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Do normal homes and places of business have heating in your area? If so, what types are most common?
How about air conditioning?
Minnesotan homes, stores, and offices always are heated, as temperatures in the winter may not rise above freezing for months at a time, and sink to as low as below -40F/-40C on rare occasions. The most common type of heating seems to be a furnace. Radiators are also found, and often supplement furnaces. Furnaces are generally connected to natural gas lines, though in rural areas without that infrastructure they often run on diesel fuel, which can be delivered by a truck or filled yourself, if you do not have the money available for a minimum delivery (100 gallons / about $400 last winter). The heating season varies, but usually runs from the beginning or middle of October to the beginning of May.
Air conditioning is something that I have seen become popular within my time here. It used to be somewhat rare for residences to have air conditioning, but I would say that today 75% of homes are air conditioned, at least over the hill. New homes tend to have central A/C, while most homes built without it seem to have wall units. On the hillside and below the cool winds from Lake Superior help keep things cool (or even cold), while over the hill temperatures can exceed 86F/30C. We once had four wall units; one for my parents' room, one for the living room, one for my brothers' room, and one for the garage. Now we only have one in my brothers' old room. Air conditioning is needed sparingly, as many summer days do not rise above 70F/21C. However, there are streaks of warm, humid weather in which air conditioning can make all the difference. Houses are built here to retain heat, so they can become very warm when temperatures outside are hot; I've seen 94F/34C in my bedroom before.
Everyone has at least one source of heat, usually a fuel oil boiler system that is also used for hot water. Probably about half the homes also have at least one wood stove. Nobody has air conditioning, as a 70F day is quite hot here and 75+ is very rare. You may even occasionally need the heater in the summer if it's been cool and rainy for several days.
Heat yes, AC no. Well, some do have AC, but many if not most do not. My apartment has baseboard heat but I've never used it; the only heat I ever need is a small space heater. It's just not very cold or hot.
Just about everything has AC in Phoenix. Heat too.
Heat? That seems surprising to me. How often would you have to use it?
It's mostly the century old homes here in SE Michigan that don't have AC. But they do have heating. The house I grew up in within Detroit had this type of boiler (looked even more old and dirty) in the basement. I was always scared to stand next to it because it was twice my size and was pretty loud. It fed water to the radiators that were in most rooms and that's how we got heat.
In the Southern Tier of NY all homes have heat. Those in more populated areas usually heat with natural gas. Rural areas are often oil or propane with wood as supplement. Only some homes have central a/c, though it seems most people have at least one window unit, if not more than one.
Heat? That seems surprising to me. How often would you have to use it?
It's mostly the century old homes here in SE Michigan that don't have AC. But they do have heating. The house I grew up in within Detroit had this type of boiler (looked even more old and dirty) in the basement. I was always scared to stand next to it because it was twice my size and was pretty loud. It fed water to the radiators that were in most rooms and that's how we got heat.
In New Orleans most/all homes have AC. Many older homes just have window AC units(and all homes usually have ceiling fans which really help) but most new houses have central AC and some older homes have the houses renovated for central AC systems. For heating many houses have wall mounted gas heaters or little electric space heaters that you pull out for those cold days. Then other homes will have the central AC that also has heat and that gets the job done.
In New Mexico (northern NM, at least) all houses have heat. Even in the warmest part of the region, sub freezing temps for at least part of the day exist from October through March or April. In most of the region single digits occur at least a few days a year. The plumbing simply couldn't take it if people did not heat their homes in New Mexico.
Most houses have some kind of A/C as well, but significant areas do not, especially at higher elevations. I have known several people in Santa Fe without cooling (besides fans to blow in/circulate cool night air) even though temps in the upper 80s to low 90s are not unusual in the summer months. Personally, I need A/C when the indoor temps get above the upper 70s.
Last edited by ABQConvict; 05-17-2012 at 10:47 PM..
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