ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF AIR CONDITIONALS AND ALTERNATIVES TO ITS USE

EFFECT OF AIR CONDITIONAL ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Heat doesn’t appeal to everyone and, as the mercury begins to rise, most people react by reaching for the air conditioning remote. But, while air conditioners may keep the heat away, research shows that they adversely affect the environment.

 Air-conditioner Impact on the Environment

As the use of air conditioners continues to increase, so too does their impact on the environment. Air conditioning units not only have the potential to place great strain on national power grids, they also pose a significant threat to environmental health and global warming. Studies suggest that air conditioners are responsible for producing up to 100 million tons of CO2 emissions each and every year in the United States alone.

The impacts of air conditioners are two-fold, according to Durwood Zaelke, president of the non-profit Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. In addition to energy consumption, he says there are additional environmental impacts traced back to the units’ refrigerants – the liquid agents within the coils that are used to cool and dehumidify the air. “You’re putting out more climate pollutants as you’re burning more coal or gas to run the air conditioners, and you’re also putting out the greenhouse gases that serve as refrigerants in the equipment,” he said.

Different refrigerants have been used over the years, with HCFC-22 (also referred to as R-22) having been the most common in residential air conditioning systems for several decades. Unfortunately for the environment, releases of HCFC such as those through common leaks in air conditioners contribute to global warming. HCFC-22 is 1810 more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Additionally, the production of HCFC-22 results in a by-product called HFC-23 that also contributes significantly to global warming.

Alternatives to the use of Air Conditioners

Before reaching for the air conditioner, consider a number of energy-saving alternatives to help keep you cool. Few suggestions for those hot summer days are listed below.

1. Keep your shades drawn during the day. When sunlight streams through your windows, it essentially creates a miniature greenhouse effect in your home. Shutting your blinds, curtains and windows during the hottest parts of the day will help block the sun’s heat and naturally cool your home. Do this until night falls and it’s cool enough to open your windows.

2. Make your own air conditioner. Take a shallow bowl and fill it with ice cubes. Carefully place the bowl in front of a fan and adjust the fan so that air is blowing directly over the ice. As the ice begins to melt it will cool the surrounding air and the fan will blow it in your direction. Alternatively, spray an old sheet with cold water and use it to cover a window’s opening. The cold and damp sheet will cool the breeze as it passes through the window, bringing in chilled air and helping to reduce the temperatures in your home.

3. Turn off fans and electronics when you’re not in the room. Fans create a breeze, but they don’t physically cool the air already in a room. In fact, they can actually have the opposite effect. Like all appliances a fan’s motor generates heat when it runs, so be sure to turn fans off when you’re not in the room to help keep temperatures down. Similarly, light bulbs also have the potential to generate a surprising amount of heat when left on for long periods of time. Turning off lights when they’re not being used will not only save energy, but will also help cool your home. The same goes for all electronics including computers and televisions.

4. Take a cold shower. It might seem simple, but one of the easiest and most effective ways to escape the heat is to cool your core temperature by immersing yourself in cold water.