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Americans are asleep, post European windows
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this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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While I agree that our windows are generally superior from a functional perspective, the Americans have us beat in the fact that you can't install a window AC unit in our windows.
Hence we get to just die in the increasingly common heat waves. Not great - we've got to figure this one out.
Before portable ACs are mentioned - I'll point out that they have terrible efficiency, and connecting the tube to blow out the hot air is still terrible with European windows.
Mini split heat pumps.
All you need is a 3cm hole in the wall to run a refrigerant line from the outside heat pump unit to the wall unit.
Window AC units are pretty poor efficiency too, IIRC
What if I can't make a 3cm hole cuz I'm a rentoid?
Make a temporary 3cm hole
I rent and could install AC because it is a home improvement. You could ask if it is allowed.
I'm sure if you pay the AC unit yourself nobody will oppose lol
Rent a place with air con installed?
There are the freestanding air conditioners. They have a hose you put in the window. There are plastic seals you can buy that fit in the windows to seal off the exhaust. They aren't perfect but they are better than nothing.
And this is a thread about how those won't work with European windows
I live in Europe, have one, and they work just fine thank you. They just don't put the whole unit in the window. See here
That looks like shit
Wut
It’s the portable air conditioner window hose!
10/10 clarification
Okay but still beats having useless us style windows everywhere.
This is likely going to be the answer, yeah, but I believe we need to see some improvements in installability for the average person - a window AC unit does afaik not require a specialist to install, while a mini split, while possible to tackle for a handy person, is a lot harder, leaving the average person to have to pay for someone to install the unit.
Window ACs are not the best from an efficiency perspective, but they do beat portable units by a large margin.
EDIT: looks like it might actually not even be legal in the EU to install a mini split yourself - you need to be certified to handle the refrigerants.
Installation is also more than 50% of the total cost of acquisition, so we're hitting upon an affordability issue here as well.
I've just been looking into this in the UK (so Europe, but not EU).
You can now get split units that come pre-filled with a safer refrigerants that a DIYer is allowed to do themselves.
I would still get an electrician to do the electrical side though. 1KW constant load should definitely be on its own circuit.
Yeah that's a good point about affordability. I guess I'd hope for government subsidies or at least supply & demand market forces to address that before it becomes an essential thing, especially if they replace gas boilers too as a move to reduce carbon emissions.
In the world of theoretical wild policies, there's a really good argument for subsidizing heat pump installation for places heating with fossil fuels or direct electricity at more than 100% of the cost of installation. I'd love to see that kind of project. One can mostly just dream, though.
Not true, modern window units are very efficient
Window mounted units are still terrible for comfort. External AC unit is like 300 euro + 300 euro for installation. It's not a big investment and you get totally silent unit. In Europe people will use portable units if it's short term and install external one if it's permanent.
The quoted prices I saw for installation were a lot higher, more like 700 euro, but that probably depends on the cost of labour where you are.
There are also non-monetary aspects to this issue - I'm not allowed to make any modifications to my facade on account of it being made out of asbestos, for example. I'd have to get a specialist to cut the hole to make that work. It's also a bit tricky to fit in an outside unit - or inside unit for that matter - on my walls.
I'm in complete agreement that mini splits are superior, but the downsides do exist and need to be acknowledged.
Yep, I'm just saying that 90% of people in Europe will simply go with external AC. Where I live most new apartments simply come with central AC installed and roof top units. But that's in southern Spain, AC is a must.
Absolutely. I'm speaking mostly from a Swedish apartment-perspective, where ACs have been optional basically forever, but the climate crisis is quickly making them more and more mandatory each year.
Integrated AC ftw bebeh