How can people be so _____ to use the oven or toaster while also having air conditioning in a heat wave ?

Question

Don't people have the sense to not use the oven and waste so much energy to cool down the extra heat from the oven or toaster while trying to also cope with the heat from the weather too ?

Answer 1

hungry

Most like to eat, do you not?

Answer 2

I was at my Mom's to take care of her.  She has an old house with poor insulation and the only value is the land.  But, today the temperature went to 27 but her house remained cool because of our attention to windows and curtains.

The brand new house next door had their air conditioning on all day.  Ridiculous - lazy.

Answer 3

There has to be a point where people want a real meal rather than a sandwich.  That said, I used to have a portable convection oven (big enough to hold a roasting pan) and when I needed to use an oven I would plug it into a proper appliance extension cord and place it on the porch.  I was still using electricity but at least I wasn't needing the AC to deal with the consequences.  The building I currently reside in won't allow propane tanks on the premises at all, and BBQs are a no-no since they smoke out the people above.  

I have to say there is a HUGE variety of microwavable products out there that are surprisingly good, if people just give them a chance.

As far as people having the common sense to use any of these ideas???  I doubt it!  I have a certain amount of faith in humanity, but when it comes to people and food...  the stomache rules the mind everytime...  :)

Answer 4

as far as a toaster goes I really don't think it's on long enough to make that much heat. However a big stove isn't as good of an idea to run in a heat wave. I use one of those little electric broilers and it really doesn't heat up my place that much. But people with large families really can't use such small items as I described above and cooking one or two meals at a time in a microwave or broiler oven doesn't work out very well for a family of 4 or more so I really don't see what other choice they might have? Yes, they could a cold sandwich or salad now and then but after awhile I'm sure the family will get tired of it and want a "real meal" don't you think? Even if you have a BBQ grill you can't always cookout in the rain or bad weather can you? And let's face it apartment dwellers aren't always allowed to have an outside grill right? So I guess there are times when it might be a bad to cook with a big oven in the summer for a small family but there is no need to blow a fuse about it! Let running all those appliance and the ac together do the fuse blowing for you if you get my drift? :o)

Answer 5

I understand the problem, but few people are creative enough to think beyond the immediate convenience. Meals can be Bar-BQ outside. Oven cooking can be done in the cool morning hours when you don't need air conditioning. Of course, in the desert it doesn't always cool down enough at night. There are reflector ovens that can be used outside with direct sunlight for energy. In fact, you can roast things in a pit in the ground. No one even has to own an oven or toaster in the heat. Refrigeration is another story. I remember the old 'Ice Box' we had as kids. A block of ice kept things cold and never plugged into the wall or had a coil. If you are super conservative you could use a picnic cooler with ice. These ideas are not 'convenient' but they work and save electricity.

Answer 6

Well I see your point. The air conditioner will require more energy to remove the heat than what the toaster used to cook it. What about refrigerators with their coils.

First the motor generates heat, and the compressor creates heat. The coils are in your house. Why cant manufacturers find a way to vent them outside in the summer?

My first hand experience was when I put a full size refrigerator into a barracks room when I joined the Navy. That room became intolerably hot.

Answer 7

Well, I may be mistaken, but I'm assuming that people tend to use these appliances to cook food and eat it. They might also want to be cool at the same time. In case you didn't notive, ovens or toasters don't really warm the house- they only warm whatever happens to be inside of them.

Answer 8

so if they have food that's going to spoil, what should they do with it?

throw it out?

that said, i don't.

Answer 9

You have realized an important method of conservation that I have been working on for a while now:

the majority of energy used in homes is used to "move energy around", fridges cool things down, stoves warm them up, washers wet them, dryers warm them to dry them, A/C pumps it all outside.  I am working on integrated appliances and passive HVAC systems that will make economical use of all that wasted energy.

Good question.

Answer 10

It is very hot here.  We have grilled outside for about a week now.  We do use the oven or clothes dryer in this heat.  We do not have AC, so I am not making our house hotter.  And I don't understand why some people do.

Answer 11

I thought about that when I first moved to the desert and I installed a solar system on the roof.  It's a small system that only makes about 18-20 kWh per day but it keeps me in the lower tier and puts less strain on the grid.  Soon as I dig up a spare $30,000 I 'll double the size of the system and then I won;t put any strain on the grid and will pay $0 for power.  My power bill last month was 68c.  This month it will zoom up to about $10.  I live near Palm Springs CA and today it's 115F outside.  I keep the house around 82-85 and depend on ceiling fans to keep cool.  I start sweating at 83 and the fan cools me better then so I keep the house and warm as possible.  Even without AC it only goes to about 85-87 with the dual pane windows and insulation.  What doesn't make sense are the people who keep their homes at 78 or less.  I ran into one guy who kept his house at 74 but he paid about $700 / month on AC.  Must be nice.  What a waste though.  

If it gets really bad I can pack up the dog and go over the hill to the river and build a small dam and jump in with my shorts and just kick under the water.  It runs off from the mountains so it's normally nice and cool.

I also have a mister on the rear patio and can sit there in the evening breeze and it's nice.  

There are a lot of ways to stay cool without AC.  

:-)

Peace ... Need solar?  Email me for details on how I managed to save a small fortune on mine.  Plus the govt pays me $3,000 / year for purchasing it.  The state gives me a kick back too.

Answer 12

well we don't have AC and today it was 32 oC .In the evening when it cools down we open the windows and let the cool air in all night then in the morning as it heat up we close up the house and close the curtains,we do have ceiling fans to keep us cool.The biggest thing is to let your body acclimatize to the heat but if you like AC turn it up a bit so as not to us to much power.As for the rest of the question toaster really does not heat up a house that much for the few seconds its on,the oven we rarely use it in the summer months because it heats up the house to much but then again we BBQ alot or use just a element on the stove top to cook something quick or the microwave to reheat stuff

Answer 13

so how would you suggest cooking food? leave it outside on the sidewalk?