[yxhuvud]

I guess it is a progression where people learn from the problems they had before.

Step 1: It is too hot/cold here

Step 2: Lets put in heating/AC

Step 3: Damn, the electric costs are getting too high. Lets put in insulation and double-pane windows (well, actually three-pane is standard here in Sweden) to keep down the costs.

The further you live to extreme heat or cold the faster a society progress down the ladder. Which is also a reason the death rates during winter is a lot higher (per capita) in central Europe than it is in northern Europe - people in the northern parts have long since been forced to learn to build better houses whereas people in mild climates can afford to fail as it isn't that many days a year that it is a problem.

Have any part of Texas considered central cooling? It should be even more effective than having units in every house as long as it isn't too damp and the water needs to be removed as well. But perhaps that kind of solution would be too socialistic for you :P

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Central cooling/heating probably isn't very popular in the US because of generally lower population densities. A