Is Air Conditioning Luxury or Necessity in the USA?As the world is consuming more fossil fuel, concentrations of greenhouse gases is also risingalong with the earth’s average surface temperature, which could rise between two and 6 degreesCelsius by the end of the 21st century, according to NASA. But while you cannot control outdoortemperature changes, you can regulate your indoor air’s temperature to keep your temperaturebalanced and your mind less stressed.But when considering air conditioning installation, you might also be torn between whether youreally need it or not. So, is air conditioning a luxury or a necessity in the USA? We’ll try toanswer that in today’s post.Is Air Conditioning a Luxury?Air conditioning can be a luxury because of the cost associated in its installation and use. Butwhile you have to spend an upfront cost in installation and unit purchase, you and your lovedones will experience the convenience of having cool air in the summer and warm air in thewinter.Simply stated, long-term benefits are what await your family (or your business with acommercial AC system).
CostWhat’s the cost of air conditioning? If you’re installing window type ACs, expect spendingbetween $150 and $300. But this cost dramatically increases with a central air conditioninginstallation if you have a multiple-roomed, bigger home.Cost is between $500 and $4,000, not to mentioning central air conditioning unit pricesdepending on features and size. On the average, American Standard and Carrier units cost$3,200.Finally, the total cost will depend on the additional installation materials, such as ductwork, unitand air conditioning service rate.ConvenienceInstalling multi-zone AC system provides your household with a more precise control over thesystem. Family members can each set their desired AC temperature.There is no more fighting over the thermostat setting again. So if your wife is cooking, she canlower the temperature to compensate the heat generated by the kitchen appliances, while youcan increase your zone’s temperature if you’re in the living room watching TV.[As multi-zone air conditioning has different valves, allowing opening and closing independentlywhen desired, family members could have better control on the thermostat settings.]So, how much would it cost to run an AC in the summer? It is between $0.25 and $0.35/hourdepending on the room’s size. For larger rooms, it will cost between $0.70 and $0.95/hour. Forheating purposes, cost is between $0.13 and $0.36/hour, but again it depends on the room’ssize.But did you know that some appliances are even more expensive to operate than a cooling andheating system? For example, cleaning appliances, including vacuum cleaners cost about $0.41to $0.82/hour. Home lighting is also expensive, costing between $0.24 and $1.68/hour tooperate several bulbs.Is Air Conditioning a Necessity?In today’s world, more and more homeowners recognize how cooling and heating system is anecessity, not a luxury. Check out the following for reasons you might want to consider installingan air con for your home (or business) as well.Danger of Heat StrokeAccording to the Scientific American, your ability to sweat is what shuts down first when you’reexposed to heat for a very long time.
Once you stop perspiring, your body undergoes transition from heat exhaustion to heat stroke.When this transition happens, your body starts perspiring profusely, and then it becomes veryhot when this sweating stopped. This event will start affecting the brain, causing loss ofconsciousness (passing out) and confusion.Employee Productivity and EfficiencyAir conditioning has direct impact on employee efficiency along with productivity. Exceptmaking your office environmentally friendly, you should also think about the convenience of theworkers at your office. Those who work in air-conditioned factories and offices can increasetheir productivity and efficiency by at least 25% versus those that worked in non-air-conditionedworkplaces, based on different studies.Comfort from air conditioning makes happy workers that have fewer sick days. Health benefits,therefore, can be linked to productivity. Besides, workers in an air-conditioned room, withouteven saying, can work better than those in extremely hot temperature offices do. Therefore,lacking commercial air conditioning can lead to high levels of exhaustion, stress, frustration andreduced productivity.Enhanced Indoor Air QualityAn AC system helps in circulating and filtering indoor air because it has a filter that removespollutants and allergens while pulling air from the room.Simply stated, air conditioning can dramatically reduce indoor air pollution especially whenliving in a home where bad indoor air quality is, and it can benefit family members with allergies
and asthma. Still on indoor air quality, a properly working AC helps in reducing mold growthand preventing allergen spread.Air Conditioning ServiceAir conditioning service is crucial for a city using air conditioner all day long. For instance, inone of the hottest cities in the USA - Las Vegas, it wouldn’t just be possible to get along with airconditioning usage. Particularly, with an average temperature of 71.9°F, 2015 was the secondhottest year in Las Vegas since record keeping began 67 years ago. Temperatures hit at least90°F an average of 135 days a year, the third most of any city in the country.In addition to being hot, Las Vegas is also quite sunny and dry. There are 210 days of clear skiesin a given year, the second most of any U.S. city. So when it comes to a high-quality airconditioning services’ in Las Vegas, they already become a real necessity, as a high quality airconditioning and heating system improves indoor air quality, increases comfort, providesconvenience and improves health, both at home and office.Dehydration and Passing OutBy having an AC installed in your home, you can reduce the risk to heat stroke and dehydrationtwo heat-related diseases that can be life threatening.A Yale University economist, William Nordhaus, who created a mapping analysis, found thatpeople living and operating in cooler climates generated up to 12 times in economic productionversus those in the hottest climates worldwide do.
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