“Is my AC going to last through another season?”
“How much will my AC bill be this month?”
It’s common to have these questions during the summer season, but sadly, many of us don’t think about our air conditioners until they break down.
Did you know that in the United States, air conditioning units are now more common than dining rooms or garages?
That’s quite an interesting fact.
According to the Energy Information Association, 87 percent of US homes have air conditioning, with 75 percent having central units. Most people in northern states use individual, portable, and window AC units during the milder months of the year. While 67 percent of Southern states’ households with air conditioners run them all summer long. Despite recommendations from all air conditioning companies, only 43 percent of Americans have yearly maintenance performed on their central AC units, and those who do so see their unit last about 40 percent longer.
Check out some numbers about the machines we rely on to keep us cool if you find yourself thinking about your AC all this time, especially during this hot season. Then, you’ll have peace of mind about how the system should work and alert you with any problems that might require air conditioning services.
Air Conditioning Statistics You Probably Didn’t Know About
- HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. In addition to housing and corporate facilities, this technology is now primarily integrated into many ground, air, and water vehicles.
- There are 84% of homes in the United States with some type of air conditioning. It is estimated that the US uses more air conditioning than all other countries combined.
- In American households, air conditioners are more common than dishwashers, garages, and dining rooms. On average, only 42% of homeowners have their air conditioners maintained by a professional. Regular HVAC maintenance extends the life of air conditioners by 40%.
- Air conditioners release some 100 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year – or about 2 tons per home.
- Air conditioners used chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) until the end of the 20th century. These greenhouse gases are found to be damaging our earth’s ozone layer. By the end of the 1980s, units used halogenated CFCs as a safer alternative, but new research reveals that these pollutants are also toxic for the environment, though they use half as much energy as those before 1990. In 2030, we expect to see safer alternatives to CFCs.
- Recent years have seen significant improvements in air conditioner energy efficiency. Your cooling costs can be reduced by 20 to 50 percent if you install an energy-efficient model.
- Homes in the Northeast usually have air conditioners mounted on walls or windows, whereas homes in the South typically have central air conditioning.
- Gas mileage decreases in a hybrid gas-electric vehicle when the air conditioning is turned on.
- More than $11 billion in electricity is consumed by residential air conditioning in the US, which accounts for 5% of all electricity produced in the country.
- Among the top five markets for air conditioning would be India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan if air conditioning were as popular and accessible as it is in the US.
- There is an approximately 22% increase in summer peak electricity demand when compared to winter.
- U.S. studies show that air conditioning accounts for about 5.5% of fuel consumption in passenger vehicles.
- In most homes, cooling and refrigeration cost about $300 per year. 30%of the budget goes to air conditioning, 17% to refrigeration, and 4% to fans.
- Daikin, the Japanese company is the world’s largest HVAC manufacturer. It was followed by Ingersoll Rand, a US firm, as the second-largest HVAC manufacturer in the world.
- Asia had the largest HVAC market share with almost $115 billion in 2017 alone. With more than 4.5 billion people living across Asia in 2017, it is the world’s most populous continent. Thus, it is not surprising that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are the most in-demand here.
- The most popular type of air conditioner is the split-type room air conditioner with a global demand of 83.46 million units in 2018.
- Air conditioners for rooms come in two types: split and window. A split AC has an indoor and an outdoor unit, whereas a window AC is a single-unit system. The first is more space-consuming and more difficult to install but it produces less noise. Windows-mounted air conditioners are easier to install, but are louder when in use.
- With only 0.41 million units in 2012, the Canadian HVAC demand has not changed much since 2012. In 2018, there were 0.46 million AC units. We know that we have to consider Canada’s population and climate with that stats.
- Physician Dr. John Gorrie registered the first patent for an artificial cooling system in 1851 in Florida. He wanted to keep southern hospitals more comfortable as well as lessen the incidence of heat-born diseases like malaria.
- Gorrie’s idea of shipping ice for indoor cooling from northern lakes to the south inspired other inventors such as Willis Carrier of 1902. In the 1920s, Carrier’s “Apparatus for treating air” led to the first electronic cooling of public buildings, mostly movie for theaters.
Why Air Conditioners are Important
Even though air conditioning is impactful on the environment and expensive, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This makes the hot months more comfortable, while also reducing heat-related illnesses and saving lives. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 618 people die in the U.S. each year from heat exposure. Thousands of deaths from heat exposure were prevented by this measure in the past century.
Cooler air has also helped boost productivity in manufacturing and other fields, as well as allowing more people to settle in southern states, which has reshaped our country’s population.
How to Optimize Cooling and Save Money on your AC
To get the most out of your air conditioner, remember the following points. In case you’re following these guidelines but still do not believe your air conditioner is working properly, you may want to schedule an AC service appointment to find the root cause of the problem.
- Proper Use – The most common types of air conditioners are central air conditioners and single-room air conditioners. For these systems to work, you must keep all windows and doors closed while the system is operating. Whenever cool air escapes, the cooling system runs continuously until the thermostat is reached.
- Regular Cleaning & Maintenance – Your air conditioner can suffer unnecessary wear and tear if dirty air filters and coils are used, debris is present within the unit, and drain lines become clogged. Before the cooling season begins, make sure your air conditioner is regularly serviced so that a technician can thoroughly inspect and clean it.
