Opinion | I Swore Off Air-Conditioning, and You Can, Too – The New York Times (archive.org)
The author makes assumption errors out the gate:
Our bodies have grown so accustomed to climate-controlled indoor spaces, set at a chilly 69 degrees, that anything else can feel unbearable. And the greenhouse gases created by the roughly 90 percent of American households that own A.C. units mean that running them even in balmy temperatures is making the climate crisis worse.
- We rarely use A/C even though we live in a very hot summer climate. It was 98 deg F yesterday. Instead, our nights usually cool down and we leave windows open overnight to cool down the thermal mass of the house, then shut them during the day.
- Because of how we manage heat (R-60+ insulation in the attic, also, 2×6 construction and triple-paned windows), we probably have the A/C on for a few hours, on a dozen days per year. We are fortunate that we live in a dry climate.
- 69 degrees? If we do use A/C, we set it to 78 degrees F. Consumer Reports says the average thermostat setting is 71. The setting likely varies significantly based on geographic location and humidity. The US DOE recommends 78 degrees F.
- Running A/C is making the climate worse he says – when my house is 100% powered by solar PV, how does this make using A/C worse for the climate?
I assume this is the author.
Life will be better if return to the Stone Ages. It’s just Science.
