Summer’s knocking, and wow, is it hot outside! Everyone’s reaching for that AC remote to beat the heat. And guess what? A bunch of folks are already on the hunt for an air cond service pro to give their cooling buddy a turbocharge for an even chillier blast!
But have you ever wondered what kind of impact this has on the environment?
We’ll discuss how air conditioners work and what they do to keep your home comfortable, as well as looking at some tips to lessen the impact of AC units in the environment.
Do Air Conditioners Cause Any Harm to the Environment?
The first thing to consider is the impact air conditioners have on global warming. The answer might surprise you, and not in a good way!
Air conditioning units use electricity generated by burning coal or natural gas to cool your home — this means they emit tonnes of CO₂ into the environment every year. Together with other energy-consuming areas like transportation, that’s about 64% of greenhouse emissions worldwide.
It also creates extra demand for more power: 42% additional peak load during heat waves when people turn their ACs up higher than usual. All these things mean it will take decades before we’re able to safely reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while maintaining relatively stable temperatures.
A study has found that using just one air conditioner for a year is equivalent to driving 12,000 miles in your car or burning 800 gallons of gasoline.
And if you’re not walking at least two hours per week during summer, the emissions from your AC will be higher than those caused by any other household appliance!
Are There Environmentally Friendly Air Conditioning Options Available?
Yes! The good news is that there are newer, more environmentally-friendly AC units available thanks to the advancement of technology.
The first one is electric air conditioning. It’s working on the same principle as your refrigerator: coolant in a sealed system circulates and can be adjusted to either heat or cool the room — without needing to use electricity!
The only extra energy it requires is that needed for running its compressor, but this type of AC uses 20% less power than older models because they’re so efficient at extracting cold from their coils (which are also made from recyclable materials).
Another more recent invention is an eco-friendly AC with CO₂ recovery built into every unit – these systems recycle about 80% of cooling gas emitted by any home appliance back into the environment while simultaneously reducing electrical consumption.
By choosing one of these types of AC, you’re sure to help the environment without sacrificing your own comforts!
What to Consider When Buying an AC Unit
When looking for an AC unit that can help the environment, you’re going to have a few considerations. We’ll go over the most important ones below:
Choose a Cooling System That Is Energy-efficient
The newer ACs like electric and eco-friendly options are more energy efficient. They work using less power than older models, which means they don’t create as much greenhouse gas emissions for the atmosphere to absorb!
This is one of the most important factors in buying an air conditioner that’s environmentally friendly because it will have a significant impact on how much CO₂ is released into the air over a year.
If you’re going to use your AC regularly, it’s worth investing in one that uses less power and has smaller energy requirements because it means there will be fewer greenhouse gases emitted by your home each day – giving us all more time to find solutions together on how to reduce global warming.
Check For Energy Star Certification on Your New Unit
The EPA’s Energy Star program was created to help consumers identify products that meet energy-efficiency guidelines.
When you look for an air conditioner, it helps to check if the product has a blue label with the words “ENERGY STAR” on it – this is often placed near the unit itself or in its packaging.
This ensures you’re buying a product that doesn’t needlessly consume electricity and emit greenhouse gases to keep your home cool.
Use Your AC Only When Needed
Now that you have an AC unit with less energy consumption, it’s important to use your air conditioner only when needed.
To make sure the new unit is working efficiently and not harming the environment even further, make a habit of using your AC system for no more than two hours at a time – this will help reduce electricity bills
Keep In Mind
In this blog post, we’ve discussed the importance of understanding environmental impacts when choosing an air conditioner.
We hope that these points were helpful and have given you something to think about before going out to purchase a cooling system for your home or office.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our other posts on how much energy it takes to cool different parts of your house. For more tips on saving money while still staying comfortable in the summer heat, give us a call!