You’ve probably never devoted a lot of thought to how your air conditioning use affects the rest of the world. So why should China’s newfound love of air conditioning bother you? The rapid adoption of climate control technologies in China and elsewhere may have a major impact on the world in the coming decades. Air conditioning in the United States consumes more electricity than anywhere else – 616 TWh annually to be exact. In terms of the number of installed units, however, China far exceeds the US. As of 2016, China had 569 million installed AC units, compared to 374 million units in the US. Unlike the US market for AC (which is stable), the Chinese market for climate control is hot, hot, hot! As consumers in the country install more units, the demand for electricity will rise significantly. China will soon overtake the US in terms of its AC energy demands.
Globally, air conditioning consumes about 10% of all electricity produced today. Global electricity production will have to increase to meet the demand for air conditioning in emerging markets.
How you can help reduce electricity demand for air conditioning So what does this all mean for us? In short, current methods of electricity production tend to increase atmospheric CO2 levels. To offset the growing demand for electricity, both power production and power consumption must become much more efficient.
One recommendation by the International Energy Agency is to encourage the installation of more energy-efficient air conditioning units. One reason the US currently consumes more energy on air conditioning is the large number of inefficient units still in service. Reducing the number of low-efficiency units in operation will reduce energy consumption, along with the need to produce more electricity.
Today’s high-efficiency air conditioning units offer a lot of environmental benefits. New AC units use more environmentally friendly refrigerants, take up less space, use less electricity and operate more quietly. Lower electricity usage means lower operating costs without sacrificing comfort.
Currently MassSave is offering a rebate of between $250-$500 on new central air conditioning and heat pump installations. The amount of the rebate depends upon the efficiency of the new equipment. You can qualify for a rebate of up to a $1,000 if you retire a working unit manufactured before 2007.
It’s not too late to take advantage of these exceptional incentives to install or replace your AC unit. Contact us at Boston Standard Company at (617) 362-0377
for more information on these great rebate options.
Photo Credit: Darren Poon, via Flickr
Categories:
DIY Air Conditioning, DIY Blog, Energy Efficiency
