Spring forward.
To delete this message, click the X at top right.

Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

Post Reply
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#1

Post by Foggy »

Gift article:

Air conditioning has a climate problem. New technology could help.
There are a lot of ways to make existing AC technology more efficient. Some newer AC units use different refrigerants, such as one known as R-32, which has less planet-warming potential than other hydrofluorocarbons and also takes less energy to compress, thus saving electricity. Other units use technology known as “variable speed compressors,” that allow the unit to run on different settings. The compressor can speed up if it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit and sweltering, or slow down if it’s only 85 degrees. That can help save on electricity and utility bills.

And more advanced models are just around the corner. Kalanki was one of the leaders of an initiative at RMI known as the Global Cooling Prize, which rewarded manufacturers who could produce affordable AC prototypes that would be at least five times better for the climate than existing models. Two companies received the prize in tandem: Gree Electric Appliances and Daikin Industries. Both used traditional vapor compression technology but with improved refrigerants and clever designs that could change settings in response to outdoor temperatures.

Europe wants to get off Russian gas. Climate-friendly AC offers a way to do that.

Other companies, start-ups, and researchers are investigating whether they can ditch vapor compression entirely. A start-up called Blue Frontier uses a liquid that sucks moisture from the air and stores it in a tank to control the temperature. According to the company, this approach could save up to 60 percent of the electricity required to run an AC year-round. And a group of researchers at Harvard University has developed an air conditioning prototype that they call coldSNAP. The prototype doesn’t use a refrigerant, but uses a special coating on a ceramic frame to evaporate water to cool the indoor space without adding moisture to the air. “Because we don’t have the vapor compression system and the energy of trying to release and compress the refrigerants, the energy consumption of these systems is far, far lower,” said Jonathan Grinham, one of the researchers on the project.
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#2

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

I love the Fogbow. Articles like this are fascinating.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
MN-Skeptic
Posts: 3000
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:03 pm
Location: Twin Cities

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#3

Post by MN-Skeptic »

I replaced my 40 year old A/C unit last August. My electric bill has definitely gone down! There's something to be said about more efficient HVAC.
User avatar
northland10
Posts: 5597
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:47 pm
Location: Northeast Illinois
Occupation: Organist/Choir Director/Fundraising Data Analyst
Verified: ✅ I'm me.

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#4

Post by northland10 »

101010 :towel:
User avatar
tek
Posts: 2250
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:15 am

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#5

Post by tek »

the 1968 oil-fired heating system and 1976 air-conditioning system are being replaced at the Undisclosed Secure Location..

the old boiler heads for scrap tomorrow, the new system is just waiting for the electrician to wire the feed.
IMG_20220908_162551696sm.jpg
IMG_20220908_162551696sm.jpg (406.62 KiB) Viewed 574 times
User avatar
Maybenaut
Posts: 2579
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:07 am
Location: Maybelot
Verified: ✅✅

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#6

Post by Maybenaut »

We replaced our oil furnace with an electric furnace, which assists the electric heat pump on really cold days. But we also heat with wood, so hopefully the electric furnace isn’t needed that often.

But we also have a massive solar system, which ought to provide more electricity than we consume. We haven’t had it long enough to know for sure, but haven’t had an electric bill since March - the excess gets banked for use over the winter months.
"Hey! We left this England place because it was bogus, and if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too!" -- Thomas Jefferson
User avatar
Shizzle Popped
Posts: 4819
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:53 pm
Location: South of Circle City
Verified:

Re: Air conditioning makes global climate change worse, but maybe alternatives?

#7

Post by Shizzle Popped »

tek wrote: Sun Sep 11, 2022 4:15 pm the 1968 oil-fired heating system and 1976 air-conditioning system are being replaced at the Undisclosed Secure Location..

the old boiler heads for scrap tomorrow, the new system is just waiting for the electrician to wire the feed.

IMG_20220908_162551696sm.jpg
Those Mitsubishi systems are great. I have a Mitsubishi mini-split in my garage/woodshop and love it. It’s quiet, relatively cheap to run, and has been bulletproof so far. In the summer my shop is generally more comfortable than most of the house. Do make sure they’re serviced once or twice a year to keep them operating efficiently.
"Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write."
John Adams
Post Reply

Return to “Climate Change”