Over the past week, temperatures in the mid-state hit an all-summer high (so far), and the humidity was dreadful as well. Oddly enough, our soar in temperatures has produced a bit of a squabble between Europe and America, calling our country “daft” due to our outright obsession with air conditioning. While temperatures were similar in Europe this past week, Europeans weren’t scrambling for the thermostat, but they were quick to say we’re addicted. Say it isn’t so!
It’s no secret that our way of life includes air conditioning, and we prefer to be comfortable in our environments when it is swelteringly hot outside. Europeans, however, remark that our homes and businesses in the US are kept far too cold for comfort and that we are at fault for any economic crises we may suffer. Is this a different comfort zone or are we truly lost without air?
An average July day in the United States is anywhere from the mid eighties to triple digit record breakers, with heat indexes potentially adding a surplus of ten degrees. In many European countries, the weather is similar, but rarely does the temperature reach the one hundred degree mark. There are very few studies regarding heat index in European countries as well. When air conditioning is a matter of safety to elder members of the communities in which we live, can our “addiction” be so sourly noted?
Certain Southern European countries are seeing somewhat of a rise in air conditioning sales, as the southern half of Europe has much higher temperatures than the North. However, the reluctance in applying our standard of living may not only be about costs and temperatures. What lies beneath the argument, may be a divide based on different cultural systems. Many Americans set their thermostat to 70 degrees and walk away, adjusting if it gets hotter outside, but for many Europeans, that is FAR too cold.
Despite the European mindset that we are addicted to our air conditioners or harbor an unhealthy love for our HVAC system, the truth is air conditioning can save lives in our country. If your system isn’t working correctly, there can be disastrous consequences like heat stroke, dehydration, and complication of pre-existing illnesses. Some of our areas reach dangerous highs during the summer, and the importance of air conditioning, when we’re addicted or not, cannot be argued.
Make sure your system is functioning at the level to which it should be, contact us to schedule a service appointment today. There’s still two months of summer left!
