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Written by: Jonathan Bean, University of Arizona

Published: 03 August 2023

 

Picture two homes on the same street: one constructed in the 1950s and the other in the 1990s. There are no trees or other shade. The air conditioning units are identical, recently replaced, and operating perfectly. Identical thermostats are set at 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.8 Celsius).

When it’s 110 F (43.3 C) outside, the 1950s house will likely feel at least 10 F (5.6 C) warmer inside, even with the same air temperature.

Why?

The answer has to do with radiant heat. Radiant heat is what keeps you toasty warm at a campfire on a cold winter night. The fire doesn’t warm the air much; rather, like the Sun, most of the fire’s heat moves through invisible waves directly from the campfire to your body.

In the radiant heat of the Arizona sun, the surface temperature of the uninsulated post-and-beam ceilings in my house, one of 41,000 built in Tucson during the post-World War II era, can reach over 100 F (37.8 C). The single-glazed steel windows register 122 F (50 C), and the uninsulated concrete block walls aren’t much cooler.

Inside my house on triple-digit days, it can feel like I’m standing near a campfire, even with the air conditioner roaring to maintain 75 F (23.9 C). And when the system breaks – as it did during the long-running 2023 heat wave, when Phoenix hit 110 F (43.3 C) every day for weeks – temperatures rise dangerously fast. Without the AC, the hot surfaces plus the swirl of air from the ceiling fan makes the house feel like an air fryer.

Air temperature: An incomplete indicator of comfort

While people are used to thinking about how clothing, air movement, temperature and humidity affect comfort, two lesser-known measures help explain how they experience comfort indoors:

1. Mean radiant temperature. This is the average temperature of all the surfaces that surround us: ceiling, windows, walls, floor. For radiant heat to move between an object and the human body, it needs an uninterrupted line of sight, so ceilings and unobstructed windows have an outsized influence on the radiant temperature experienced in a specific place in a house.

2. Operative temperature. This can be approximated by averaging the mean radiant temperature and the average air temperature in a room. Other calculations of operative temperature take into account effects of air movement, humidity and additional variables. Roughly half of how you experience comfort is determined by the radiant environment.

Unfortunately, as the building scientist Robert Bean (no relation) says, “an entire industry of manufacturers, suppliers, builders and tradespeople incorrectly equate thermal comfort with air temperatures.” The result is that most people are completely oblivious to what actually makes a space feel comfortable — or uncomfortably hot.

On a hot, sunny day, good insulation and double-pane windows slow heat transfer enough for air conditioning to keep the mean radiant temperature inside the building within a few degrees of the air temperature.

However, in an under-insulated building, such as my house, or in some older public housing projects in Phoenix, the high mean radiant temperature can push the operative temperature over 90 F (32.2 C) – even with the thermostat set to 75 F (23.9 C). When the surface temperature exceeds the temperature of our skin, heat will begin to radiate from the hot surface into the body, making heat stroke more likely.

While the exact threshold where overheating becomes dangerous is debated, most people would agree that 90 F (32.2 C) is far too warm for comfort.

Hot surfaces are why smaller buildings, such as mobile homes, tiny homes, shipping containers and garages turned into apartments, often feel uncomfortable regardless of the thermostat setting. Smaller structures expose occupants to three, four or even six surfaces with the exterior exposed to the sun and hot outside air. More warm surfaces, more discomfort.

Cooler surfaces, more comfort

If you live in an under-insulated building and don’t mind using more electricity, you can set the thermostat lower. But if the mean radiant temperature is high, a 2 F (1.1 C) drop in air temperature will feel like only 1 F (0.6 C) — and those hot surfaces will still make you feel uncomfortable.

Adding insulation to your roof and replacing single-pane windows with double-pane units with low-emissivity (low-E) glass can help reduce the mean radiant temperature and your energy bills. They’re expensive improvements, but new federal tax credits and forthcoming rebates, to be administered by individual states, can help.

Trees, awnings and exterior shades can also reduce mean radiant temperatures by blocking direct sunlight. However, glass is a lousy insulator, so in very hot climates, single-pane windows completely protected from the sun can still become uncomfortably warm.

Adding a curtain inside — and keeping it closed — can help decrease mean radiant temperature because the curtain will be closer to the air temperature than the glass.

What about renters in old buildings?

Renters in older, under-insulated buildings are often less able to afford large energy bills, and landlords may be unable or unwilling to make expensive improvements. Making matters worse, older air conditioning systems use two to three times as much energy as newer units to deliver the same amount of cooling.

Since creating a comfortable operative temperature requires setting the thermostat lower, an HVAC system in an under-insulated building must work longer and harder, using more energy and further raising the cost. And the costs of discomfort are not only financial: Hot buildings also have adverse impacts on health and productivity.

Millions of Americans now live in places where cooling is the only thing preventing a mass casualty event. In Phoenix, city code requires rental units cooled by air conditioning to maintain a temperature of no more than 82 F (27.8 C), measured 3 feet above the floor in the center of the room. Unfortunately, the code does not specify whether 82 F is the operative temperature or the air temperature.

That one word makes a world of difference.

In an older, under-insulated building similar to my house — or, in what might be the worst-case scenario, a sun-fried southwest unit of the top floor of an uninsulated concrete high-rise — a seemingly safe air temperature of 82 F could easily mask dangerous operative temperatures of 96 F (35.6 C) or higher.

The key to better design

As a professor of architecture and building science, I believe today’s byzantine building codes and rental rules could be greatly improved for comfort by regulating mean radiant temperature rather than air temperature. Vast sections of code could be jettisoned by requiring that interior surfaces, which are easy to measure with an inexpensive infrared thermometer, be kept within a comfort range above 60 F (15.6 C) and below 85 F (29.4 C).

For more comfortable buildings, architects and engineers can apply simple, established principles, such as natural ventilation, shading and the right insulation and windows for the climate. Keeping heat out in the first place means we don’t have to spend so much on energy for cooling. Research shows that these measures can also make us safer by keeping buildings cooler for longer in summer power outages.

The happy result: homes and other buildings that are not only comfortable, but also safer and more affordable to operate.

Jonathan Bean, Associate Professor of Architecture, Sustainable Built Environments and Marketing, University of Arizona

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 02 August 2023

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In June and July, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office Welfare Fraud Investigation Unit received multiple reports of CalFresh, or SNAP, and CalWORKs EBT card skimming.

The number of reports were unprecedented, as Lake County had not seen a significant amount of EBT skimming in previous months, officials said.

District Attorney Susan Krones said her welfare fraud investigators recognized this to be part of large scale criminal activity that has affected millions of individuals and families nationwide, who depend on these benefits for food and shelter.

During the last week of June, welfare fraud Investigators began going to Lake County’s grocery and retail stores to check for skimmers on point-of-sale card readers, and to show store employees how to identify skimming devices.

One of these contacts resulted in the discovery and removal of two skimming devices; another contact resulted in the recovery of a skimming device which had been previously discovered and removed by store personnel.

EBT skimming is a type of theft that involves placing a device on a point-of-sale card reader to collect card information and pin numbers.

Once placed, the devices can be difficult to detect. The thieves then use the stolen data to clone the EBT cards and use them to purchase food or withdraw cash from ATMs.

Card skimming can also happen to people using the magnetic stripe to make purchases with their credit, debit or gift cards.

Chip readers and contactless (tap) technology is much more difficult to skim and requires more sophisticated equipment.

Since EBT cards do not currently utilize advanced security technology they are a prime target.

Although July saw fewer skimming victims, Krones said investigators believe Lake County can get back to $0 skimming loss with the help of the community.

The Lake County District Attorney’s Office along with Lake County Department of Social Services and California Department of Social Services are proactive and committed to combat skimming in Lake County.

Investigators will continue to inspect point-of-sale locations for skimmers and EBT accounts will be monitored for unusual activity so EBT cards can be replaced, and clients notified before benefits are stolen.

Listed below are things you can do to protect yourself from skimming.

Community members can help by watching for and reporting any suspicious activity or skimming devices on a retailers point of sale card reader to the store manager and to Lake County District Attorney’s Office Welfare Fraud hotline 707-995-4302.

If you believe there is a skimmer on a point of sale terminal, do not use the terminal and notify a store employee immediately.

Do not try to remove the skimmer yourself or intervene if you observe someone placing a skimmer.

CalFresh and CalWORKs program recipients or anyone with a magnetic stripe credit/debit card can protect themselves by:

• Avoid the use of simple PIN numbers, keep your PIN number secret, and change your PIN number frequently.
• Beware of phishing such as texts, emails or phone call requesting your EBT information or saying your account is frozen. Social Services will never call, text or email you with a request for your card and PIN number.
• Change your pin number often so if you card is compromised, thieves will not have your current pin number. At a minimum, change your PIN each month the day before your benefits are issued. Changing your PIN is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself from skimming.
• Check your account regularly for charges, activity or balance inquiries you did not make.

If you believe you are the victim of skimming and your CalFresh or CalWORKs benefits were stolen, contact the Lake County Social Services office at 707-995-4200 or by going to 15975 Anderson Ranch Pkwy in Lower Lake.

Additionally, Welfare Fraud Division investigators encourage anyone who is a victim of skimming to file a police report, though this is not required.

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 02 August 2023

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As part of her continued efforts to help her constituents in Lake County, Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) secured $1.88 million in the California State Budget for the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, or BRC.

The funds include $780,000 to the Natural Resources Agency and $1.1 million to the University of California, Davis for BRC-approved projects critical to Lake County’s economy, ecosystem, and heritage.

“I am truly grateful for the continued support by Gov. Newsom for the rehabilitation of Clear Lake,” said Aguiar-Curry. “I commend Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and the Members of the Committee for their continued dedication toward improving the health of the Lake and the surrounding communities. The work we began with AB 707 in 2017 continues to gather momentum as we work on this critical resource for Lake County and Northern California. My heart is warmed by the local leadership of the BRC. This ongoing effort is the best example of what we can accomplish when state officials work in true collaboration with residents from the local community.”

“We are deeply grateful to Assembly Speaker pro Tempore, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, for her constant support of Lake County’s Natural Resources-focused needs and priorities,” said Lake County Supervisor Eddie Crandell.

As the author of the legislation, 2017’s AB 707, that created the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake and our legislative partner in securing $15 million for the land acquisition phase of the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, no one has done more to support sustainable environmental quality in Lake County than Aguiar-Curry, Crandell said.

“Thanks to Gov. Newsom and our Legislature, new investments of nearly $2 million will be made to improve the health of Clear Lake,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said. “These funds build on $3 million of state funding already invested in lake improvements, and this new funding will help deliver more locally designed projects to improve water quality. This marks the third straight year of substantial investment to restore Clear Lake, California’s largest and oldest natural lake.”

“The investments included in the 2023 Budget Act will not only benefit the health of Clear Lake but also improve the habitat for the threatened Clear Lake hitch and the cultural and economic prosperity of the local tribes and community,” California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs Geneva E. B. Thompson said. “We are grateful to the members of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake for their tireless advocacy and continued collaborative efforts to protect this critical resource.”

These approved projects will bring great value to Lake County as it tries to rehabilitate Clear Lake and prepare for future droughts.

These projects are:

• Adobe Creek Hydrology and Groundwater Monitoring with the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians: This project is to better understand discharge in Adobe Creek, which carries nutrients and sediment that decrease water quality in Clear Lake. This information is vital to understanding how nutrients that cause Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) enter Clear Lake and how the surface water interacts with groundwater.

• Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of Lake County Groundwater Basins with the County of Lake Watershed Protection District: This project will utilize the same technology used previously by the California Department of Water Resources (CADWR) to study at-risk groundwater basins of Lake County to ensure sustainable growth and prepare for the uncertain climatic future.

• Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation with the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians: This project will evaluate the local aquifer conditions and storage potential in Scotts Valley. Future development of groundwater supplies may be required to provide water security for the residents of Scotts Valley and maintain stream flow to benefit the environment of Clear Lake.

• Web-based Clearinghouse for Data and Reports and Expansion of the Bay Area Council Citizen Science App and Dashboard with the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians: This project seeks to create a web-based clearing house for reports and links to data sets that span all entities collecting water quality and Chi/Hitch data on Clear Lake and tributaries. This project will also build off the existing Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians citizen science-monitoring program for fish kills to include HAB and expand outreach, manage data, and share data with other state and federal agencies.

“Lake County has, in many respects, experienced some of the leading effects of Climate Change,” said Crandell. “Repeated wildfires and profound drought have brought renewed urgency to better understanding all of Lake County’s water resources. Many will be aware that the chi/Clear Lake hitch, which is culturally significant to Lake County’s sovereign Tribal Nations, has been severely threatened, in recent years, by insufficient water to support their spawning runs. Despite the relatively wet winter of 2022-23, we must remain vigilant and take action.”

“We greatly appreciate the California Department of Water Resources’ previous investments in Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) Surveys of medium and above priority groundwater basins, including the Big Valley basin in Lake County,” said Marina Deligiannis, deputy water resources director for the county of Lake. “This AEM project will further that vital work and promote responsible natural resource management and sustainable growth as we face an uncertain climatic future.”

In addition to the projects, UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC, will develop a hypolimnetic oxygenation pilot project to design, construct, and implement monitoring, water testing, and scenario testing of hypolimnetic oxygenation, or HO, in the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake.

This site is the smallest basin affected by long-term mercury issues. It is also the site for many of the largest harmful algal blooms. HO will use a device to add oxygen back into the lake to improve water quality. The research on the HO process has empirically shown to improve HABs and methyl-mercury production significantly.

“UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s Hypolimnetic Oxygenation Pilot Project in the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake also carries the potential to be a very positive step forward for Lake County,” said Deligiannis. “Cyanobacteria has affected tourism and recreation on Clear Lake, and reducing Harmful Algal Blooms to the maximum extent possible and mitigating their effects will promote both greater economic activity and public health in our region. We appreciate the Legislature and Governor’s thoughtful investment.”

An additional $3 million from Proposition 68 funds for direct restoration projects covers nearly all of the requested funding for projects approved by BRC in 2022, further demonstrating the efficacy of this collective.

AB 707 outlines the Blue Ribbon Committee members, including significant participation from local officials, Lake County tribal nations, local experts and community members.

Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Yolo, Napa, Colusa, Lake counties, and parts of Sonoma County.