air conditioning

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For AC, Buildings Are Turning to 'Ice Batteries'

Freezing water at night lets buildings tap into cheaper energy that melts during day

(Newser) - Every night, some 74,000 gallons of water are frozen at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. The hospital used to get all of its air conditioning from a conventional system found in most US buildings, but now, 27 tanks of ice sustain a network of cold-water pipes keeping operating...

India's Air Conditioners May Max Out at 68 Degrees

Government proposes change from 62 F to save energy

(Newser) - India's government is seeking to limit temperature settings on new air conditioners to save electricity in the country that is considered the fastest-growing market for them. The power minister proposed a rule in June requiring air conditioners sold in the country to have thermostats that can be set no...

Judge: Lack of AC in Texas Prisons Is 'Unconstitutional'

But he declines to issue immediate order

(Newser) - A federal judge on Wednesday found the extreme heat in Texas prisons is "plainly unconstitutional," but declined to order the state to immediately start installing air conditioning, which could cost billions. The ruling affirmed claims brought by advocates of people incarcerated in Texas, where summer heat routinely soars...

Locals Here Are Snitching on Each Other Over AC Units

Restrictions on air conditioning have neighbors turning on neighbors in scenic Portofino, Italy

(Newser) - You'd think a wealthy Italian coastal town that attracts the likes of Madonna and other celebrities would offer creature comforts like AC. But in Portofino, which is sweating it out right now amid a heat wave, neighbors are turning on neighbors as a crackdown on air conditioners continues. Per...

Team USA Is Bringing Its Own Air-Con to Paris
Team USA Is Bringing
Its Own Air-Con to Paris
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 29, 2024 1:20 PM CDT

Team USA Is Bringing Its Own Air-Con to Paris

Olympic Village doesn't have traditional AC system

(Newser) - The organizers of the Paris Olympics, keen to make it the "greenest ever Games," installed a geothermal cooling system instead of air-conditioning units in rooms at the Athletes Village. Officials say the system of water pipes will keep rooms at between 73 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit and fans...

Four Stories Illustrate Just How Hot It Is

Americans expected to spend a record amount on air conditioning this summer

(Newser) - It's one tangible sign of just how hot things have been lately: The average American is expected to spend a record $719 to cool their homes between June and September, a spike of about 8% over last year, reports CNET . The annual price increase from $661—cited in a...

Finally, a Very Cool Amenity for UPS Drivers

Company strikes tentative deal with Teamsters union to install air conditioning in delivery trucks

(Newser) - "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" may be the creed of US postal workers, but UPS drivers, also charged with making deliveries to Americans nationwide, just scored a victory in taking the "heat"...

Protections for Police Dog in Patrol Car Fail—Fatally

Houston police say air-conditioned vehicle shut off without warning, killing K9 Aron

(Newser) - A police dog in Texas died in a "tragic accident" Monday as the air-conditioned patrol car the 4-year-old was housed in unexpectedly lost power. The handler of the Houston Police Department dog named Aron had left him in a "running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and...

It's Time to Push Back Against the 'Inhumanity' in Our Prisons
Don't Ignore the Suffering
in America's Prisons
OPINION
Sep 11, 2022 5:00 PM CDT

Don't Ignore the Suffering in America's Prisons

Writing for 'Philly Inquirer,' Cheryl Smith slams 'soul-chilling inhumanity' toward incarcerated

(Newser) - The Eighth and 14th Amendments are meant to prevent cruel and unusual punishment, as well as discrimination and unequal treatment—including for the incarcerated. But that's not what's being applied in America's prisons, Cheryl Smith writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer , where she lays out the "soul-chilling...

Humans Have a Right to Air Conditioning
AC Is a Human Right,
and Big Opportunity 
OPINION
May 10, 2022 6:39 PM CDT

AC Is a Human Right, and Big Opportunity

Authors see an opportunity to promote climate justice and renewable energy

(Newser) - Currently, there are 2 billion air-conditioning units in use around the world, and the International Energy Agency expects 4 billion more by 2050. There’s a big problem baked into those numbers, but it’s also a big opportunity, according to Rose Mutiso and coauthors, who argue in Scientific American...

Cut the A/C— 'It Ain't That Bad'
Cut the A/C—
'It Ain't That Bad'
OPINION
Aug 14, 2019 10:20 AM CDT

Cut the A/C— 'It Ain't That Bad'

'Just imagine how your grandchildren are going to feel in 2060'

(Newser) - Franklin Schneider has never had an air conditioner, not that he hasn't had the opportunity. "When I mention this to acquaintances, some flat-out don't believe me; others seem concerned for my health, begging me to accept old window units they have in their closets," the New...

A Family Didn't Feel Well. Then They Found More Silver Droplets

AC installer charged after mercury found in Queens home

(Newser) - Silver droplets on the floor of a Queens home provided the first sign that something was amiss. A further probe into Roman Pinkhasov's air-conditioning vents, where more of the silver material was found, led to the guy who had installed the units—and now that guy, 48-year-old Yuriy Kruk,...

6 Dead After Irma Knocks Out AC at Nursing Home
Tragedy at Nursing
Home That Lost
AC During Irma
the rundown
Sep 13, 2017 1:22 PM CDT

Tragedy at Nursing Home That Lost AC During Irma

6 are reported dead, possibly from extreme temperatures in Florida facility

(Newser) - Six people died after losing air conditioning at a Florida nursing home whose power was knocked out by Hurricane Irma, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief confirmed in a press conference Wednesday. Sharief said three people died at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills and two more were declared dead at...

La. Has Spent $1M So Far to Fight a Cooler Death Row

Experts say it could cost the same or less for AC to protect inmates from dangerous heat

(Newser) - The state of Louisiana's refusal to install air conditioning on death row has already cost taxpayers at least $1,067,000 in expenses fighting a lawsuit filed on behalf of three inmates with medical problems, according to records obtained by the AP . Meanwhile the state could spend roughly the...

Dear Europe, Back Off About Our Air-Conditioning

American columnist explains, defends our love of it

(Newser) - Generally speaking, Europeans tend to get snooty when talking about Americans' love of air conditioning, writes Megan McArdle at Bloomberg . They don't understand it, and the implication is that we're a bunch of pampered babies who can't live without it. "For Europeans reading this, I may...

Air-Conditioner Thief Gets Extra Time ... for Pollution

By releasing Freon, he violated Clean Air Act

(Newser) - When Martin Eldridge and his pals started stealing air-conditioning units around Columbus, Ohio, last year, it's a safe bet they didn't factor the Clean Air Act into their possible punishment. Big mistake: Because when Eldridge and company cut the tubing that connected the units to their buildings, they...

Air Conditioners Aren't Evil
 Air Conditioners Aren't Evil 
OPINION
Aug 1, 2012 12:35 PM CDT

Air Conditioners Aren't Evil

Daniel Engber: So ease up on the 'hipster sanctimony'

(Newser) - Feel a twinge of guilt as you jack up the air conditioning? Daniel Engber at Slate would be happy to absolve you. He's tired of the holier-than-thou attitude of those (he calls them the "brrr-geoisie") who view A/C units as an evil symbol of modern society. They...

Lawsuits Demand Texas Air-Condition Prisons

Inmates died from heat-related conditions

(Newser) - Imagine being trapped in a small room without air-conditioning in 100-degree heat for days at a time. That's the reality most Texas prisoners face, and now two lawsuits are taking the state to task for it. One was filed yesterday by the wife of one of the four inmates...

Elderly Woman Dies From Heat After A/C Theft

79-year-old reported it missing two days before death

(Newser) - Somebody took a lot more than just an air conditioner from an elderly Texas woman. Two days after the 79-year-old reported her $2,500 unit stolen from the back of her home, she died of heat exhaustion, reports the Christian Post . It was the fourth time she had had her...

Troops' A/C Costs $20.2B— More Than NASA

Military spends $20B to cool tents in the Mideast

(Newser) - Which would you rather have: a space program or cool army tents in the Mideast? The US military spends $20.2 billion annually on air conditioning for tents in Iraq and Afghanistan—an amount that NPR notes tops NASA's entire budget, all damages BP has paid for the Gulf...

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