To Battle Climate Change, Begin with Your Air-Conditioner

One of the great ironies of climate change is that the technology people rely on to remain cool will only make it hotter as the globe heats. According to World Economic Forum projections, greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioning will contribute as much as a 0.5-degree Celsius rise in global temperatures by the end of the century.

Upgrading Air Conditioning around the World

In a nutshell, air conditioning is in desperate need of an update. Since 1902, when a young American engineer named Willis Carrier invented the first air conditioner to remedy a humidity problem for a printing firm in New York City, the underlying cooling technology underpinning air conditioning and refrigerators hasn't evolved substantially. It is no exaggeration to claim that air conditioning has formed our contemporary world and will continue to go well into a climatic future unlike any other.

Billions of people will soon buy their first home air conditioner in nations with fast-growing economies and already hazardous heat and humidity levels, such as India, Indonesia, and Brazil. It's unclear whether they'll be able to purchase environmentally friendly units or the polluting versions that have long dominated the market.

Challenges

It helps to envision the entire system that Willis Carrier invented—and that we are essentially still using today—to grasp the problem. According to a mechanical engineer and emeritus professor at the University of Illinois, it's called the vapor-compression cycle. It comprises two metal coils, one within the room to be cooled and the other outside, in its most basic form.

Under changing pressure, a liquid refrigerant flows through the coils, evaporating and condensing alternately. The refrigerant evaporates and cools the metal coil within the room as it cools. The refrigerant condenses as it reaches the outdoor ring, releasing heat into the air before the next cycle begins. Meanwhile, when water condenses on the cold metal coil-like drops on a cold beer glass, a fan blows over it, cooling the air and eliminating humidity. 

The $60 billion air-conditioning business, dominated by a few major firms, has long concentrated on lowering the cost of vapor compression–based air conditioners rather than lowering the amount of energy required to run them. Aside from making air conditioners more efficient, it's critical to replace the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants still used in most air conditioners, despite worldwide attempts to phase them out.

Final Thoughts

If history is any guide, a mix of innovation, competition, regular Air Conditioning Repair in Salt Lake City, and regulation will be the most effective way to alter how we keep calm. And speed is crucial since the global cooling competition isn't just about comfort; it's about survival.