The use (and abuse) of the air
conditioning in the cities has a measurable effect not only on energy
consumption, carbon footprint and high bills that let trembling, and not cold.
Besides all this, cool the interior of the houses and offices supposed to fan
the heat outside, according to US researchers have discovered.
Rising temperatures, which may
involve more than 1 degree Celsius, peaks at night, concluded scientists at
Arizona State University who studied this curious effect in the metropolitan
Phoenix area, although they believe that the results are extrapolated to other
areas.
A vicious circle
The scientists used computer
models and studied the meteorological records. They noted that despite the air
conditioner is used more during the day, the highest temperature difference is
produced always night. In all cases, the phenomenon occurred coinciding with
periods of heat waves generated strong demand for air conditioning.
Climate change and the use of air
conditioning is a lethal combination for the environment, since both are fed
back. In response to episodes, increasingly more frequent, intense and largos-
extreme heat caused by the first, increases the purchase and use of air
conditioning, which the city air is further heated, causing a dangerous vicious
cycle.
An original solution would
transform this waste heat into a sustainable source of energy to avoid
overheating that says Francisco Salamanca, leader of the research:
Sustainable development and
optimization of electricity consumption would require converting the heat lost
by the air into useful energy, which can be used indoors for several purposes,
including, for example, water heaters.
The use of air conditioning
increases the temperature of cities
The problem, however, is more
serious and complex. This warming other factors such as traffic, urban
activity, lighting, overpopulation or, for example, building materials that
retain heat, resulting in a very high increase in urban temperature must be added
that may be around 5 degrees Celsius.