It is interesting to see rants on social media where some have been grumbling about malls and restaurants not being ‘cold enough’ these days, as almost everyone has been implementing some sort of energy saving or efficiency initiative in light of the global fuel crisis due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused by the ill-conceived war of the USA-Israel alliance in Iran.
This is not surprising in a country where the coldness of a room is equated with comfort and luxury, even if it is so cold that jackets, hoodies, or heavy blankets become necessary. That is probably the whole point of it, because Filipinos probably like to imagine that they don’t live in a tropical country, so being cold is cool.
The drawback of this obsession with cool temperatures is that it is an energy-sucking preference. This wasn’t so bad when energy prices weren’t spiraling out of control, and establishments and residences were willing to pay the premium for that perceived luxury, but now that everyone has been forced to be more energy-conscious, the thermostat, along with the gas pedal, is one of the most obvious things to adjust that can deliver tangible results.
If you come to think of it, too many airconditioned malls, restaurants, offices, and bedrooms have thermostats that are set too cold. For most people and applications, the setting shouldn’t go below 20C, with 24C being perfectly fine for most applications. The problem is that too many people in this tropical country like to wear their jackets and hoodies, or snuggle under heavy blankets, so they set their aircons to the lowest possible setting, where the compressor never stops working and it consumes the most energy, which is usually derived from fossil fuels, which are now costly and aside from that, have always been a source of greenhouse gases and emissions that are ultimately bad for the planet and humanity. But hey, it’s cool to be cool, right?
Now that we have been forced to adjust room temperatures to generally more reasonable levels, complainers start coming out of the woodwork, missing the thermal shock that they expect from coming into an airconditioned room.
Could they like the kamote drivers who miss mashing their throttle or gas pedals? After all, what fun is driving when you can’t be fast and reckless, because you are trying to save on unnecessary fuel costs?
If there is anything good that can come from this fuel/energy crisis that Donald Trump has unwittingly led the world into, it can help us realign our priorities when it comes to energy use and the emissions it generates.
In the case of aircon temperatures and thermostat settings, maybe it is time for Filipinos to try getting used to ‘just right’ instead of ‘too cold’. We don’t have to expect to experience thermal shock upon entering the mall. We don’t need to have comforters or fleece blankets in our bedrooms because this is the Philippines, not Sweden. We need to remember that turning down the thermostat doesn’t just make the room colder, it usually requires energy from power plants that run on fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases that are making our planet warm faster. It’s a vicious cycle and our wasteful habits are the primary drivers.
Corporate offices should no longer issue blazers in their uniform packages to achieve that western corporate look, as those pa-cute articles of clothing only encourage irresponsible thermostat settings by employees eager to wear something that has never suited our climate, ending up with energy-sucking, money gobbling, ridiculously low aircon settings in many offices all over the country.
As for malls and restaurants, we all know that it is still a contest among them on who can provide the coolest spaces, because that is what the unreasonable Filipino consumer demands. As long as we attack and shun places that are ‘not cold enough,’ they will be forced to lower their thermostats and turn up the fan speeds. It therefore becomes our responsibility to have more reasonable aircon expectations, and to reward those places that try to be more judicious in the use of energy. Until we are sure that aircons are 100% powered by renewable energy, we will have to change our aircon expectations.
If we want to help save the world and lower energy costs, we should try keeping those hoodies and jackets in the closet, regardless of how cool we think we look in them. Just take them out when travelling to countries that are naturally cold.*
