Session: 02-03: HVAC System Analysis I

Paper Number: 130695

130695 - The Value of Air Conditioning 

Abstract: 

The advent of global climate change and rising incomes, particularly in some developing countries such as India, means that the use of air conditioning is poised for a dramatic increase over the next few decades. Although this anticipated increase appears inevitable, it is often associated with a negative connotation because of the increased energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions associated with expanded air conditioning use. Yet, the benefits of air conditioning are not often described in existing literature in conjunction with its associated negative externalities. For example, higher productivity in commercial buildings, and positive health benefits in all manner of buildings (residential, commercial, and industrial) could potentially offset the greater energy consumption and related disadvantages. The increased emphasis on dealing with airborne infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, complicate such an analysis in that increased ventilation rates are often necessary to dilute recirculated air, but at the expense of increased air conditioning costs. We present a discussion and relatively simple cost/benefit analysis that attempts to define under what circumstances building air conditioning provides benefits that exceed its costs, and vice versa. Our preliminary results indicate that the benefits of air conditioning far outweigh its disadvantages, thus emphasizing the importance of maximizing air conditioning efficiency, and minimizing its costs, to enable a greater share of the world’s population to implement air conditioning and take advantage of its benefits.

Presenting Author: Patrick Phelan Arizona State University

Presenting Author Biography: Patrick “Pat” Phelan is a Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), the Associate Dean for Engineering Graduate Programs, and the Director of the ASU Energy Efficiency Center. He received his BS from Tulane University, his MS from MIT, his PhD from UC Berkeley, and was a post-doc at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He served as the Director of the NSF Thermal Transport Processes Program, and as the Manager of the Emerging Technologies Program at the DOE Building Technologies Office. He is the Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Energy Efficiency and an ASME Fellow.

Authors:

Patrick Phelan Arizona State University
Bernadette Phelan Phelan International LLC