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Old 07-02-2010, 09:49 AM
 
2,627 posts, read 6,547,987 times
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I do have one point to make to the Op about AC. If Portland is anything like California, it's possible that you might move into a place without central AC at all. That means when it does reach 90 degrees or more on the West Coast, you only have fans for relief. My 12 year old AC did have to work really hard here in the Austin area last summer and I did have to replace it with a new one. Ever since then, my house hasn't had any cooling issues.
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Old 07-02-2010, 10:19 AM
 
172 posts, read 514,345 times
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I know it's silly to focus on the AC thing, but just want to chime in.

The idea that AC only cools 17-20 degrees means that the differential from the input to the output is expected to be in that range. This doesn't mean that your AC system can't cool your house down below 17-20 degrees of the ambient heat because the air is continuously recycled. It's 17-20 degrees cooler every time it runs through the system.

If your house is tight enough and insulated and your AC system is large enough you can cool your house to 60 if you want to.
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Old 07-02-2010, 10:39 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
2,101 posts, read 4,513,003 times
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Not to derail this conversation too much, but I've got to comment on the air conditioning issue. If you guys can't cool your house below 80 degrees, you need to get your AC system serviced and insulation improved. I've lived in 5 different houses in Austin in the last 7 years and have never had a problem with getting any of them cooled to 74 degrees in the dead of summer.
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Old 07-02-2010, 10:57 AM
 
8 posts, read 15,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LittleCityATX View Post
I know it's silly to focus on the AC thing, but just want to chime in.

The idea that AC only cools 17-20 degrees means that the differential from the input to the output is expected to be in that range. This doesn't mean that your AC system can't cool your house down below 17-20 degrees of the ambient heat because the air is continuously recycled. It's 17-20 degrees cooler every time it runs through the system.

If your house is tight enough and insulated and your AC system is large enough you can cool your house to 60 if you want to.
Well yes, theoretically with enough insulation/weatherproofing and a powerful enough A/C system, you could cool your house to any temperature you wanted. But the majority of people will not have those type of upgrades in their house. I don't think these comments are really relevant to anyone considering a move to Austin, unless they have the money required to perform such extensive upgrades to their home (assuming they own it in the first place). I would remind everyone posting about all the things one "could" do to upgrade their air conditioning that a lot of people live in rental houses, and I doubt too many landlords will pay to install industrial air conditioners and extensive weatherization done. Mine certainly won't...I've asked. Yes, of course everyone's experience with summer cooling in Texas will vary, but the point is that many people experience this problem each summer. I've lived in many, many houses in Austin over the years and I've experienced problems with summer cooling to one degree or another in almost all of them. Even if you live in a place that cools down easily to a temperature you find comfortable, the cooling can still be quite cost-prohibitive. And I know a lot of people new to the area end up finding the expense to be quite a shock.
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:08 AM
 
Location: Central TX
2,335 posts, read 4,125,203 times
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I had 2 monster AC condensers installed at my home when my system died last October. I can make it snow in my living room in August if I wanted to!

Good luck to the OP. Thanks for posting.
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:14 AM
 
8 posts, read 15,757 times
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Originally Posted by absolutely View Post
The NW is hardly as depressing as most presumptuous people will state. The battering heat of the southwest, and most notably the obnoxiously rotating lingering humidity, to me, is more depressing than the temperate, cool conditions of the NW.
Thanks for saying this! I'm tired of getting into arguments with people in Austin over this (by people I mean my friends). Almost everyone I've told that we're moving to Oregon has presumptuously stated that we "will be tired of the rain and gray" and will "miss the heat". If one more person says that to me I think I'm going to vomit!! Contrary to popular belief, not every human being on the planet enjoys constant warmth and sunshine. Personally, I find it oppressive and a bit depressing. I've always said that I have SAD, but with summer : )

And really, as if I don't realize that it it rains a lot and is overcast in the PNW...that's a big draw for me! I love it so much that I even named my daughter Gray. I have traveled to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia more times than I can count on two hands, and I have family there, so I'm pretty sure I know what the climate is like. Gray skies and cold weather, bring it on!!! I hate sunshine.

Haha, sorry for the rant. It was just nice to have one person other than my mom back me up on this.
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Old 07-02-2010, 12:03 PM
 
172 posts, read 514,345 times
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You don't have to be rich to have a decently insulated house with a properly sized AC system. I live in Austin too and have no problem keeping my modest house at whatever temperature is comfortable. This is just to counter the idea that your house is going to be 85 inside when it's 105 outside. I would guess that for most people in Austin that's just not true.

As to how much it will cost you to keep your house cool, depends on many factors. A lot of homes are not built to be efficient. It's possible to build homes that only take 1 ton of cooling per 1000sf but most standard builder homes are probably in the 2-3 ton per 1000sf range. Muy expensivo.

BTW I agree that the pacific northwest is much more beautiful than Austin and you can always return if the grayness is too much. For me, the best weather is in coastal California, cool and sunny.
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Old 07-02-2010, 12:14 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX!!!!
3,757 posts, read 9,025,775 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rachel.g View Post
Thanks for saying this! I'm tired of getting into arguments with people in Austin over this (by people I mean my friends). Almost everyone I've told that we're moving to Oregon has presumptuously stated that we "will be tired of the rain and gray" and will "miss the heat". If one more person says that to me I think I'm going to vomit!! Contrary to popular belief, not every human being on the planet enjoys constant warmth and sunshine. Personally, I find it oppressive and a bit depressing. I've always said that I have SAD, but with summer : )

And really, as if I don't realize that it it rains a lot and is overcast in the PNW...that's a big draw for me! I love it so much that I even named my daughter Gray. I have traveled to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia more times than I can count on two hands, and I have family there, so I'm pretty sure I know what the climate is like. Gray skies and cold weather, bring it on!!! I hate sunshine.

Haha, sorry for the rant. It was just nice to have one person other than my mom back me up on this.
More power to you. I lived in Seattle for 18 years and by the end couldn't tolerate the gray. When I moved there as an 18 year old it didn't bother me at all, in fact coming from ever sunny Los Angeles, I thought it was cool and mysterious. Over time it became too much for me, but as with everything in life everyone has a different threshold of pain and you may love it. Good luck with your move.
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Old 07-02-2010, 12:54 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,189,088 times
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We only lived in Seattle for one fall/winter/spring. It wasn't so much that it rained 20 days out of every 21 while we were there (except when it snowed 9 inches, which brought the city to an absolutely lovely halt), but that on the 21st day, that didn't mean the sun was out, just that the water was only dripping from the still-wet trees, not the sky.

Loved Seattle in absolutely every other way (this was back in the 1970's), but I need my sunshine!

I was never in Portland when it wasn't actively and enthusiastically raining, but, then, I wasn't in Portland that much.

On the AC issue, we live in a house built sometime between 1900-1930 (reports vary), meaning before AC was around. We only have window units, and we have absolutely no problem keeping the house comfortably cool (and not in the 80's, either). The house was built for the climate it's in, and the windows are so placed that we can get good air flow through, and it was placed correctly on the lot to take advantage of the prevailing breezes, and a lot of the time we don't even need AC. (It's much harder to keep warm than cool, but, then, keeping cool was a bigger issue for its time and climate.)

Our 1950's house in Austin proper can quite easily be kept in the low to mid 70's (we don't like it much cooler than that). Cost more to do it, of course.

I agree, people should research and be prepared for whatever they find when they move to a new city - and they should expect some surprises, too, and know to roll with them.
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Old 07-02-2010, 03:13 PM
 
3,039 posts, read 3,217,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LittleCityATX View Post
For me, the best weather is in coastal California, cool and sunny.
Well, I think the takeaway from the various posts here is that _anyone_ can get tired of _any_ type of weather. I lived in the SF Bay Area for several years and after a while I would say "Gee, let me guess what the weather will be today, mid 70's with a slight breeze, HOW BORING!". Lot's of folks called it _perfect_.

Do folks get tired of the increased rain and decreased sun of the PNW, sure. Do people get tired of the high heat and moderate humidity here in Austin, sure. Honestly, what's the big deal. Everyone acts like everyone else is crazy for not liking whatever places weather.

To the OP, if you're so happy that someone else shares their like of PNW weather (and I have spent many years living in the PNW, so I know exactly what you're talking about) instead of making assumptions and bashing it, then why presume to do exactly the same thing about Austin. You prefer the weather somewhere else, great, no need to "bash" the weather here, it is what it is.
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