The coffee shop I like to frequent, a Panera Bread (more for their free WiFi than drinks), did something unfathomable to me.
This morning, while it was not that cold outside, they had the heat on, apparently responding to the overnight low temperature people just endured. It was a little uncomfortably high—at I’d say around 78 degrees F. Which I did not give much thought to. What amazed (and annoyed) me was when I stepped into the same coffee shop this afternoon, it became freezing code! It must be 65 degrees, at most! I was already without my sweater and did not really anticipate the sudden change. After all, even after living in this country for almost ten years I would never have expected something like this to happen to me. No wonder the United States is consuming more energy per capita than any other country in the world. And there is no sign of changing.
Most Americans are terrible with their energy wasting for heating and cooling, I agree! As a student in Boston, I was constantly amzed by the fact that everywhere was heated -- to disgustingly high degrees! -- in the winter. While a 70 would be more than apt (I'd prefer a good 60-65 in a Boston winter), shops, restaurants, etc. would set their heat to a good 80 degrees. I would constantly be stripping my layers from outside off as I would enter stores and then begrudgingly put them back on again when leaving, but I would notice many stubborn people who wouldn't even bother with that!
To contrast, in many places down South, as soon as the temperature hits 75-80, shops will lower their thermostats to approximately -40 (or, well, 65). 65? In summer?! Being from the South, I've noticed that people will do that in their homes as well -- even my father, now that they have central heating/cooling. (Before we had one air conditioner, many fans, and a fireplace. Suited me well!)
What gets me is that people don't seem to understand that it's easier to get sick in those sorts of conditions and that one can simply turn on a fan when it's hot for circulation and put on a few extra layers when ti's cold. I don't by any means recommend not having heating or cooling, but to have it so high or so low is crazy.
Posted by: Alai at October 6, 2004 07:36 PMThere's plenty of waste to go around. What about all those stores in Chinese cities blasting their air conditioning onto the sidewalk through open entrances?
Posted by: anonymous at October 6, 2004 08:00 PMAnonymous, more often, the air blown into the sidewalk is not AC--it's the hot air from the AC unit. And the hotter the blown out air, the cooler inside.
Posted by: shamu at October 6, 2004 10:11 PMhaha, Alai I agree your statement. No wonder people are easily get sick in New England area.
Posted by: Juju at October 7, 2004 10:38 AM