COLD.....FOR WUSSES?

We have looked into the portability. The solar panels for the pool are portable. We have decided that the energy panels are portable if installed on a flat concrete roof. The hot water panels are also portable if installed.

Granted it takes a bit of ingenuity and the right roof and willingness to do it. We will do the water first for a remodeled bath.

back in the 60's we did not have no stinking fireplaces.......we just put on a second zarape...

David wrote:Wrong again, the unvented one's are not gas hogs. I've got two of them. Love 'em.

Quite right David, they're remarkably efficient. Ours will cost so much less over even our short winter it will probably pay for itself this year.

In all my years of watching Mexico forums, I have certainly noticed the annual scramble for heaters but I haven't seen this intensity of complaining about the current temps this early in the snowbird season. In checking your temps, I notice a low of 57 and a high of 74 yesterday. In contrast, we had a low of 46 and high of the same 74.

Now I understand the differences in construction between Mexico and NOB homes but this has been a constant for years. So I have to wonder if this new found intolerance to cold can be directly attributed to the aging process or some other factor?

By the way, I am headed out the door wearing shorts for a Costco trip in a few minutes and it is currently 50 degrees.

I think the cold is more because its accompanied with damp. That's not usual this time of year so instead of being just chilly and sweater weather its bone chilly and sweatshirt weather.

I think it's about Mexican construction methods, for one thing: the brick houses cool down and they STAY cool until the very hottest months. So, once the cooler weather comes, those thick walls collect and radiate cold to the point where the ONLY warm spot is outdoors, sitting in the sun. It's very unlike the insulated homes NOB, complete with (gasp) central heating.

In our old house with the very thick walls, the clue to comfort is "zonal heating". It was designed for that, with the central courtyard surrounded by rooms that could be closed off separately so that the living/dining area can be heated by a large fireplace. They knew something back then, and it works in its own way......but very differently.

Back in the States, we loved those open plan houses with the soaring ceilings...and the central heating/cooling magic thermostat. That was then.

ADOBE is KING

Speaking of adobe homes, The Pottery House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just hit the Santa Fe market @ $4.75M:
http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-1200-0563810/the-pottery-house-santa-fe-city-northeast-santa-fe-nm-87501/photos
This house was originally designed by the famous architect to be built in El Paso, TX but disagreements with the future owners led to cancellation of the project. This house was built a number of years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death with the approval of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

What a beautiful house. Thanks for sharing that with us Neil.

[quote="gringal"]I think it's about Mexican construction methods, for one thing: the brick houses cool down and they STAY cool until the very hottest months. So, once the cooler weather comes, those thick walls collect and radiate cold to the point where the ONLY warm spot is outdoors, sitting in the sun. It's very unlike the insulated homes NOB, complete with (gasp) central heating.

Quite correct, Gringal. I did not discuss this as it was irrelevant to my point but our home at Lake Chapala is adjacent to the lake and in a valley surrounded by mature trees. The home, which is made of stone with thick walls and no insulation, retains the cool temperatures of the night into the day and, without some sort of internal heating, does not warm up sufficiently during the fall and winter months. Therefore, the need for propane heaters and a fireplace to take the edge off the meatlocker. On the other hand, during the hot months of April and May, our house remains cool all day even when temperatures climb into the 90sF while homes up the hills become overheated and stuffy. There has been no significant change at Lakeside in the climate over the eleven years we have been here during any season so that is not an issue.

The Chiapas Highlands is a different issue. There, our home is on a hilltop in the historic center with the benefit of full sun during the cloudless or partly cloudy days but the Jovel Valley can be bracingly cold at night and during the shoulders of the day as well as during often cloudy periods as moisture comes in from the Gulf. There, propane heating or fireplaces are advantageous during all seasons including the chilly summer rainy period when the city is subject to torrential rains in the afternoon.

I wouldn´t compare either of these areas with the dreaded Albuquerque Neil is forced to endure when it comes to climate. To think that I actually briefly considered retiring to the New Mexico Highlands back in the late 20th Century. I also considered Tucson and the Alabama Coast but came to my senses and chose Mexico. Shudder!

Neil, I can remember as a poor student at UNM laying in bed hearing the radio announcer say it is 11 pm and 90 degrees. And of course no air conditioning. I think I'll take cold.

[quote="Flamingo"]Neil, I can remember as a poor student at UNM laying in bed hearing the radio announcer say it is 11 pm and 90 degrees. And of course no air conditioning. I think I'll take cold.[/quote]

Ah, yes, Flamingo, I still remember the Alabama I grew up in in the 40s and 50s prior to widespread use of air conditioning; Dawg lying there on top of the sheets during those hot, humid mid-summer nights unable to sleep with only a rotating fan for some relief and remembering how my mama, who had taken a motor trip to California in the 1930s, had told me that in coastal California, even when days were hot and dry, it usually cooled off at night for pleasant sleeping. Even after air conditioning became fairly commonplace, there was the constant drone of those machines producing artificial air that could never compete with the cool, fresh night air of much of California. As soon as I became of age, like Forrest Gump, I found myself in Santa Monica although, unlike Gump, I drove there until I spotted the Santa Monica pier - but no Nanette Funicello - damn!

When we retired, we moved to Highland Mexico after only briefly considering the coasts and hot and humid Mérida. Later, when we decided to move to Southern Mexico, we headed even higher to the 7,000 foot Jovel Valley. Love those crisp, fresh (some would say cold) nights and bracing mornings followed by pleasant, sunny days. To be fair to New Mexico,however, those Santa Fe nights are pretty cool and pleasant as well in the summer although in the winter one can freeze one´s tush if inattentive.

Flamingo: "Neil, I can remember as a poor student at UNM laying in bed hearing the radio announcer say it is 11 pm and 90 degrees."

Granted I have only lived here eight years this time around but I can't say that we have ever experienced any such temps at that hour of the night. Typically our hottest time of day is right around 5pm. We spend virtually every evening on our patio even though we have evaporative cooling inside the house and have never been chased inside by heat or even better bugs. Now wind is a whole different story!

Could the heat you expressed feeling have been caused by chemical substances back in the 60's or 70's? HA!