[f4c39012]

I stayed in a house in Rome that kept out the fierce summer heat, because of thick walls. AC would be redundant. In other places, like Hong Kong, the thin walls of the apartments need AC to remain liveable in summer. I've read about the lack of shade in many built environments. Seen TV shows where someone builds floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in a location that would be below 0 for much of the year. Unsustainable construction drives AC use and greenhouse gas emission that makes the problem worse.

[jq-r]

You maybe stayed in that house in Rome but didn’t live in it. I grew up in a 100+ year old stone and mortar house with almost 1.5m thick walls and relatively good window insulation. The problem is the thermal capacity of those walls. When they heat up during a hot summer spell it’s like living in an oven. You cannot sleep most nights during the summer. Something similar happens in the winter too, if you go on a vacation. The house gets so cold you need couple of days to warm it up again. When my parents installed AC it was heaven during summer.

[Scoundreller]

> I stayed in a house in Rome that kept out the fierce summer heat, because of thick walls.

Doesn’t work when the overnight low is 20C

[IronBacon]

I would need a sweater with 20C...

[sam_lowry_]

Glass windows can be surprisingly efficient insulators. Have you seen multilayered argon-filled glazing? Or vacuum glazing? The best are as efficient as a triple-brick wall.