AC ignored as main heat source
6th January 2024
JAPAN: More than 90% of households in Japan own an air conditioner but less than half use its heat pump heating capabilities, favouring fossil fuel heaters for their main heating.
The new survey by Panasonic amongst 10,000 men and women in their 20s to 60s reveals that 93.2% of households in Japan own at least one air conditioner, and their use has become commonplace. However, when asked what heating equipment was used in their living room, only 44.5% used air conditioners.
The results indicated that the main negative concerns with air conditioners were high electricity costs and perceived negative effects on the environment.
When looking at heating equipment used in the living room in the cold regions of Hokkaido/Tohoku in northern Japan, 45.1% used oil stoves and fan heaters, followed by air conditioners at 22.9%.
When householders were asked which heating equipment they thought cost most to run, 44.9% answered air conditioners – more than twice as many as claimed oil stoves and fan heaters were more expensive to run.
