Back around '92-'93 we moved into our brick house that was built around 1950. It was built just after WWII had ended....glass was cheap, propane was cheap, and some thought was given to heat being as the western, southern, and eastern windows all have metal canopies above them for shade. And since propane was cheap....why insulate???
There was a 220v window unit in the living room and a small 7k btu window unit in a bathroom (that didn't work). Also, through the years all the windows had been basically painted shut. Did I mention the windows in the living room were something like 8'x6' and most of the other rooms' windows were at least 4'x5' going on up to 7'x5'? Single-pane, steel-framed windows. *Very* energy-efficient!!!
Wintertime we would struggle to heat the house with propane via one floor furnace and some space heaters...it could be chilly, even here in the deep south. Summertimes...mostly miserable, the big 220v unit would struggle to cool things...the living room was the favorite room in the house....floor fans, pedestal fans, fans, fans, were scatter over the house. It was livable but the heat and humidity were ever present in the summer.
In 2000 I decided we needed to do something to make life a bit more enjoyable so I started researching installing a central h/c system. Geo-thermal was not yet primetime but it was interesting. I somehow manage to contact a guy (George I think his name was) that was basically head of research over the Georthermal Heating and Cooling Super-Duper Fancy-Smancy Doowaditty Association. Well, it was whatever group was spearheading research in geothermal at the time.
He was a nice fellow and was very eager to help me with my questions. We talked on several occasions via telephone. Geothermal, at that time, definitely wasn't new but it was still kind of the rare system around here. After looking at some of the numbers including the added expense I still decided to go with geothermal. In January 2001 the installation was completed of a 5-ton closed-loop system which required 5 wells. These are perpendicular wells drilled with a well-water drilling rig. This did completely destroy that area of the yard...have a short-lived monsoon come through while the drilling was going on did not help matters, but within a year or so you could not tell anything had gone on there. Via a heat-exchanger the air supplied to the house is either heated or cooled.
Our power-bill dropped tremendously (propane consumption dropped, too!) but yet the entire house was comfortable for the first time in history!!! The results were nothing less than amazing!!! Now, seventeen years later, the system continues to function nicely. The system has an LED that lights up when you turn the temperature up (heating) beyond a few degrees where it's currently at to inform you that the "heat strips" have been turned on...but, there were no heat strips installed so this is just a placebo effect, I guess, being as we've never needed any auxiliary heating. Whether heating or cooling you can set the temp where you can hang meat in the house or cook a goose. By accessing the temperature many feet below the earth the system is drawing from a very stable temperature from which the heat-exchanger usually only has to move the temperature a few degrees to reach the system temperature. I can't remember the term used, but it was designed to achieve it's spec performance in ten years, so I guess the system has seen it's "better" years now, but it continues to work very well for us. In these seventeen years we've had to call on the installer one time for service....it ended up ants had build a nest in the unit.
Anyhow, I just thought I'd share our geothermal experience....
Now, as for getting too soft? Yep. If I look around I see *lots* more overweight people than I did 35 years ago...I'm not just talking about the guy or gal with a little (or big) pooch in the belly, I'm talking about the FAT ones that have decided to let society take care of them. And if you look it's usually a family trait....parents that are too heavy checking out at the grocery store with an overloaded buggy while their 10-12 year old kids watching them all weight 50-75 pounds more than I do. Yeah, they need their a/c and need to stay inside to keep from falling out and having society come pick them up on an ambulance, take care of the ER visit (and hospital stay?), and lawyers involved (certainly this was someone else's fault!!!).
Heat-advisories for people suffering from health issues are important...breathing issues, heart issues, etc.,.
Kids playing sports...they don't know when to quit. Adults need to pay attention and be responsible for the kids.
The outdoor workers do need a heads-up on what conditions to expect. Keeping in mind that they need to rehydrate regularly is important. Maybe even knocking off during the heat of the day is required...depends. I work everyday in the center of our little town. Surrounded by concrete and asphalt...high-traffic street in front of me (so lots of engine heat and exhaust fumes
) ....and no A/C. I sweat...a lot. I drink water regularly, a gatorade all along, etc.,. Do I heed the heat advisories?...I don't pay them much attention. Even without a "heat advisory" type of day a person can easily overheat. I just know when it's hot and I know what my body tells me to do and what it tells me not to do. Did I mention that I sweat a *lot*? Heat-exhaustion or heat-stroke can jump on a person before they know it...I suppose I've just been fortunate. I work for myself, though. For someone working for a company that company expects their employees to work and the "company" doesn't feel the heat. A heat-advisory could be a very important notice for the well-being of the employees....the "company" can see the advisories and (legal) consequences of not heeding them...the "company" is more likely to curtail activities a bit in order to be safe.
The advisories don't benefit all people but for some they are important.
Boy did I ramble....