DOMESTIC AIR CONDITIONING
A smooth take-off
The rise of domestic air conditioning has been subtle, and Roberto Mallozzi, managing director of Gree UK looks at why it may have passed notice.
E
very year, there are comments in the trade press predicting that this will be the year domestic air conditioning will finally take off; a prediction that is repeated the following year and the following year and so on. In fact, it has already taken off, just so slowly that we did not really notice.
Many commentators looked around the world, saw domestic air conditioning booming and expected that to happen here; and of course, it will not.
In our temperate climate, we have traditionally not needed cooling in our homes, just heating. There is the occasional heat wave, but they are usually so short lived that they are over before anyone has seriously considered installing permanent comfort cooling. Cooling in the home was always considered nice to have, but not essential.
Of course, all modern air conditioning systems can heat as well as cool, but even the mature commercial sector is only just getting to grips with that one.
However, numerous factors have been building up over recent years that are encouraging the incremental growth of domestic air conditioning. It started with high-end new- build and refurbishment, but is very gradually seeping down.
46 March 2017
One of these factors is global warming, whatever Donald Trump might think.
Last year was the warmest since records began in 1850, and this was the third record year in succession. All of the warmest 10 years on record for global average surface temperature have occurred since 1997. This does not necessarily mean we will have more prolonged heatwaves, but both summers and winters will get wetter and warmer. The second factor is air quality. In January, on several occasions, London’s air quality was worse than that of Beijing, with its infamous smog. The Mayor of London’s office estimates that 9,400 premature deaths a year are caused by poor air quality in the capital, which reached its annual limit for pollution in just five days.
Air quality is falling in most conurbations across the world, including others in the UK. This is being put down to the increase in diesel transport and wood-burning stoves, both of which were originally encouraged for environmental reasons. Traditionally, if we wanted to cool down in this country, all we had to do was open a window, but this is becoming a less palatable option in cities. This, added to fear of crime, means comfort cooling is becoming the best option for staying
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