Outside Plumbing

WHAT IF THE REST OF THE WORLD USED AS MUCH AIR CONDITIONING AS THE US?

We love our air conditioning in the U.S. The amenity is more common in American homes – 87 percent of us have either central air or window units – than dishwashers, garages, or dining rooms. All told, U.S. households demand more energy for air conditioning than the rest of the world combined.
Part of this has to do with climate (it’s simply inhumane to rent an apartment to anyone in Miami, Atlanta or Houston without providing central A/C). But the bulk of that statistic really has to do with wealth. Air conditioning is a luxury for economies that can afford it. And as the standard of living rises in developing countries, particularly those in some much hotter parts of the world, global demand for the kind of A/C Americans have long enjoyed will skyrocket.
That future entails a particularly frustrating catch-22: As millions more people in the world are able to artificially cool off for the first time (and who can blame them once they get the chance?), this particular niche of energy demand will increase dramatically, further contributing to climate change. And what will we do when the climate warms up? Crank up the A/C even more.
The University of Michigan’s Michael Sivak, whose earlier A/C-themed research we’ve covered, has attempted to calculate what this future demand might look like, if air conditioning became as prevalent in other countries as it is in the U.S. today. Sivak’s calculations, published in American Scientist, estimate country-by-country demand given both local climate and population size. If A/C were as popular and accessible throughout the world as it is in America, these 25 countries would represent the greatest demand:

That graph suggests that eight countries have the potential to exceed American A/C energy demand, or what’s currently the world’s top consumer. Sivak looked at 170 countries for which data was available. The total demand for the 169 countries outside the U.S. could be 45 times greater than the home air-conditioning energy Americans require today. And that doesn’t even take into account the few dozen countries that Sivak didn’t look at.

These calculations are obviously based on a big assumption: that households in Myanmar and Malaysia will achieve American-like A/C ubiquity. By the time they do, it’s possible that the world will have come up with some insanely efficient way of keeping people cool in summer, meaning that we’ll need less energy a few decades from now to satisfy cooling demand in Thailand that’s relatively comparable to the U.S today.
Sivak concedes that he also didn’t consider locally important variables like cloud cover, humidity, construction materials or interior space per person (one person in a large American home needs to cool a lot more space than one person in a small Indian apartment). Consider these calculations, he suggests, as “first approximations.” As he concludes:

Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand. This trend will put additional strain not only on global energy resources but also on he environmental prospects of a warming planet.
If you have any questions about how you can make your central air more efficient or have any concerns regarding any of your HVAC needs please feel free to contact your friends at Green Apple Mechanical NJ toll free at 888-611-7191

WHY YOUR AIR FILTER MAY BE DESTROYING YOUR CENTRAL AIR

 
We know life gets busy. So it’s easy to forget to do minor maintenance tasks around the home, especially in the summer.
But, if you forget to change your air conditioner’s air filter at least once a month, you may have a dead air conditioner on your hands.
According to ENERGY STAR, “A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.”
So, how in the world can a dirty air filter do all that? We’ll discuss why in this article.
Once you know why, you’ll hopefully be much more likely to remember to change it!

Why a dirty air filter is deadly to your air conditioner

Your air filter’s job is to keep pollution and debris out of your air conditioner. Basically, it’s safety net.
But once that filter gets clogged with dirt, it slows down airflow in your air ducts, making your central air conditioner work harder to cool your home.
To give you a more concrete way of thinking about it, imagine breathing with a thick sweater over your face.
Sure, there are holes for you to breathe through, but you have to put much more effort into breathing.  Well, that’s what it’s like for your air conditioner trying to move air with a dirty air filter in the return duct. It’s working harder and longer to compensate for the barrier of dust and dirt.
If this continues, your air conditioner’s cooling coil will eventually freeze, causing the compressor to fail.
If your air conditioner isn’t in warranty, prepare for an expensive repair bill—between $400-$1550 (depends on who’s installing it, and the size and brand of your air conditioner).
And the last thing you want is you air conditioner to break down on the hottest day of summer.
Another possibility is that the air handler (the inside A/C unit blowing the air throughout your home) overheats and breaks, another problem you don’t want to pay for.

How often to replace the central air conditioner air filter

Change the air filter at least once a month for maximum efficiency. This is especially true in the summer when you’re using your air conditioner all the time. There’s more air going through the vents, which means the filter is catching more particles, more often.
If  you aren’t sure what type of air filter you need or you have any questions regarding any of your HVAC needs please feel free to contact your friends at Green Apple Mechanical NJ toll free at 888-611-7191

A small river named Duden

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The all-powerful Pointing

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The headline of Alphabet

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A paradisematic country

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Incapable of drawing

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