As the ‘Amihan’ season has seemingly peaked and starts to wind down, we can expect the brutal heat of the summer season to be just around the corner, waiting to pounce. For now, let us enjoy what is left of the relatively cool nights and early mornings when air conditioners are still optional.
One of the things that this short but pleasant burst of cool weather reminds us of is that our air cons don’t have to be set to super cool all the time, and that it is possible for that household/office appliance to be set to more reasonable levels where the room is still comfortable, so is the electricity bill. If we compound those little gains to an entire month or year of usage, multiplied by thousands or even hundreds of thousands of users, such conscious decisions can contribute to a significant decrease in global emissions due to lower energy usage, especially in countries like the Philippines where coal power plants are still the dominant source of electric power.
While some people still consider a ridiculously cold room sexy or cool, living in such excess is something that should be frowned upon by most because unless the person has a medical condition that requires such low temperatures, using air conditioners that way should be recognized as wasteful and unnecessary.
There are many offices where the aircon thermostat is set to ‘as low as possible’ which is 16 or 18 degrees Centigrade, for no other reason except may so their employees can wear blazers, or layer their clothing. Such temperatures are no longer comfortable for people who just came from outside, where the ambient temperature can be almost 40C during the summer, but they somehow insist on it, which ends up in energy being wasted which means that the planet is being harmed further.
Same goes for homes and bedrooms, where aircons are at full blast while the occupants of the rooms sleep under heavy blankets, maybe because it makes them feel extra luxe.
Even hotels, where customers are supposed to feel extra luxe, should at the very least try to recommend a room temperature that is not wasteful in terms of energy resources and impact to the environment.
If aircon users could just agree to put their thermostats at a reasonable setting, which in terms of comfort should be from 22-24C, our collective contribution to mitigating global warming and energy conservation would be quite significant. Since aircon use is one of the biggest energy hogs, our being more discerning and considerate in that aspect could reduce energy demand from 10-20 percent. That could mean less coal power plants in operation, emitting greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet further.
This is something that heads of households and offices should think about, especially those paying the electricity bills. Adjusting the thermostats of the aircon has an impact on the comfort and energy usage. If we can start or change the bad habit that associates coldness with comfort, we can help brainwash an entire generation that 22-24C is totally fine, and make it clear that unless your home is running on 100% renewable energy, the lowest temperature setting is wasteful and harmful to the environment.
In addition, a lower temperature setting means the aircon compressor doesn’t have to work overtime, which extends its service life, and is always a good thing for your wallet and the environment.
Our government supposedly has an energy efficiency program that applies only to government offices, and the recommended aircon setting is supposed to be part of that. It would be nice to think that those recommendations are actually followed, and that someone from the Department of Energy actually performs energy audits. However, when it comes to private homes and offices, the only thing that the government can do is to encourage, recommend, and educate on its impacts on the electricity bill and the planet in general. The long short of it is that it still depends on us to decide how to use our aircons and what setting the thermostats should be on.
The temptation to super cool a room is always there, especially during the searing summer season which we expect to start within a couple of weeks, and most especially if the one setting the temperature is not the one paying the power bill.
However, if we come to think of it, there is a valid argument to regulate the temperature, which has advantages for the power bill, the service lifespan of the AC unit, and even the planet. All we need to do is to adjust our mindsets, which can be done by thoughtfully turning down a simple dial.*
