Census: 95% of new Homes built in 2019 had central air-condioning and 98% had central heating

[52051]

Ah yes, I remember Mao saying China would never embrace cars because it was a wasteful Western thing. Now you have cars everywhere.


Why don't you just take your rebuke to the next level and simply ban A/C from all Chinese homes as it is an obvious needless waste of money used by selfish Chinese people imitating wasteful Western life since everybody in China was doing fine before it.

..or you can accept it and realize you are where we were in the 1960's/1970's with shoe-horned in room units. Now A/C is simply part of integrated US home construction. When that happens in China you'll have selective amnesia and will be crowing about it too just like cars.

LOL, don't shot the messenger, per-captia wise the US household power consumption is at least one of the highest in the world (even much higher than north europe if my memory serves) , if not the highest, despite of living in a relatively warm region.

Meanwhile nearly 70% of newly added electricity capacity in China is green energy now, the GREEN-energy capacity added last year along, is enough to power 1/3 of the entire US:

China add 191 gigawatt's electricty capacity in 2020, 70% of which is green energy

The electricity capacity added in 2020 along, is enough to power half of the US (3.9 million gigawatt hour/year) More importantly, 70% of the newly added capacity are green energy: Including: Thermal power: 56.37 gigawatt Hydropower: 13.2 gigawatt Windpower: 71.67 gigawatt Solar power: 48.2...

defence.pk

 

[dbc]

LOL, don't shot the messenger, per-captia wise the US household power consumption is at least one of the highest in the world (even much higher than north europe if my memory serves) , if not the highest, despite of living in a relatively warm region.

Meanwhile nearly 70% of newly added electricity capacity in China is green energy now, the GREEN-energy capacity added last year along, is enough to power 1/3 of the entire US:

China add 191 gigawatt's electricty capacity in 2020, 70% of which is green energy

The electricity capacity added in 2020 along, is enough to power half of the US (3.9 million gigawatt hour/year) More importantly, 70% of the newly added capacity are green energy: Including: Thermal power: 56.37 gigawatt Hydropower: 13.2 gigawatt Windpower: 71.67 gigawatt Solar power: 48.2...

defence.pk

Nope..

China's new coal power plant capacity in 2020 more than three times rest of world's: study

China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals.

www.reuters.com

 

[52051]

Nope..

China's new coal power plant capacity in 2020 more than three times rest of world's: study

China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals.

www.reuters.com

newly added (in 2020) is the keyword

 

[Invicta]

My father-in-law's electricity bill says otherwise.

You have ignored the fact usually you only need to provide cooling/heating for a few rooms from AC, not the entire house (I am sure Americans will cool the whole house 24/7 since they dont care others, let along the earth).

And you have not considered the fact for central air conditioners, you need have to consider the energy wasted in AC tunnels (both cooling itself and the energy needed to deliver the cooling/heating to the room you want) and the energy waste on AC working on its low energy-efficient region when you only has a few rooms in your house for cooling etc.

As for the difference of energy efficiency between a high power AC (Central) and a relatively low power one, well, for Level-4 efficiency ACs, the difference is actually non-existing, I have actually compared them before my purchase.

I used to design HVAC systems for buildings and large houses as my first job, that is why I said what I said.
All the problems you have highlighted are only problems that arise in a badly designed system.

1- Central AC systems designed properly can provide cooling to individual rooms. The design would include dampers or VAV's that control and modulate airflow throughout the system.

2- Central AC systems are more energy efficient, this is inherent in the system design any thermal losses you are concerned about can only be attributed to improperly lagged or insulated ductwork. This is a common reason for Central AC system not performing well. Most common reason is that the client gets a random Dave to install the system who only allows for ductwork but does not consider insulating or lagging it.

3- Central AC units energy transfer is more efficient, this is the reason why on major high rise projects in London and some other top residential projects I have been involved in all have Central AC.

 

[VCheng]

I used to design HVAC systems for buildings and large houses as my first job, that is why I said what I said.
All the problems you have highlighted are only problems that arise in a badly designed system.

1- Central AC systems designed properly can provide cooling to individual rooms. The design would include dampers or VAV's that control and modulate airflow throughout the system.

2- Central AC systems are more energy efficient, this is inherent in the system design any thermal losses you are concerned about can only be attributed to improperly lagged or insulated ductwork. This is a common reason for Central AC system not performing well. Most common reason is that the client gets a random Dave to install the system who only allows for ductwork but does not consider insulating or lagging it.

3- Central AC units energy transfer is more efficient, this is the reason why on major high rise projects in London and some other top residential projects I have been involved in all have Central AC.

My home AC has maintained 72F in the whole house pretty much since the new unit was installed over a decade ago, the odd service outage being only minor. I love the automatic changeover thermostat that switches between heating and cooling as needed. Problem solved!

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

History of Residential Air Conditioning - KCC Heating and Cooling

Residential air conditioning is popular now, but that wasn’t always the case. As part of our summer blog series on air conditioning, we have put together a timeline of commercial and home air conditioning usage in the United States. Learn when this appliance became a must-have in Louisville KY...

www.kycomfort.com

Residential air conditioning is popular now, but that wasn’t always the case. As part of our summer blog series on air conditioning, we have put together a timeline of commercial and home air conditioning usage in the United States. Learn when this appliance became a must-have in Louisville KY and across America.

Air Conditioning’s Commercial Beginnings
While earlier prototypes existed in industrial settings, the first air conditioner as we know it debuted in New York City’s Rivoli Theater in 1925. It pushed air through water-chilled coils to produce a stream of cooled air and relied upon a central compressor to keep things cold. Since hot New York summers led locals to flock to the movie theater (as it provided the only air conditioner), the AC also launched the concept of the “summer blockbuster” movie that’s still relevant today.

Rivoli Theater
This 1925 invention, by American engineer Willis Carrier, launched the concept of commercial air conditioning. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, these early air conditioners spread through theaters, department stores, office buildings, and even train cars, providing comfort and allowing employees to be much more productive in summer months.

The Rise of Residential Air Conditioning
In 1931, engineers H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman developed the first window-unit air conditioner. These early units featured a similar design to today’s room air conditioner models: A box that sits on a window ledge and cools one or more rooms. One year after their invention, these room air conditioners were available for purchase to the tune of $10,000 to $50,000, Popular Mechanics reports.

Of course, this hefty price tag put them out of the reach of nearly all Americans. For air conditioners to really become widespread, the cost would need to come down first.

In the 1950s, thanks to increased American prosperity after World War II, air conditioning units first became widely affordable. Everyday Americans were able to buy room units and enjoy cool comfort year round. In 1953 alone, 1 million air conditioners were sold.

Things changed again in the 1970s, when central air was invented. The early central air functioned much as it does today: Using a condenser, a fan, and coils, air makes its way through the unit, gets chilled, and gets dispersed throughout the house. These early central air conditioners used Freon as a refrigerant, a substance later revealed to be an environmental hazard.

Since the 1990s, when Freon’s dangers came to light, manufacturers have worked to develop greener room and central air conditioning units.

At present, roughly two-thirds of American homes have air conditioning. American homeowners spend $11 billion each year on AC to cool their homes and consume 5 percent of the country’s electricity to do so.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

A 'cool' House: Here's how this Manassas home was one of the first to have air conditioning

When it is hot, most of us want to get cool. That was not always possible. Annaburg Manor in Manassas, Virginia was one of the first homes to have A/C.

www.wusa9.com

When it is hot, most of us want to get cool. Today, we would turn on the air conditioning. However, that was not always possible.
One early home cooling system emerged in Manassas, Virginia -- not far from the District.

At the intersection of Portner and Maple Streets in Manassas, there stands a regal building built in the 1890s named Annaburg Manor. Prussian immigrant and millionaire brewer, Robert Portner, built it as his family’s summer home, naming it after his wife Anna.

This remarkable dwelling included one of the first mechanical air conditioning systems, invented by Portner himself.
While there are other, more famous early air conditioning pioneers, such as Willis Carrier’s 1902 system, the Manassas Manor may have been the first mechanically cooled, climate-controlled home.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

 

[fallstuff]

Central Air/Heating is the most efficient when the house is properly insulated by design. Houses designed in the USA with central HVAC as part of the design.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

More New Homes Built with Air Conditioning | Eye On Housing

The Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) provides valuable information on the characteristics of new homes started construction, such as air conditioning and heating system installations. Air Conditioning In 2020, 95.4 percent of new single-family homes started had a central AC system...

eyeonhousing.org

More New Homes Built [in 2020] with Air Conditioning​

The Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) provides valuable information on the characteristics of new homes started construction, such as air conditioning and heating system installations.

Air Conditioning

In 2020, 95.4 percent of new single-family homes started had a central AC system, slightly higher than 95.0 percent in 2019. The trend, going back to 2000, shows a steady rise in the share of new homes with central AC, going from 85.5 percent in 2000 to 95 percent in 2019 (Figure 1).

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Nearly 90% of American homes are now using AC

More Americans are installing central air conditioning as heatwaves become more common.

qz.com

Nearly 90% of American homes are now using AC​

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

My home AC has maintained 72F in the whole house pretty much since the new unit was installed over a decade ago, the odd service outage being only minor. I love the automatic changeover thermostat that switches between heating and cooling as needed. Problem solved!

There's been a heatwave going on and I didn't notice because my house temperature is around the same temperature year round no matter what it is like outside.

All i'm noticing is my grass not looking so green.

 

[VCheng]

There's been a heatwave going on and I didn't notice because my house temperature is around the same temperature year round no matter what it is like outside.

All i'm noticing is my grass not looking so green.

There are days in the spring nd fall where the AC runs during the day, and heating during the night. Right now the AC is running 24/7 given the heatwave. I am thinking of adding a smaller unit for the garage too.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Asking the elderly about how life was like before air conditioning became common in the US.

Automotive air conditioning - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Air-conditioning for automobiles came into widespread use from the 1980s."