So I am around as far north/as "cold" (a.k.a "least hot") as I can get for any large, major city, south of the southern border. So there are no more large, major cities that have less hot summers than the one I am in right now, except for those that are in Canada.
I am curious on what are the summers like in these 6 Canadian cities specifically, in terms of actual human experience:
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Winnipeg
- Edmonton
- Calgary
- Vancouver
How would you describe the summers in these cities? Is it generally comfortable (too hot/cold)? How widespread is AC adapation (percentage wise/etc), and where can I find data on this topic? Is air conditioning universal? Is AC something that is needed every day, or is it only necessary to use it on only rare occassions? How many days are too hot to do rigourous physical activities outdoors?
I know I can already consult the average and percentile data for any city globally, and I did do so already, but an average and percentile can only tell so much. Averages cannot necessarily describe how widespread the local population is going to adapt AC, or if a summer "feels comfortable or not" to a person. (In Melbourne Australia, the average maximum is "only" 26C, but since it can hit 44C then they'd still adapt AC even if it's 2C "colder" than my city).
I am coming from a baseline of 28C as the average daily maximum, 19C for average minimum, and 18C for dew point. A typical year seems a mean absolute maximum around 36C, but this summer has reached 39C with the heat index higher. 94% of households have air conditioning within my current area. So that is my reference point.
Specifically to answer your AC question: There's no general law. There are local regulations that require some level of heating/temperature control. But for the most part new buildings have AC while older one's you may need to install a window unit yourself.
Being further north means that days are shorter so you have more opportunity to use night time lows to cool the house down. Houses are generally built to be more heat efficient in Canada. Roofs are more insulated and windows block UV light. All good for keeping the heat out during the day until you can open the windows at night.
In the summer, days are longer though. Where I live there's technically no scientifically defined night from late May to early August. It's never dark enough.
Yes but not where OP is inquiring. I'm comparing day lengths 200km +/- the 49th parallel. Which is relevant to cooling your house down at night using the ambient temperature.
It can be the difference between 1 or 4 hours of below 20C temps at night. Which is huge if you're trying to use less AC.
They're inquiring about Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, three places where this is the case.
Edmonton yea. Calgary is right in line with what I'm talking about tho. Winnipeg is even further south. Honestly would have been more appropriate as a separate comment than a disagreement with mine IMO.
Yeah probably.