Survey reveals different attitudes to AC use

JAPAN: A new survey by Daikin has revealed stark differences between people’s attitudes to, and usage of, air conditioning in cities around the world. 

The survey drew responses from 1,200 people living in 12 cities to find out about each country’s attitudes and culture regarding air conditioners, how they use air conditioners and explored the differences and similarities between the cities.

Tokyo was found to be the city with the highest air conditioner setting at an average of 26.2°C, while the lowest is Lagos, Nigeria, with an average of 21.9°C. The next lowest average temperatures were São Paulo (Brazil) at 22.2°C and New York (USA) at 22.4°C.

People in Houston, USA, used their air conditioners the most, with the longest average daily usage time being 17.2 hours. In addition, around 40% of Houston residents used their air conditioners 24 hours a day during hot weather. This was followed by Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) with 14.9 hours, and New York with 12.6 hours.

The largest difference between the air conditioner’s set temperature and the maximum ambient was in Riyadh at as much as 20.6ºC.

The most important air conditioner selling point in 11 out of the 12 cities was said to be energy efficiency. New Yorkers, meanwhile, were found to be most concerned about the “environmental burden”.

The average set temperatures in the Asian cities of Tokyo, Bangkok (Thailand), and Shanghai (China) were higher than other cities (Tokyo: 26.2°C, Bangkok: 25.1°C, Shanghai: 25.0°C). Daikin suggests that this may be because many people in Asian countries are sensitive to the cold or are careful not to set the temperature too low in order to save energy.

In Japan, the government recommends setting air conditioners to a room temperature of 28°C to encourage energy conservation. Daikin suggests that this may be behind Tokyo’s high average temperature setting. In addition, the survey showed that more than 90% of people in Tokyo are concerned about electricity bills when using air conditioners, the highest among the 12 cities. Also, the percentage of people on Tokyo who set the temperature higher when cooling or lower when heating in order to save energy was the highest among the 12 cities, at 71%.

Energy efficiency was a key factor in 11 of the 12 cities when purchasing an air conditioner. This was particularly evident in Bangkok and Istanbul. The only city where this was not the case was Shanghai, where good cooling and heating was the most important factor, with energy efficiency coming in second.

Across all 12 cities, reducing electricity bills was the main reason to choose an energy efficient air conditioner, rather than environmental considerations.

In half of the cities, over 70% of people feel that they need air conditioning more now than they did 10 years ago. 

The full survey can be viewed here.