Are the Materials Air Conditioners are made of Eco-Friendly?

Asking the question:  are the materials air conditioners are made of eco-friendly misses the mark of determining the eco-friendliness of an air conditioning system.  The impact on the earth’s natural environment is not caused by the materials that air conditioners are made of.  There are 3 other important elements of air conditioners that actually determine eco-friendly air conditioners.  Those elements are:  refrigerants, thermal pollution and raw energy use.

Refrigerants are coolants air conditioners depend upon to chill the air or at least lower the temperature.  Any refrigerant will create greenhouse gases that can hurt the earth’s natural environment.  Many early refrigerants such as freon have been banned today.  It should be noted that many modern refrigerants have been created that vastly decrease greenhouse gases, but none can be said to have a zero effect of greenhouse gases.  Refrigerants are not materials that make an air conditioner, but are working components within the system.

A bigger eco-friendly problem with air conditioners is thermal pollution.  Thermal pollution is actually a bigger problem in larger urban areas than in rural areas.  Air conditioners generate their own heat just from operation.  When you combine operational heat with the warm air being expelled from the home or business, you get thermal pollution.  Thermal pollution is what makes cities much warmer locals than the countryside around them.  Rising hot air, especially later in the day, sometimes creates severe weather such as pop-up storms.

Finally, the amount of raw energy use as it increases becomes highly detrimental to the earth’s environment.  All air conditioners, no matter how eco-friendly, must operate on electricity.  Electricity has to be generated by either coal-based power sources, natural gas, petroleum, or nuclear power.  If an air conditioner is working inefficiently, pollution can be generated from the power source used to run the air conditioner.  

Eco-friendly air conditioners have to be examined for:  how efficiently they run, their raw power source, and the type of refrigerant they use.  Efficiency is not a material, but rather, a means of operation.  Raw power usage is what powers the air conditioner so neither is it a material.   Finally, the refrigerant is not a material the air conditioner is made of, but an essential component used by eco-friendly air conditioners as they operate.  Look at these important elements more than materials that air conditioners are made of.

Air-Rite has been catering to HVAC requirements of homes and commercial spaces for over 29 years in Australia. We have a fleet of fully equipped service vehicles and highly trained personnel for all applications – whether it’s a small routine service, a fast-response emergency breakdown repair, or complex air conditioning system or refrigeration refurbishment or installation.  We have the heart of a small business with large company capabilities.  If you require an HVAC system of any kind, feel free to get in touch with us! We provide sales, installation, maintenance, and repairs.