Air Conditioning and Energy Consumption
We all know that air conditioning uses a great
deal of electricity. Well, those of us who regularly use our air
conditioners know that, anyway. We get a monthly reminder from the
electric company to hammer the point home.
The amount of money people are spending to keep their homes cool is
having a profound effect on the heating and cooling industry.
Homeowners are in hot pursuit of efficient cooling systems, hoping
to reduce both the sizes of their bills and their carbon footprints.
We all know that summer electric bills can get high and that gives
us some clue about the levels of energy consumption associated with
cooling. However, our personal experiences don’t provide us with a
look at the big picture. When you examine the overall levels of AC
power consumption, you begin to understand just how much we’re
spending in money and natural resources to stay cool.
Air conditioners use a great deal of electricity because they’re
basically doing battle with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which
states that temperatures will always tend to even themselves out.
Heat flows to cold. An AC will try to “beat” nature by taking a
refrigerant through states of compression and expansion. That
refrigerant will absorb heat from the interior of your home and will
then be pushed outside where it will “dump” the heat. This only
works because of the compression and decompression of the gas and
that relies on electrically-powered pumps and compressors.
To make a long story short, when you’re fighting entropy you’re
going to use some energy. A lot of energy, actually.
Consider the fact that almost twenty percent of the electricity used
in the US every year is used for cooling. That’s right, one-fifth of
our electricity consumption is AC-related. That amazing level of use
has actually been one of the chief reasons why our power grid is
outfitted with excess power generating equipment. The spikes in
power use for which those systems are built come from our air
conditioning use.
You can think about it this way. If you add up the amount of power
we use for cooling, the total quantity is actually more than the
TOTAL electricity consumption for Indonesia and India added
together. We use more electricity to stay cool than the fourth and
second largest countries in the world (in terms of total population
size) use for everything.
When you realize just how much juice is mainlined by air
conditioners, it’s easier to develop an appreciation for a growing
trend of looking for ways to cool homes more efficiently. Air
conditioner power consumption is more than just a way to
inconveniently raise your summer electric bills. It’s a truly
massive use of natural resources.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube