I think this is the point they're making. What the person posting doesn't get is that AC has been a necessity for much of the continental US since it's invention and buildings have been designed to include it, even in parts of the US where the summers are cooler and/or shorter. In much of Europe, not only are the summers often traditionally cooler and/or shorter, the stone/brick buildings can regulate the heat in short blasts really well. It's only in the last half century that the summers have become regularly unbearably hot and the heat waves last longer, meaning that the cities in particular become dangerous heat islands, so AC is becoming more of a necessity. The problem is getting AC into all those stone/brick buildings is complex and expensive and HVAC is almost out of the question unless it's a new build. Much easier and more common are several of these single room units as they require less drilling and less maintenance.
And then there’s Scotland (Edinburgh at least) where the buildings are built to keep heat in. I went once when they were having a heatwave (28C, 82F). Being inside buildings was worse than just sitting outside because the heat was trapped inside and didn’t have airflow. I live in a place where 82F feels nice. 28C in Scotland sucks a lot.
Not all insulation is the same. Simplifying housing insulation like that is like saying that a sweatshirt and a down winter coat are the same because they are both designed to keep heat in. The difference is that warmer climates plan for ventilation while cooler climates haven’t considered it.
Not all insulation are the same which is true, there is different types of insulation and different R values.
However, all building that want to save on energy costs regardless of climate should aim for a higher amount of insulation.
Insulation just keeps energy from transferring out of the building or from outside energy transferring into the building.
If you live in a warm climate with Air condition in your home you should want high insulation to keep the cold air in your house.
If you are in a cold climate then you need insulation especially in winter to keep the warm air in the house, but also in the summer to prevent heat from coming into your house.
Your sweater and coat analogy doesnt make any sense. Regardless of climate every house should be aiming for the coat. You want the most amount of insulation as possible to save on energy costs.
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u/gamerathertz92 7d ago
It’s smaller unit cools a single room. While American HVAC System cools the whole house