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Actually it’s mostly due to the construction materials and techniques used. American houses are generally less well insulated and built with the explicit expectation that there will be active air conditioning used to maintain the temperature.
Meanwhile in Europe this is not only comparatively very expensive to do, it is also largely unnecessary due to many buildings predating modern air conditioning, using good insulation and passive systems to maintain a comfortable temperature. There are also regulations on newly built houses that make it generally attractive to build energy efficient.
One thing I can promise you, even if it's not 2x4 construction, those brick and plaster walls will turn a house into an oven over the summer even with judicious control of open windows. They just store up the heat for a night time that feels like noon day sun. Folks used to straight up sleep on their porches.
Signed,
A resident of an un-air conditioned brick and plaster house in the mid Atlantic currently sweating his balls off
That’s been a problem with climate change in the UK where air conditioning doesn’t really exist but we are starting to experience warmer weather than the houses were built for.
Most British houses don't have any insulation, that's why they suck. Try a new build and feel the difference.
Can confirm, so long as you have cool nights and insulated houses you don't strictly need ACs, you can get by with opening all the windows at night and closing them (and closing the curtains) during the day so the cold is trapped inside.
I live in a new build and my biggest heating bill this winter was about above £60. I only have portable air con because I WFH and my giant 4K monitors heat up to +46 and just blast that heat into my face all day long. That's awesome during the winter as I don't have to heat my work room at all, but during the hottest days it becomes a problem. Other parts of the home don't need air con at all. Was OK even during last year's heatwave.
I have a new build but it doesn’t allow the heat to escape on the heat we’ve experienced during the last couple of summers (this summer excluded).
Do you even understand how to protect your home from the heat? When it's hot outside, your insulation protects you from the hear outside. But there's a weak link - your windows. You MUST cover them completely during the day. And also you MUST keep ALL windows closed during the day. That will keep your home cool. Then during the night when the temperature drops, you should open your windows for ventilation and cooling.
Source?
There isn’t one. The latitude isn’t the only reason either; the jet stream over the Atlantic moderates the European climate. Meanwhile in places like Minnesota and Buffalo you oscillate between -30°F with 48” of snow in 24 hours in January to 100°F with 90% relative humidity in August. If construction were poor and insulation was substandard, people would die.
Most of Europe doesn’t have a/c for the same reason a lot of Seattle and SF don’t — it’s never been necessary.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/study-90-of-us-homes-are-under-insulated/406638/#:~:text=The%20North%20American%20Insulation%20Manufacturers,as%20decreasing%20homeowners%27%20comfort%20levels.
http://masonrydesign.blogspot.com/2014/01/european-construction-versus-north.html?m=1
Then there are some design choice difference that also matters. In the US average ceiling height is around 9 foot. In Europe it's 11. Open floor plans are more common in the US. It's a trend coming to Europe but given the average age of a house in Europe it's still relatively rare.
Yes, the USA has plenty of well built houses. No one is arguing against this. And the climate plays a bigger part why most of Europe doesn't have AC. But the statement is still true. European homes are generally built without taking an AC into consideration and are trying to fix the issues in a passive way because of it.
The USA aren't the worst offender either. Australia has it way worse. They have some of the worst insulation and are melting during summer and freezing during winter. Despite spending an ungodly amount on cooling and heating.
I recently got all new insulation, central ac, ducts. Just getting new insulation helpped a lot but I dont how much is enough. The company just showed a chart and said this how mich is standard here. Yes it is an american home yes it is brick.
Hmm, my apartment building is mostly cinderblock and concrete, I have 12 foot ceilings, I'm on the first (above the entry) of five floors so hot air should rise away, and I have good double glazing with UV blocking film and screens. But mid-afternoon when that low-latitude Southern California sun hits, and the Santa Anas are blowing off the desert, even closing all the curtains and turning off appliances can't keep it cool. So we set the AC for 77 and swelter until the sun goes behind the building across the street. And I make sure I get all the day's cooking done in the morning so I'm not adding any heat. I've seen Europeans come and sunburn themselves because they think they know how long they can play in the sun but they haven't met OUR sun. It's just more direct.
It's very very common in the Northeast to not have AC in spite of the wooden construction and lack of insulation. No one in my family from upstate NY has AC. The climate is the vast majority of the reason there's more AC in the US.
Well, that's just silly and shortsighted. A well-insulated house will maintain its temperature more efficiently and require less active temperature control.
So that sort of mindset seems pretty on point for 'murica.