The West Coast keeps it cool

The U.S. air conditioning industry has a dirty little secret, says Joe Krovoza, director of external relations at the Energy Efficiency Center (EEC) at the University of California, Davis: “It wants nothing more than a one-size-fits-all machine.” The same air conditioning technology is used all over the country despite widely varying climate conditions. Ever since the air conditioning unit was brought into popular use about 100 years ago, one of its primary functions was to tackle the East Coast climate: high humidity and hot nights. “But on the West Coast,” he continues, “there is no humidity and you do cool down at night.” Currently, West Coast consumers are wasting a lot of energy dehumidifying already dry air.
    The EEC, which was launched in 2006 and is funded by such organizations as Chevron, Edison International and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, developed the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC) to study optimal cooling system technology for the Western climate. “Those cool nights and the lack of humidity play to our advantage,” says Kristin Heinemeier, a senior engineer with WCEC. By way of example, she describes the use of radiant cooled floors in big-box retail stores popping up around West Sacramento. Cool water is run in small tubes underneath the floor; once the cement cools, so does the whole building. “Radiant cooling doesn’t really work as well if you have high humidity,” Heinemeier explains. “In a poorly designed system, if the air is humid and the floor is cold, you could end up with condensation.”
    Krovoza says, “We’re very excited about having people advocate, in a scientific way, doing things differently and smartly about the energy we use.”

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