Climate activists want you to get air conditioning - Yorkshire Post Letters

Climate activists want you to get air conditioning. They really do. Rather than wanting everyone to be miserable as some commentators say, climate activism is about protecting our standard of living and our environment by making sensible choices.

If you support both reducing emissions and adapting to a warmer planet then AC is going to be essential for saving lives and supporting the economy, for example by helping schools and businesses stay open in heatwaves. Passive measures like shades and insulation are important but AC can help further.

Air conditioning powered by coal-fired electricity was once an expensive environmental disaster, but not anymore, and not if you get it installed properly in a building, and avoid the problems associated with portable units with window hoses (noise, cost and poor efficiency).

A recent Carbon Brief report explains that AC doesn’t increase national emissions or energy costs because we usually have a large excess of zero-emissions, solar generation on hot sunny days.

So large that the wholesale electricity price drops like a stone and occasionally goes negative. If you have home solar you will recognise both the savings potential of combining AC with solar PV, and the added advantages of having a battery to cover overnight use. Green electricity means we can have green AC.

The compelling argument in the UK is for an air-to-air unit that runs for both cooling and heating because it improves the payback on your investment. You enjoy having cooling in summer, and then all winter it will cut your bills because it is cheaper to run than the gas boiler for the same heat output. Meanwhile it reduces pollution and carbon emissions because you will use your gas boiler less.

From this year you can get cheap green bank loans for improving your house, as well as grants for some items, so there’s never been a better time to upgrade your home. Adding solar PV, a battery and a modern air conditioner/ air to air heat pump can make you and your family comfortable in summer and winter at an affordable cost.

Finally, if you can support your local schools’ and community spaces’ fundraising efforts to install solar and the kind of AC that saves on heating in winter, you can help your wider community to adapt to warmer summers and reduce energy costs as well. All without making the problem worse.