[TriLUG] OT: thermodynamics of A/C question

jonc at nc.rr.com jonc at nc.rr.com
Fri Aug 17 09:36:47 EDT 2012


Thanks for the follow up!

---- Joseph Mack NA3T <jmack at wm7d.net> wrote:
> 
> I have a (calibrated) thermometer stuck on the outside of 
> kitchen window, where it's in the shade all day. It's 10deg 
> hotter there than a thermometer in the woods about 50ft 
> away. I guess the physical structure of the house does get 
> hot. The kitchen window thermometer was 110deg during the 
> days of the heatwave.
> 
Very interesting... 

When I worked as a tech for the USDA we would use IR guns as spot thermometers. We noticed that the tree bodies were always 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the open ground. It was more than just a shade effect - the trees used evaporative cooling during the hottest parts of the day.

Planting trees next to your house (especially the Southern side) could help significantly lower your A/C cost... of course it wouldn't be great for your foundation.

My own A/C costs are very low - not much more than $100/month in the Summer. I have great insulation and my house is pretty much buried in the woods :-)

Jon





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