The planet would be better off if people moved out of the cold North and instead used more air conditioning. That's because heating is incredibly carbon intensive. Think about the temperature gradients in New York in the winter time. Going from 20 or 30 degrees F to 70 degrees is more carbon intensive than going from 90 degrees to 70 degrees, and the number of days it's cold in the winter is often greater than the number of days it's hot in the summer. The overall carbon burden of heating is greater than that of cooling.
This means that the carbon angst directed at AC is primarily a puritanical impulse. It's a new thing! It feels nice! So it must be a sin!
However, refrigerants are bad for climate because they have huge greenhouse gas potential multipliers.
So the solution isn't really to improve air conditioner efficiency, it's rather to find refrigerants with less warming potential.
And move everyone out of New York and Boston - their climate conditioning is very carbon intensive.
This means that the carbon angst directed at AC is primarily a puritanical impulse. It's a new thing! It feels nice! So it must be a sin!
However, refrigerants are bad for climate because they have huge greenhouse gas potential multipliers.
So the solution isn't really to improve air conditioner efficiency, it's rather to find refrigerants with less warming potential.
And move everyone out of New York and Boston - their climate conditioning is very carbon intensive.