On climate change and air conditioners

By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

AS TEMPERATURES rise and the city begins to feel like one of Dante’s nine circles of hell, air conditioner temperature settings are sure to be adjusted to the coldest option. But in attempt to save ourselves from sweat, Mother Earth breaks into tears; climate change is her protest.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2015 was the hottest year the world has experienced yet. Meanwhile, summer has truly settled in the Philippines — the Accuweather Web site forecasts this weekend’s temperature high in Metro Manila and Davao City at a sweltering 35 degrees Celcius (°C). Cebu will be a bit cooler at 33° to 34°C.

“Extremely hot days are the new normal. We are now reaching extremes that should set off alarm bells,” said climate change advocate and former US vice-president Al Gore, Jr. when he visited the country on March 14 to 16 for a climate mitigation program.

It was 34°C in Manila, a Monday afternoon, when Mr. Gore came to the Philippines, but the air conditioning units at the hotel Sofitel, where he gave his talk, saved the audience of 700 people from the stifling weather.

Majority of business buildings in the country have air condition systems, while only 10% of households in the country do according to Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Co. (CCAC), a leading provider of air conditioners in the country.

These air conditioners can be a major source of greenhouse gasses and ozone harming chemicals. The Montreal Protocol aims to stop the thinning of the ozone layer through commitments by countries, including the Philippines, to phase out R-22 refrigerants by 2030. The goal is to introduce to the market friendlier alternative cooling agents like R-32 and R-290.

The successful mitigation of climate change is the sum total of efforts of private and government sectors. “It is never easy to be green, but we can do it because we have no choice,” said Raul Joseph Concepcion, CCAC president at a press conference on March 10.

CCAC is behind the Green Footprints Movement, which aims to increase public awareness of climate change and environment-friendly consumer choices. According to Mr. Concepcion, simply cleaning an air conditioner unit regularly and setting the thermostat one degree higher saves as much as 6% of a household’s energy consumption.

One of easiest ways for private citizens to do their part for Mother Earth is to switch off aircons from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closing one unit on weekends. It is also advisable to set the aircon to 25°C, which is easier said than done considering the humidity in the country.

“As a nation, we can help reduce carbon emission by as much as 165,946 tons of CO₂ per year,” said Mr. Concepcion. This is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 45,341 medium-sized cars that traveled 12,000 kilometers in one year.

In its own efforts to meet the country’s Montreal Protocol target, CCAC now carries environment-friendly air condition units.

“Ninety-six percent of our air conditioning products have already been converted to using environmentally responsive refrigerants and we expect to make 100% product conversion within the year,” said Harold Pernikar, Jr., CCAC director and head of the consumer solutions group.

Condura and Carrier are some of its brands. The appliances come with a green seal to signify that they are environment friendly.