Air Conditioners and Privet Drive

[Starseyer]

This may be a silly question trying to get a grasp on some of the cultural aspects of the story . . .
I happened to notice that on the hottest day of the summer (so far) all the people on Privet Drive had their windows open. Why don't they have air conditioning? Does it not normally get hot enough to bother with the a/c in that region?
*feels a little silly for asking this*:o

EDIT: I figure it probably does get hotter in southeast US (where I live) then it does in SE England. But there are air conditioners in most places I've been to the north too. Is a/c just more common in America?

[gred&forge4ever]

My mom is from Ireland and my Dad is from England. None of my relatives there have A/C. It is normally not very hot in many parts of the UK. I went over one July and had rain for 2 weeks and it was too cold for shorts.

[NeedAM!nT]

Interesting.... yeah since it is usually fair temperature, no one wants to waste money on A/Cs when they will use them like once in their life.

[crazytaxi]

For the two days every year when it gets 'hot' I can't say anybody could be bothered! I have never met anybody here who has airconditioning and it's pretty unusual in cars as well.

I used to live in America, and since then when everybody here is walking around saying 'oh my god it's so hot I'm going to die' I'm usually think 'goodness, what a lovely day'. :)

Our definitions of 'hot' are rather different. :)

[mercury1122]

I know that if you're from the south (I myself am from Austin, TX and about to die an early death from having been steamed to death) it is indeed almost incomprehensible to imagine life without AC, but evidently there are many places in the world where the weather situation isn't life or a broiling death. There are lots of parts of the US and other countries where air conditioners are just completely unecessary and therefore uncommon.

[Kizz]

It never gets unbearably hot in the UK, and the shade is normally cool enough. Work places are ACed, (so's my school - waste of money considering its never used) but homes aren't unless the people like the cold - and 75% of the year its either raining or cold anyway. :welcome: to England

[Catwalkk]

I had wondered about the air conditioning issue too, until I began to think about it.

A little history, first. I'm from the US South, and A/C is necessary here with the modern building forms. Old houses in the South have 12 foot high ceilings (a little less than 4 meters for you metric folks) which funnel the heat to the top and leave the floor area fairly cool. Old houses also have tall, narrow windows which speed the flow of air and increase the cooling sensation. Many old houses are also build off the ground, on pylons, to allow air to circulate beneath the house as well. Trees used to be encouraged around houses, as well.

Times change, though, and modern houses have standard ceilings and standard windows and standard foundations, and HAVE to have air conditioning here.

I remember a quickie weather report on the front of an international newspaper I read, for early July: 80 degrees in New York, unseasonably cool; 81 degrees in London, unbearably hot. That about sums it up.

[GryffindorSeeker]

The channel on the TV that we get our weather on has UK's temperature's, also, and I'm always thinking, "Gosh, it's cool there!" We don't have AC, but it doesn't get too hot, except in the middle of the summer, it's just mostly unbearably humid, at 100% humidity!

[Buckbeak]

I think if we had air conditioning over here the air would turn to snow. ok thats just an exaggeration but you get the idea, they're not needed.

[Crystal]

People in the UK tend to be highly enviromentally concious as well so most people would not have an a/c fitted because of all the extra pollution potential.
Saying that most hospitals are a/c'd so are many offices.

[Kizz]

Originally posted by Crystal (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=425101#post425101))
People in the UK tend to be highly enviromentally concious as well so most people would not have an a/c fitted because of all the extra pollution potential.


We are?...the europeans are alot better - we still have to import waste plastic from europe to fill the governments recycling targets. I guess we're better than the US governments point blank refusal to do anything. Alot of cars now have A/C, and its used in most businesses/public buildings because it blows hot in the winter - which is more useful most of the time.

[Virtuousdream]

HAHA about us being environmentally friendly, no way!
But no one here has air conditioning, it's never hot enough usually to be worth the cost. That day would have been like the heatwave I remember about 5 or 6 years ago now...It was hot then!

But we never get any decent temperature :(

[Ghost]

It's not an enviromental thing! At least not with the plebs round here!

As Helhorns said, there was a pretty hot summer about six years ago, but generally in Britian air condotioning just isn't needed, because it doesn't ever get that hot. Saying that though, this year so far has been unusually hot and I know a lot of people who have been buying ACs and fans...

But then how is poor Harry to hear the news over the noise of those **** things! That'd fair ruin the plot that. And I imagine they'd be quite a danger to owls too...

[psychofan]

i wondered about the AC thing too. being from the US, i hope that Europeans on the board will realize that heat in the US is serious business. we are not simply eco-unfriendly, but every year people die from the heat. in the midwest, it is not unusual for it to be 110+ with the heat index this time of year (its not that bad right now, though.) we are usually asked to check on the elderly in our neighborhoods. a few years ago, about 30 people in chicago died from a heat-wave.

[Koki]

I live in good old HOT California and last summer it got a 113 and it was humid and I was hating life!! It gets so hot over here!!! I love my AC!! :) yeah a lot of people have heat strokes and what not....so drink water it helps!

[Crystal]

We actually are more environmentally friendly than many countries, although not those in Europe because they fine people for not seperating their rubbish (good thing too!)

[NaFran]

Well, I live in Brazil and no one here has air conditioning and it's never cold(we're in winter and the average temperature is 80F, about 27Celsius). The problem is that ACs are highly expansive and very few people can afford it. Not even offices and public buildings have it.

[pineapple]

Originally posted by crazytaxi (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=418918#post418918))
I used to live in America, and since then when everybody here is walking around saying 'oh my god it's so hot I'm going to die' I'm usually think 'goodness, what a lovely day'. :)



:D It's funny how that happens.

I live in California so we need our A/Cs. It's a part of life around here.

Also in the book, there's a draught. Does that happen often in the UK? Or is it as rare as air conditioners?

[Ms.Sirius]

Yeh, I was thinking that maybe alot of people in Europe don't have AC . I am in the SE US also, GAWD no AC here and you will die! I know when I lived in Germany, we didn't have it and my relatives still don't. They don't need it really.
poke:

[ChaliceInnana]

I was in Britain in 1995, when they had this massive drought.

It was only about 85 degrees, but since no body had air con it was perfectly miserable. Also, they had to conserve water, so there was no toilet flushing. Even the sad little Ford Fiesta were putting around in didn't have air con.

All you could do is drink a lot of water and go to climate controled museums. The museums bit was sort of on the agenda anyway.

[Starseyer]

I can't believe I got so many responses to this :lol:
I live in northern Kentucky in the US and our temperatures are usually pretty pleasant. Just a few cold snaps in the winter (around the low 20's or teens fahrenheit) and a lot of 90+ degree temps in the Summer in July and August. The only time we turn on the a/c in my home is when the temp gets above 85 and the humidity is high. But many people I know run their a/c's all summer.

EDIT: Someone said something about cars not having A/C's somewhere (I need to pay more attention :o ) Anyway, even when a/c is not needed in a house because it's not too hot, it can be miserable in a car! I know because the car I've been driving has no working a/c. I get a headache from the heat in that car even when it's only in the 80's.

[Ashkins]

Here in Houston, Tx when it gets up to 35-37C you must have a/c of some sort. Its not a matter of just being uncomfortable.

Where as when I lived in Seattle we never had the a/c on.. the temps would get up to around 25C.

(yes I looked up the C because I know not everyone uses F)

[psychofan]

duh! here i am arrogant enough to use fahrenheit! good call, ashkins!

[caroline40]

I think it was essential to the plot for the windows needing to be open also ie gives Harry the chance to eavesdrop.

[seerius]

Lol, yup, i reckon that's reason enough, caroline40... and maybe rowling was thinking "i wonder if they'll pick up on that one"... :lol:

[PhoenixUK]

Originally posted by Starseyer (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=418301#post418301))
This may be a silly question trying to get a grasp on some of the cultural aspects of the story . . .
I happened to notice that on the hottest day of the summer (so far) all the people on Privet Drive had their windows open. Why don't they have air conditioning? Does it not normally get hot enough to bother with the a/c in that region?
*feels a little silly for asking this*:o

EDIT: I figure it probably does get hotter in southeast US (where I live) then it does in SE England. But there are air conditioners in most places I've been to the north too. Is a/c just more common in America?


To be quite honest, living in the UK there is no need for A/C. Even in the summer the average temperature is around 21'C, and if the temperature is above 80'F then it's considered to be a hot day. UK has much milder weather than the US, and so, with the exception of cars (automobiles), and some offices, you don't see A/C, especially not in houses.

[You-Know-Who]

I think only south and east European countries need A/C, that's only for the summer. Most of the time people will just go to the beach and cool down :)

[FredRocksMySocks]

no clue, i'm n/e pa, and we have our ac on all summer long cause it gets hot up here as well. these enlish need to learn to put the air on man lol! just kidding.

[crazytaxi]

OK, posh, new cars have a/c. Mine sure doesn't! ;)

And about the droughts. With the amount of rain we get you wouldn't have thought it possible but yes, we frequently do have droughts. I remember as a kid watching Blue Peter (a kids' show) where they demonstrated why a shower used less water than a bath during the hot summer of '76.

The last drought, though, was equally due to incompetancy as the weather. I was in the US at the time, but my family is from Yorkshire. A few years earlier the Yorkshire Water Board had sold off a large number of reservoirs, they had also failed to keep up with maintenance. As a result 3/4 of all the water available was seeping out of cracks in the pipes. It got so bad that they had to ship water over the Peninnes from Lancashire (oh, the shame! ;) ) and there were the innevitable hosepipe bans and nobody could flush the toilet/shower/etc. It turned out that the chief exec of the water board was alright though. He went to visit his mum for a shower, where they had a decent water authority!

[Nickel]

Living in Northeast PA, we get burried with snow in the winter and hot humid summers, nice comnination. So, once it gets warm the ac goes on, and I don't know if I would be able to live without it. But, from what you said the average was about 21 C, so I think that works out to about 75 F (correct me if I'm wrong), then the AC isn't really necessary.

[PhoenixUK]

Originally posted by FredRocksMySocks (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=435821#post435821))
no clue, i'm n/e pa, and we have our ac on all summer long cause it gets hot up here as well. these enlish need to learn to put the air on man lol! just kidding.


People here don't know how to use A/C. I once worked in an office that had an air conditioner. However, people didn't know that you could switch it off, so they put on the heating with the A/C! Also, if it was a really hot day people would put on the A/C and open all the windows!

Anyway, us Brits are too tough for air conditioning - we just swelter away, like real men (and women, don't forget the women).

[Schlubalybub]

most places in britain dont get anywhere near hot enough for air conditioning in houses, in public buildings like shops and schools its different, mind you, in the shop where i work the closest you get to having the place air conditioned is a coupla fans around the shop (which is a pretty big shop!)

[Puffskein]

Right now where I am in southeast England, it's 28.3C and I'm perfectly comfortable with a few windows open.

One question to do with weather: why did Lupin feel the need for an overcoat on a summer's day when Tonks was fine in a T-shirt? I suppose I notice too many details.

[seerius]

Lol Puffskein, must be the werewolf in him....

As for the a/c, well, that is kinda strange, though - i can't see the dursleys going without a luxury they could afford. But then, maybe they just like the fresh air... ^^'''

Oh, i luv your sig, puffskein... :rotfl: :D :clappy:

[Mad Macca]

I was thinking, what about reverse cycle airconditioning. It gets pretty cold in England right? SO if you got a reverse cycle air conditioner, it can double for your heater in Winter, and in SUmmer if it gets too hot you put it on cold. Why wouldn't the Dursleys have one of them?

[rotsiepots]

With all due respect to my English friends, I think English people have different perceptions as what qualifies for "hot". It's all relative, isn't it? Where I'm from we complain when temperatures get as low as 15C in Winter! We don't know what cold is. But in summer we only start groaning (and turn the air conditioning on) when it gets to about 35C. It's rarely that hot (for consistent periods) in the UK.

Anyway, I daresay Privet Drive wasn't air conditioned because it wasn't that hot in the first place. It's a considerable expense when you can go to the cinema and enjoy air conditioning for free! :p

[Discordia]

Well where I used to live it was so hot we were practically getting cooked alive! Nearly everyone had a pool in there backyard. I remember we'd march for band and were practically getting roasted bc the asphalt was like a conventional oven. Right now in the southern U.S it's around 70 F which is pretty comfortable. Where I am now it's about 30 degrees F.

[hermy_weasley2]

I agree with everybody here. In America, heat can get very dangerous. It's more common to hear about people dying from the heat here, and it's not always the heat, it's the humidity too.

What surprised me was that it was implied that the draught was a rare occurence in the books. Rainy summers are rare here, and outside watering bans are normal. We have rainy and stormy Springs then it just stops.

On, it is nice to be thinking about summer in the middle of this ice storm.:D

[Dedalus]

I don't personally know anybody who has air-conditioning in their house, here. It's just never that hot here, so it's nothing we'd spend money on. It just normally rains a lot. There are probably those who do have it, but mostly it's just something associated with shops. In those few days when we actually have a hot Summer, people just open their doors and windows and maybe have a small fan going.

[SnorkackCatcher]

I live in Devon, on the south coast of England and probably the hottest part of Britain, but even here air conditioning would be superfluous most of the time. Some shops etc have it, which is nice on very hot summer days. It may just be a cultural thing - as they're not usually necessary, they're not installed automatically.

Mind you, my flat has lousy ventilation and is absolutely baking in summer - I have to keep a fan on most of the time - so I wouldn't mind if the landlord had installed one!

[sindatur]

As some have pointed out, humidty really makes a difference. Here in Sacramento, CA, in Summer, it's normal for it to get above 105 degrees farenheit in the summer often. Although if you breathe too hard outside, you feel like your nose hairs will burn, it's still less uncomfortable than it is in San Jose, which is only about 130 miles away. In San Jose at 105 farenheit, you are absolutely melting.

Now, don't get me wrong, 105 degrees farenheit, with or without humidity, is still an awful experience, and AC is a neccessity. On the other hand, I believe we have only had a day as cold as 45 degrees farenheit recently, and back east, they're having double digit below zero cold, so heat is not really so important for me, but AC is during the summer.

[ParselTongue]

Here in Oklahoma no a/c in the summer and you might as well make funeral arrangements :p lots of 90+ days and some 100+ thrown in now and then. Very miserable. I wondered about the a/c's in privet drive also and i guess now i know why :blush:

[hermy_weasley2]

Some people on this thread mentioned air conditioners in cars. How common is it in the Uk for a car to have an air conditioner?

I have a question too. I think it's pretty common knowledge that milk will make you sick on one those 95F-100F+ days, but is it really because it curdles in your stomach?

An abnormally cool summer day here in Georgia would be around 32C, but our temperatures can get up to 43C or so. It usually dances around 36C .Then, like a lot of people have said, there's the humidity. Any temperature is unbearable with 95% humidity. Throw in the disease carrying mosiquitos and seemingly permanent sun burns and that pretty much covers summer. I looked up the conversions, because I didn't pay enough attention in eighth grade science class. So, I hope they're somewhere within the temperatures possible for Earth.

[Zachary1993]

They probably just like the fresh air or something. Opening the windows makes it cooler and you don't have to spend money on air conditioning.

[ami padme]

I don't really have something substantial to add here, I'm just glad to have read it. I live in the US, in the Northeast; I couldn't wrap my brain around Harry saying how hot it was, and how there was a ban on using hoses...and then all the windwos are open! :huh: So thanks for letting one of the little details that I was confused about make much more sense. :tu:

[rotsiepots]

I have a question too. I think it's pretty common knowledge that milk will make you sick on one those 95F-100F+ days, but is it really because it curdles in your stomach?

An abnormally cool summer day here in Georgia would be around 32C, but our temperatures can get up to 43C or so. It usually dances around 36C .Then, like a lot of people have said, there's the humidity. Any temperature is unbearable with 95% humidity. Throw in the disease carrying mosiquitos and seemingly permanent sun burns and that pretty much covers summer. I looked up the conversions, because I didn't pay enough attention in eighth grade science class. So, I hope they're somewhere within the temperatures possible for Earth.

Hmm, 43C would be an expected temperature in the Sahara desert. Are you sure that's right? :huh:

Anyway, to answer your original question I've recently discovered that milk doesn't make you sick on 100F (37C) days. I recently lost power at my house for four days and drank warm milk when the temperature was in the high 30s outside. It's not a pleasant experience, but my milk wasn't off. Anyway, it wouldn't curdle in your stomach. I'm not sure if that's scientifically possible.

Anyway, back on topic! :)

[Weatherby]

I would assume the Dursleys have air conditioning even if they don't 'need' it. They like to have everything right?

[Lupin_Lady]

Hmm, 43C would be an expected temperature in the Sahara desert. Are you sure that's right? :huh:





I live in the second coldest state in Australia and only two days ago it was 45C.
Nearly everyone in our street has A/C... and our winter bearly gets above 17C

[Puffskein]

Quite a few people (my dad included) in Britain have air-conditioned cars if they can afford it. It can still get very hot in a car in our temperate summers.