends who've ridden it most years since the mid 70's. Could see people dropping like flies in the heat that's coming if it were now.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Be thankful you're not Amish. No A/C or fans and they wear those heavy shirts with long sleeves. Not sure how often they get a shower or bath either.

And those beards!

 

[Jonrn]

No, no Phoenix, AZ is the worst from April - October. Don't believe in that "Dry Heat" thing.

I disagree, you maybe could say that for Phoenix from June-sept, but I’ve played golf in Arizona in April and May and Phoenix afternoons with temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s have been delightful, beats south Florida by a mile. Now 110 degree days in August? That’s probably worse.

 

[uihawk82]

How did people in Iowa and other states live without air conditioning units back in the day? Or better yet, furnaces in the winter. Probably why most died before their 50's,

First, how do people in N Dakota, Minnesota and way north is the US and Canada stand to live in such cold areas during the winter no matter how they heat their homes? January of this year was downright brutal for about 2 weeks.

Before air conditioning or if the AC goes out we would lay on the floor to catch the coolest air using a fan or go to the basement where it is cooler. Wear as little all white clothing as possible. If the electricity is out then yikes and bring out the manual fans.

My grandfather worked in the strip coal mines west of Des Moines back in the 1920's and on the side sold and delivered coal to house owners who used it to stoke their furnaces. Things changed a lot by the 1960s.

 

[vork22]

No, no Phoenix, AZ is the worst from April - October. Don't believe in that "Dry Heat" thing.

Not true at all. I played golf yesterday and it got up to 114°. I would not play golf in Iowa if it were over 90. The humidity just kills you.

 

[Fryowa]

No, no Phoenix, AZ is the worst from April - October. Don't believe in that "Dry Heat" thing.

Lived in Mesa for 8 years, the rest in NW Iowa. Iowa summers are much, much worse.

Dew points in Arizona are 50-60 degrees lower than the air temp in the summer; in Iowa we're lucky if we get 15 degrees separation. Give me 105 temps & 50 degree dew points over 90 degrees with 75 degree dew points any day. Sweating doesn't do a damn bit of good in Iowa.

 

[westender]

How did people in Iowa and other states live without air conditioning units back in the day? Or better yet, furnaces in the winter. Probably why most died before their 50's,

Great Uncle told me in the 20s they would open every door and window to the outside and leave open at night (this was in the country) and also the men tended to sleep outside on the ground as that was cooler than the house when it was real bad. He always told me that people romanticize about the past and would like to go back and live it in it, but he was like not me I love air condition and I don't want to go back to a time without. We never had air in the farmhouse I grew up in. Just had windows open and fans blowing and got through it. When you are young so much stuff like that is easier to take and you don't notice as much.

 

[okeefe4prez]

The difference is that the humidity and dew point relax a bit a night in Iowa when the daily transpiration process slows down. The nights get a little cooler.

In South Carolina, or New Orleans, the humidity and dew points dont drop much at night.

Yeah, that's true. I've gotta run my windshield wipers in the morning half the days during summer. The dew point stays up and when the temp drops as the sun goes down, everything gets soaked. We also have afternoon thunderstorms or clouds 5 days a week, so the weather forecast basically calls for thunderstorms everyday and they have no idea if they will materialize or not. This year it hasn't rained as much, but when the temp drops a degree or two at 4 o'clock, we get instant cloud cover right after the temp drop, which brings the temp down more.

I grew up without A/C and my wife did, too. We have two A/Cs in the house, one for upstairs, one for downstairs. We run our air on 82 on the ground floor in the day, 87 upstairs, then switch them at night. Our thermostat has a humidity control and we keep it around 40% humidity and it is totally fine inside. My electric bill has never exceeded $100 down here with 3000 sq feet. Last month it was $78. My neighbor with the same size house spends over $300 a month on power in summer. I also don't run the air in my car. People have gotten soft because they run their air at like 68 and run the air in their car and then they can't take being outside for more than 2 minutes.

You adjust to it quickly. I spend a lot of time outside and I haven't had a day yet this year where I have had to tap out and go inside. Key for me is just staying out of the sun. The sun's diameter appears about 10% bigger in the sky down here and it is intense.

 

[Ree4]

Yeah, that's true. I've gotta run my windshield wipers in the morning half the days during summer. The dew point stays up and when the temp drops as the sun goes down, everything gets soaked. We also have afternoon thunderstorms or clouds 5 days a week, so the weather forecast basically calls for thunderstorms everyday and they have no idea if they will materialize or not. This year it hasn't rained as much, but when the temp drops a degree or two at 4 o'clock, we get instant cloud cover right after the temp drop, which brings the temp down more.

I grew up without A/C and my wife did, too. We have two A/Cs in the house, one for upstairs, one for downstairs. We run our air on 82 on the ground floor in the day, 87 upstairs, then switch them at night. Our thermostat has a humidity control and we keep it around 40% humidity and it is totally fine inside. My electric bill has never exceeded $100 down here with 3000 sq feet. Last month it was $78. My neighbor with the same size house spends over $300 a month on power in summer. I also don't run the air in my car. People have gotten soft because they run their air at like 68 and run the air in their car and then they can't take being outside for more than 2 minutes.

You adjust to it quickly. I spend a lot of time outside and I haven't had a day yet this year where I have had to tap out and go inside. Key for me is just staying out of the sun. The sun's diameter appears about 10% bigger in the sky down here and it is intense.

I can spend a lot of time outside but that doesn't mean i don't keep my house at 72-74. I got kids man, 87 would be crazy. Why does the sun appear bigger in SC? The closer you get to the equator, the smaller it appears because there's less atmospheric distortion. SC is about 690 miles south of Iowa so you're about 000007% closer to the sun so it isn't that either. Just curious.

 

[CP87]

Great Uncle told me in the 20s they would open every door and window to the outside and leave open at night (this was in the country) and also the men tended to sleep outside on the ground as that was cooler than the house when it was real bad. He always told me that people romanticize about the past and would like to go back and live it in it, but he was like not me I love air condition and I don't want to go back to a time without. We never had air in the farmhouse I grew up in. Just had windows open and fans blowing and got through it. When you are young so much stuff like that is easier to take and you don't notice as much.

I grew up on a farm, and we never had AC (my parents just got a small window unit a few years ago). However, we had/have big, mature trees surrounding the house. Suprising how pleasant it can be in the shade with a breeze blowing through, even on the stifling days.

 

[CP87]

People have gotten soft because they run their air at like 68 and run the air in their car and then they can't take being outside for more than 2 minutes.

You adjust to it quickly. I spend a lot of time outside and I haven't had a day yet this year where I have had to tap out and go inside. Key for me is just staying out of the sun. The sun's diameter appears about 10% bigger in the sky down here and it is intense.

This is kind of a stump-point of mine (friends and family are forced to listen to it often), but if you look in physiology research, there are 3 stresses/exposures that are consistently tied to health and well-being:

• metabolic stress (occasionally depleting your body's energy sources)
• heat stress
• mechanical stress (putting your muscles/bones under load)

And yet, we have created a modern-society that tries to eliminate all of these from our lives. We are surrounded by food, we are constantly in a temp-controlled environment, and we have a million different ways to eliminate physical exertion.

Don't get me wrong, constant exposure to any of these things is not great (or pleasant), but we need periodic exposure to these stressors. Nothing wrong with a little sweating here and there.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I grew up on a farm, and we never had AC (my parents just got a small window unit a few years ago). However, we had/have big, mature trees surrounding the house. Suprising how pleasant it can be in the shade with a breeze blowing through, even on the stifling days.

The last time we went to Disney World we stayed off property. The resort we stayed at had strategically designed archways, palm trees, wind tunnels, anything to get the air moving as much as possible. Floridians wouldn't survive without designing architecture like that.

Back in Iowa maple shade trees on the south and west sides of the house, like you mentioned, can make a huge difference. Just like many farms have evergreen trees on the west side of the house to help block the cold winter winds. It is much easier to cool a house when several roofs are shaded. You may have a bit of a mess for a couple weeks in the fall, however!

 

[Northside Hawk]

This is kind of a stump-point of mine (friends and family are forced to listen to it often), but if you look in physiology research, there are 3 stresses/exposures that are consistently tied to health and well-being:

• metabolic stress (occasionally depleting your body's energy sources)
• heat stress
• mechanical stress (putting your muscles/bones under load)

And yet, we have created a modern-society that tries to eliminate all of these from our lives. We are surrounded by food, we are constantly in a temp-controlled environment, and we have a million different ways to eliminate physical exertion.

Don't get me wrong, constant exposure to any of these things is not great (or pleasant), but we need periodic exposure to these stressors. Nothing wrong with a little sweating here and there.

So the solution is to go running in hot humid weather while tying a rope around your waist and dragging your kids in a wagon or stroller.

 

[okeefe4prez]

So the solution is to go running in hot humid weather while tying a rope around your waist and dragging your kids in a wagon or stroller.

While intermittently fasting. Yes.

 

[Robowe]

 

[westender]

Yeah, that's true. I've gotta run my windshield wipers in the morning half the days during summer. The dew point stays up and when the temp drops as the sun goes down, everything gets soaked. We also have afternoon thunderstorms or clouds 5 days a week, so the weather forecast basically calls for thunderstorms everyday and they have no idea if they will materialize or not. This year it hasn't rained as much, but when the temp drops a degree or two at 4 o'clock, we get instant cloud cover right after the temp drop, which brings the temp down more.

I grew up without A/C and my wife did, too. We have two A/Cs in the house, one for upstairs, one for downstairs. We run our air on 82 on the ground floor in the day, 87 upstairs, then switch them at night. Our thermostat has a humidity control and we keep it around 40% humidity and it is totally fine inside. My electric bill has never exceeded $100 down here with 3000 sq feet. Last month it was $78. My neighbor with the same size house spends over $300 a month on power in summer. I also don't run the air in my car. People have gotten soft because they run their air at like 68 and run the air in their car and then they can't take being outside for more than 2 minutes.

You adjust to it quickly. I spend a lot of time outside and I haven't had a day yet this year where I have had to tap out and go inside. Key for me is just staying out of the sun. The sun's diameter appears about 10% bigger in the sky down here and it is intense.

Went with solar panels and now mister sun creates the power for the AC. Bill is a flat $13 a month.

 

[Fryowa]

Went with solar panels and now mister sun creates the power for the AC. Bill is a flat $13 a month.

What were the start up costs and what is the life span of the system?

 

[westender]

What were the start up costs and what is the life span of the system?

First, our home is electric everything but furnace and water heater, and we have kids. So everything gets turned on and left on and runs constantly and if you are a parent you know what I mean and the washer / drier runs constantly. I used to stress about that crap, so now I still do some as I don't just want to waste energy but not nearly as much. Also we have 0 shade on our house and no hope of my earthly existence of getting shade on it. And we have a utility that is very very high in prices. So mine was a perfect storm almost. The system we had installed is a 6 kw system (all fit on roof of south side of our house). Total cost was around $20k rough number and then you get 45% back in tax rebates over time as you owe state and federal tax in future. My payback will be in the 6 year time frame and there is 0 maintenance I do on them and the original installer monitors them as well. I believe warranty is up to 25 years or something like that. Now if there was no tax rebate, I still would have considered just given our set up with the house. They size them based on your recent usage and on historical data for your general area in terms of sun and then also how they are to be installed on your property (roof, roof angle, how it faces, or whether installed on the ground on a pole on your property). Obviously do no want them shaded much of the day.

 

[okeefe4prez]

First, our home is electric everything but furnace and water heater, and we have kids. So everything gets turned on and left on and runs constantly and if you are a parent you know what I mean and the washer / drier runs constantly. I used to stress about that crap, so now I still do some as I don't just want to waste energy but not nearly as much. Also we have 0 shade on our house and no hope of my earthly existence of getting shade on it. And we have a utility that is very very high in prices. So mine was a perfect storm almost. The system we had installed is a 6 kw system (all fit on roof of south side of our house). Total cost was around $20k rough number and then you get 45% back in tax rebates over time as you owe state and federal tax in future. My payback will be in the 6 year time frame and there is 0 maintenance I do on them and the original installer monitors them as well. I believe warranty is up to 25 years or something like that. Now if there was no tax rebate, I still would have considered just given our set up with the house. They size them based on your recent usage and on historical data for your general area in terms of sun and then also how they are to be installed on your property (roof, roof angle, how it faces, or whether installed on the ground on a pole on your property). Obviously do no want them shaded much of the day.

Yeah, we have considered it because it makes financial sense, but we don't use that much electricity and they are talking about doing away with net metering here, which would mean I would either have to spend a fortune on a battery or just eat all the sweet juice I was sending back to the grid.