<story><title>Soundproofing for New York Noise</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/realestate/soundproofing-for-new-york-noise.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jzwinck</author><text>One of the culprits:&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; air-conditioning units (which are basically unrestricted openings to the street)&lt;p&gt;Window air conditioning units are virtually unknown in a large part of the warm weather world.  We use &amp;quot;split systems,&amp;quot; where only a couple thin pipes and some wires connect the outdoors with the indoors.  NYC&amp;#x27;s fascination with inefficient window units is really quite strange.  I suppose landlords enjoy not having to pay for installation and maintenance of permanent units.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>untog</author><text>&amp;gt; NYC&amp;#x27;s fascination with inefficient window units is really quite strange. I suppose landlords enjoy not having to pay for installation and maintenance of permanent units.&lt;p&gt;Fascination is not the right word. As you correctly assert, landlords have no interest in installing permanent AC, so my window unit is my only option, and it isn&amp;#x27;t particularly fascinating.</text></comment>
<story><title>Soundproofing for New York Noise</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/realestate/soundproofing-for-new-york-noise.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jzwinck</author><text>One of the culprits:&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; air-conditioning units (which are basically unrestricted openings to the street)&lt;p&gt;Window air conditioning units are virtually unknown in a large part of the warm weather world.  We use &amp;quot;split systems,&amp;quot; where only a couple thin pipes and some wires connect the outdoors with the indoors.  NYC&amp;#x27;s fascination with inefficient window units is really quite strange.  I suppose landlords enjoy not having to pay for installation and maintenance of permanent units.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>tw04</author><text>Given that a window unit is on the order of hundreds to a thousand dollars (for a REALLY nice unit) and the permanent external&amp;#x2F;internal systems are on the order of $5-10k, I think the fascination is pretty obvious.</text></comment>