RECS 2009 — Release date: August 19, 2011 Except in the temperate climate regions along the West coast, air conditioners (AC) are now standard equipment in most U.S. homes (Figure 1). As recently as 1993, only 68% of all occupied housing units had AC. The latest results from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that 87 percent of U.S. households are now equipped with AC. This growth occurred among all housing types and in every Census region. Wider use has coincided with much improved energy efficiency standards for AC equipment, a population shift to hotter and more humid regions, and a housing boom during which average housing sizes increased. Cooled homes have either central AC systems or room air conditioners, which are individual window or wall units (room conditioning). The type of AC equipment used differs across regions. Central air systems are most common in the South, Midwest, and West, while room conditioners are most common in the Northeast (Table 1).

Variation within regions can be dramatic: 69% of air conditioned homes in New Jersey use central equipment compared to 28% of homes in neighboring New York. This difference is largely due the different mix of housing types and age of housing stock between the two States. Regional differences are apparent in air conditioning usage. small space ac unitSouthern households are almost twice as likely to use their central and room air conditioning equipment all summer as those in other regions (Table 2). air conditioning unit saleHomes in the South are also least likely to have a programmable thermostat connected to the central air conditioner, while homes in the West are most likely. how much are portable ac unitsProgrammable thermostats are designed to reduce consumption by automatically and routinely cycling down the unit when more intensive cooling is not needed.

Consumers could reduce overall cooling costs by installing and setting a programmable thermostat. Housing type influences the type of air conditioning used as well as the overall saturation of air conditioning in U.S. homes. Air conditioning equipment is more common in single family homes (89%) than in housing units in apartment buildings (82%). While 84% of units in larger (5 or more unit) apartment buildings have air conditioning, in smaller (2 to 4 units) buildings that percentage drops to 77%. While RECS data indicate that more older homes are adding window units or being retrofitted with central air conditioning, new construction is driving the saturation. Nearly 90% of new homes are built with central air conditioning (Figure 2). When central air conditioning is included at the time of construction, installation is easier and consumers can amortize costs over the life of a mortgage. In contrast, air conditioning retrofits or upgrades are often financed separately from a mortgage, over a much shorter time period at higher interest, and may require capital improvements such as the addition of ventilation systems and ductwork.

The rise of air conditioning systems has also influenced the type of home space heating systems found in newer construction. Central air conditioning and central space heating equipment often work in tandem or as a unified system. About 91% of homes built since 2000 have a main space heating system that includes central ducts; for homes built before 1940, that number is just 50%. Although structural and geographic characteristics such as climate, housing type and ownership influence where air conditioning appears, access to air conditioning by low income households is much lower relative to other households. Overall, 18 percent of households below the poverty line do not have any air conditioning equipment at all. About a third of households below the poverty line use room air conditioning compared to 15% of households with an income above $100,000. In contrast, about 75% of households with incomes above $100,000 use central air conditioning compared to just 44% of households below the poverty line.

The share of room air conditioners continues to drop as more households, especially higher income and owner occupied households, choose central air conditioning equipment. Only 25% of all homes currently have room air conditioning units. Room air conditioning units can be a cost-effective alternative in climate regions with moderate summer temperatures. About 30% of households in the cold or very cold climate regions use room air conditioning compared to 19% in other regions. Households choose room air conditioning units in areas where cooling is only necessary a few times a year. Conversely, central air conditioning is more common in hotter climates because it can be used more intensively and efficiently relative to room air conditioning units. There is a significant business opportunity to retrofit homes with new, more efficient air conditioning equipment that would reduce annual cooling costs to households. For example, 20% of the homes built during the 1980s have air conditioning equipment over 20 years old.

Many U.S. homes could also benefit from regular maintenance, as only 42% of those using central air equipment service it annually.Cool-n-Save® is an AWARD WINNING patented product that is simple to use and install. Anyone can Install a Cool-n-Save® residential DIY kit in less than five minutes with no tools required. The valve housing affixes to the top of most home air conditioning units. It activates only when the AC unit turns on; hot air from the condenser unit’s fan raises the flap on the patented Cool-n-Save® control valve allowing water to flow to the misters that surround the AC unit. When the ultra-fine mist is released into the air, it evaporates almost instantly creating what is known as a “Flash Evaporation,” which literally sucks heat out of the air as water absorbs the energy it needs to evaporate. The result of the immediate evaporation constitutes a substantial drop in ambient temperature without wetness—up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. We won the 18th annual TechAmerica/Harvey Mudd High-Tech Innovation Award for Green Engineering in 2011 in recognition for our work with energy-saving evaporative pre-cool misting technology for commercial and residential central air conditioning systems.

We have worked for the last five years to offer Americans another way to reduce energy consumption and cut carbon output – safely, inexpensively and effectively. We developed Cool-n-Save to be cost-effective and practical. typical Air Conditioning system consists of evaporator coils, a fan inside, a compressor, compressor coils, and a fan outside. cools by using the refrigerant, usually Freon, to transport the heat from inside the space to the outside air. The heat is expelled into the outside air by the action of the fan pulling air over the coils and the heat contained in the refrigerant is transferred to the air. Learn more about Air Conditioning Systems problem with the AC system is that in extreme heat, many conventional air conditioners are unable to effectively transfer their stored heat into the surrounding air. They are forced to work harder and longer to cool the air in your home, shortening their life and producing unreasonably high electric bills.

To combat this problem, large commercial AC users such as commercial factories, warehouses and office buildings have been installing professional misting systems around their AC condensers for years. These misting system are much like the misters you may have encountered in restaurant patios andGreenway Design Group, Inc., inventors of the Cool-n-Save® System, have actually designed and installed many of these The Magic of Mist ultra-fine mist is released into the air, it evaporates almostThis "flash evaporation" literally sucks heat out of the air, as the water absorbs the energy it needs to evaporate. process, called "adiabatic saturation," is a well-known scientific principal that has been used for years to lower air temperature in The result of this constant, immediate evaporation is a substantial drop in ambient temperature withoutThe air temperature near a misting system is automatically lowered by as much as 30 degrees.

problem with existing industrial AC misting units is that they are large, complex systems that need to be professionally installed. rely on electrical solenoids and switches to send water to the misters only when the AC condenser is running. Most homeowners cannot afford to have such a costly commercial grade system installed for them. installed, for the average homeowner, they are complex to operate and difficult to maintain - requiring continued maintenance on electrical The Cool-n-Save® breakthrough is its patented control valve, which easily installs to the top of virtually any ACWhen the AC unit turns on, it triggers the valve open and filtered water flows to the misters. When the AC unit shuts off, the control valve immediately closes and no water is wasted. brilliance is in its simplicity. Cool-N-Save® is designed to quickly install on virtually an AC condenser with no tools. needed to power the Cool-n-Save™ system, and no complex connections or