Wasted Energy in Brazil

bepmoht Serial expat

Member since 10 May 2020

bepmohtSerial expatYesterday 20:08:38

224

Wasted Energy in Brazil

Ok, so this is an observation by an old retired engineer. One curious thing I’ve noticed, at least in my town, is how a lot of electrical energy is wasted . I’m presuming this is because of social norms. Specifically what I am addressing here is the use of air-conditioning in municipal, commercial and public buildings. In my town it is very common for shops, grocery stores and public offices to have air-conditioners running inside. However, the entrances to said buildings are left wide open to the dust, heat and noise of the outside world. The only reason I can think of as to why this happens is that there may be a feeling that if the doors aren’t wide open to the outside that it may send some sort of message that they are not welcoming you to enter. Anyway, it’s one of those quirky things that I scratch my head about. As I said in my preface though, this has got to be a massive energy wasting behavior. Maybe in the big cities it’s different, but it’s pretty much the norm here.

What’s your town like?

alan279 Serial expat

Member since 25 December 2022

alan279Serial expatYesterday 20:49:51

679

@bepmoht

Have you noticed any air curtains at the open doorways?

bepmoht Serial expat

Member since 10 May 2020

bepmohtSerial expatYesterday 21:11:18

224

No air curtains, no vestibules and no automatic doors, just WIDE open.

abthree Brazil expert

Member since 28 December 2017

abthreeBrazil expertYesterday 22:53:11

6060

03/11/25 @bepmoht. Here in Manaus, the public buildings (federal, state, municipal, and museums) seem to be closed for the most part, if not air-tight. If doors are open (as they are at the Teatro Amazonas, for example, where people are entering and leaving all day) they're relatively small in proportion to the span of the exterior walls.

Commercial buildings are another matter. Department stores, furniture stores, appliance stores, shopping galleries, and any other store that sells items that are not easily pilferable or has security personnel in the doorways are wide open to the street. This goes for the suspiciously large number of óticas, too -- we joke that either manauaras have the worst eyesight in Brazil, or óticas are a particularly good way to launder money. Some pharmacies have sliding glass doors that close manually, Higher quality restaurants with table service are generally closed, and shops that sell expensive wares are usually closed and locked, and customers ring to be admitted. But the sidewalks on major shopping streets are noticeably cooler than the roadways because of all the cooled air flowing out of the storefronts.