Page 28 - Climate Control News December 2018

Future of Cooling
Power struggle to feed soaring
demand for Tcooling
HE GLOBAL STOCK of air conditioners in
buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND FROM AIR CONDITIONERS IS from 1.6 billion today – which amounts to 10 SET TO TRIPLE BY 2050, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT new air conditioners sold every second for
BY THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA).
the next 30 years, according to the report. It's a scary statistic because using air condition- ers and fans to stay cool already accounts for about a fifth of the total electricity used in build- ings around the world or 10 per cent of all global
electricity consumption today.
But as incomes and living standards improve in
many developing countries, the growth in AC de- mand in hotter regions is set to soar.
Supplying power to these air conditioners comes with large costs and environmental implications. One crucial factor is that the efficiency of these new air conditioners can vary widely. For example, air conditioners sold in Japan and the European Union are typically 25% more efficient than those sold in the United States and China.
“AIR CONDITIONER OWNERSHIP IS SET TO SKYROCKET BUT EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR THE BULK OF THESE UNITS ARE MUCH LOWER THAN THEY SHOULD BE.”
- IEA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FATIH BIROL.
Efficiency improvements could cut the energy growth from AC demand in half through mandatory energy performance standards.
IEA executive director, Dr Fatih Birol, said grow- ing electricity demand for air conditioning is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate.
“With rising incomes, air conditioner owner- ship will skyrocket, especially in the emerging world,” Birol said.
“While this will bring extra comfort and improve daily lives, it is essential that efficiency performance for ACs be prioritized. Standards for the bulk of these new ACs are much lower than they should be.”
The report identifies key policy actions compati- ble with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
In its analysis, the IEA found that through strin- gent minimum energy performance standards and other measures such as labelling, the average energy efficiency of the stock of air conditioners worldwide could more than double between now and 2050.
The global stock of air conditioners in buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up from 1.6 billion today.
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