Comfort Zone

by Glenn C. Koenig, Webmaster at Town Wide Mall

Maynard, MA - The age old question is "Hot enough for ya?" Of course, this is New England, so the weather could change at a moment's notice.  Unfortunately, for the rest of this week, change is unlikely; predictions are that high temperatures will last at least through Friday, with the humidity not likely to break until early next week.

Temperatures are high enough to cause significant health problems, especially for anyone without adequate cooling indoors.  Regional radio and TV news programs have been carrying stories about cooling centers in major cities, but Maynard is one of many small towns too numerous for them to cover.
For example, Boston has declared a heat emergency and has opened numerous cooling centers, as well as splash fountains and swimming pools.  Cities like Boston can end up with a "heat island" effect, where extensive expanses of asphalt pavement and roof materials soak up heat from the sun, creating even higher temperatures, so these facilities are essential.
Here in Maynard, we have a lot more open space with trees and other plant life, which can help absorb sunlight and slightly reduce the heat build up.  However, being a much smaller town, we only have a few options for cooling off.  Still, when it's this hot, it's important to be cautious, no matter where you live.

I checked Maynard's town web site and found an announcement regarding the heat wave here:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=227
On that page, three cooling centers are listed, although when I contacted both the Police and Fire departments, I could only confirm that the Fire Department actually has one available.

The Maynard Fire Department facility is located at 30 Sudbury Street, overlooking the large parking lot and mill pond, adjacent to the mill.  (For anyone out of the loop for the last few years, do not go to the old fire station at the corner of Summer and Acton streets, in downtown Maynard; it's been closed for over a year, ever since the new fire station opened.)

If you drive there, either turn in and go past the front of the building to park in the large parking lot to the left and behind, or drive a up Sudbury Street to go around the back of the building (it says Church Street in the illustration here), and park in a visitor spot.  Visitors are asked to enter by the door at the back corner of the building, to keep the space at the front of the building open for emergency vehicle access.

The Fire Department has a web page with extensive information about not only their cooling center, but other tips for surviving in the heat:
https://maynardfd.com/2024/06/18/maynard-police-and-fire-departments-share-tips-for-staying-cool-amid-heat-advisory/
On their site, it says that temperatures, such as we're now experiencing, "...can be extremely hazardous and at times fatal."  This may be common knowledge by now, but what seems to catch many people off guard is how the effects can develop slowly, while we aren't noticing, then become severe suddenly.  Because of this, it's very important to reduce exposure in the first place.
Although the 911 emergency phone system was offline for a few hours earlier in the week, the problems have now been fixed, so if someone appears to be struggling, get them to a cooler place right away, and call 911 for help.

Comment

For many of us, the common window air conditioner is our best defense against becoming overheated, at least when central air conditioning is not available.  In a heat wave such as this, there are few alternatives.  It's clear that they use enough electric power to increase your electricity bill and electric consumption still has a significant environmental impact, but when it comes to your health, the best bet is to err on the side of caution.

During a heat wave such as this, where even temperatures and humidity at night are too high for most people to sleep comfortably, just using window fans is not recommended.  However, there are many times during the summer when the air outside at night is even cooler than it is in an air conditioned room.  In that case, using a fan can save electricity and provide fresh air for better sleep, as well.

However, most air conditioner window units require you to securely mount it in the window, preventing the use of a fan.  Recognizing this problem, I devised a simple means to allow a window to be opened without having to remove the air conditioner or having it fall out onto the ground below.  I called it a "Window Bar" and made a video about it a few years back, before I started this news feed, here at Town Wide Mall.

I have been meaning to record a video on how to make one of these, but somehow, something else yet again interrupts me, and I have to put it off.  Since we had a heat pump installed after I made this video, we don't use window units in our house anymore, so I need a volunteer who still uses one, to show how it's done.  Ideally, the location would be a bedroom, in someone's home, where there is another window for cross ventilation. My plan would be to record the video on how to make one, do the actual work in my shop, install it, then leave it in place for the homeowner to use afterward.

Conclusion

There are many efforts to convert to sustainable energy sources for society as a whole. Some of them are very big and impressive, such as giant battery systems, pumping water up into lakes to flow down through hydro dams when needed, and so forth.
As impressive as they may be, conservation is often the forgotten factor.  There are no big headlines, no photos of impressive technology, and so forth.  Conservation is often based on the efforts of millions of people, taking the initiative to change habits and adopt new ways of living that can make a big difference.
With energy as plentiful and low cost as it has been over the previous decades, our culture adapted to what was available.  However, now that we realize what the impact of our energy use is, we must take the responsibility to adjust.
Although conservation may seem to involve sacrifice, the truth is, many ways to save energy and lighten our impact on the planet do not require extraordinary measures.  Often, simple change in habits or adjusting our lifestyles in minor ways can help a lot.  The Window Bar is just one idea of something simple that can be done, yet save a significant amount of energy.  There are many more.  I have a few articles on my web site https://energystories.org but they are only a few of what's available.