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Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90%

Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning). Sure, let’s make it more efficient where possible, but let’s stop pretending air conditioning is some evil we should feel guilty over. If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer.

Karrot_Kream 5y ago
> Air conditioning accounts for less than 5% of the average home’s energy use in homes that use it (the US is a good source of data here, with hot summers and 90% of homes having air conditioning) The number is higher in places like the South. I don't mean to demonize AC; I think AC should be a fundamental part of living in high-humidity climates. I just think we need to do everything we can to make its use more efficient. > If you want to really save energy, focus on the heating side. It takes far more energy to heat a house in the Midwest from 10F to 70F in the winter than the trivial amount it takes to cool a home from 90F to 70F for a few weeks in the summer. Definitely! Heat pumps should be mandatory for heating. In many newer building codes they are, but it's too expensive for residents of older buildings to upgrade.