D4

CARL DUIVENVOORDEN
GREEN IDEAS

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I have a love-hate relationship with air conditioning. I love it because a bit of cool is welcome comfort on a hot day. But I hate the trade-off it represents: a little short-term cooling of an enclosed space today causes emissions that will lead to long-term warming of the planet tomorrow.

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Robert F. Bukaty/The Associated Press

Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce less heat than incandescent bulbs.

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Turning off the air conditioning doesn’t mean you have to roast inside your vehicle. There are more fuel efficient ways to keep cool.

The cost of air conditioning

Whether in vehicles or buildings, air conditioning is hard on the pocketbook and the environment.

Next to driving, air conditioning is the biggest load on a vehicle's engine. Air conditioning can increase fuel consumption by 20 per cent in city driving, according to Natural Resources Canada. That means a vehicle that normally goes 800 kilometres on a tank of fuel will only go about 675 kilometres with the air conditioner on. In dollars and pollution, that's a huge premium to pay for a bit of short-term cooling - and many of us have the AC on by default all summer.

Air conditioned buildings are a significant part of the July load on our power grid. Much of the electricity in New Brunswick is generated from coal and oil (except for those times when we're importing hydro from Quebec). So it's a pretty safe bet that every time an New Brunswick air conditioner gets switched on, an extra little puff of smoke comes out of a big smokestack somewhere.

Thankfully, there is a middle ground combining savings, summer comfort and reduced environmental impact.

Saving in vehicles

The best way to prevent the huge decrease in mileage that air conditioning causes is to turn it off. That doesn't mean you need roast in your vehicle. When driving 60 km/h or less, roll down your window and enjoy a bit of fresh air.

If necessary, you can use your vehicle's fan to blow fresh air into your face. On most days, this combination will provide a pretty good measure of comfort, for free. Wise dogs have known the joy of fresh air for years.

At speeds greater than 60 km/h, the added air resistance caused by open windows makes the engine work harder and burn more fuel, partially offsetting the savings of not using AC. But you can keep a comfortable airflow moving by using the fan to bring in fresh air and keeping a window or sunroof open just a crack to let it out.

Of course, there will be hot days when that's not enough. Still, you can save by alternating the AC on and off to get just the amount of cooling you need. You can service your vehicle's air conditioning system so that it runs efficiently and you can add tinted glass to reduce the amount of heat coming in.

Saving indoors

There are several simple ways to save on air conditioning at home and work:

* Set the thermostat at a reasonable level. Logic, yes, but virtually everyone knows of buildings where the receptionist sits freezing all summer. That's a pretty good indicator of wasted money and energy. A couple of years ago, a Halifax university adjusted all campus thermostats upward just two degrees, and its AC bill decreased by a third.

* Use the AC only when you need it, where you need it. Cool only the spaces where people live or work and only for the time they are there.

* Keep windows closed while the AC is on.

* Dress lightly to reduce the need for AC.

* Turn off everything you can that produces heat, such as photocopiers and coffee makers. Get rid of incandescent light bulbs because the heat they produce makes your AC work harder; install compact fluorescents instead.

* Draw blinds during hot days to keep the heat out; open windows at night to let cool air in; use fans instead of AC.

* If buying a new AC system, choose an efficient one with the Energy Star rating. If you are replacing an existing system with a new Energy Star system while upgrading your home, you may be eligible for a grant from Efficiency NB and the federal ecoENERGY program.

Air conditioning is a short term comfort that has a long term impact. But fortunately, there are ways you can save money and stay cool without overheating the planet.

Carl Duivenvoorden www.changeyourcorner.com is a speaker, writer and green consultant living in Upper Kingsclear. His column runs every other Monday.