1 The REAL Cost of Air Conditioning Mary Anne White University Research Professor of Chemistry and Physics Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Institute for Research in Materials

2 maps from Our world…..scaled to fuel consumption

3 Wasted Energy The U.S. economy wastes 55% of the energy it consumes. The Atlantic, May % exhaust 30% coolant 5% friction 25% mobility and accessories F. Stabler, DARPA/ONR Progress Review and DOE High Efficiency Thermoelectric Workshop, San Diego, March % of the combustion energy of gasoline goes out the tailpipe as waste heat!

4 Energy and Sustainability Scientists are working hard to make more energy- efficient devices and products, but the easiest way to reduce energy consumption is to use less of it! One of the biggest wastes is air conditioning! 75% of US homes have at least one air conditioner heating and cooling accounts for 150 million tons of CO 2 in the US annually air conditioning and refrigeration accounts for 15% of global electricity consumption

5 Wasted Energy – AIR CONDITIONING North American residential/commercial buildings account for 40% of energy consumption. AC accounts for 40% of energy costs of running household in North America (compared with 5% for lights). It costs more energy to cool by 1 o C than to heat by 1 o C! “Seasonal temperature inversion” (rooms colder in summer than winter) is wasteful! Japan introduced Cool Biz policy in 2005: offices kept at 28 o C from June to September; in 2007, CO 2 emissions reduced by 2 million tons

6 Too low a temperature reduces worker productivity…. Keystroke analysis of office workers: Study by Professor Alan Hedge, Cornell University, employees over 4 weeks in real workplace Mean Correct Keystrokes per Minute

7 Bottom line: Stay cool and heat up the planet. OR Turn up the temperature on your air conditioner and: reduce energy consumption reduce CO 2 production directly reduce production of heat increase worker productivity decrease home/workplace operational costs.

8 In warm weather… Be cool…. turn UP the temperature!