




































AGORA International Journal of Economical Sciences, http://univagora.ro/jour/index.php/aijes 

ISSN 2067-3310, E-ISSN 2067-7669 

Vol. 19, No. 1 (2025), pp. 56-66 

 

56 
 

RISING DANGER OF AIR CONDITIONERS: A NECESSITY OR A 

LUXURY? 

 

U. BRESKVAR 

 

Uroš Breskvar 

B2 Ljubljana school of business, Slovenia  

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4503-1495 E-mail: uros.breskvar@sckr.si   

 

Abstract: Air conditioners have become an indispensable part of modern life, 

providing a comfortable indoor climate, especially during the hot summer months. 

However, their use comes with environmental consequences. The increased electricity 

consumption required to power air conditioners significantly contributes to greenhouse gas 

emissions and further exacerbates climate change. This research focuses on the use of air 

conditioners and addresses the question of whether they are used rationally. Methods for 

reducing air conditioner usage and promoting their proper use are presented. The study 

analyzes the relationship between air conditioner electricity consumption, GDP, and 

temperature, highlighting the significant correlation between air conditioner usage and 

economic prosperity rather than climate conditions. A discussion on policy measures, 

energy efficiency improvements, and behavioral adaptations is also included. 

Keywords: Air conditioner; Greenhouse gases; GDP; Electricity consumption; 

Cooling, international standard  

 

1. Introduction 

The mass use of air conditioners began in the 20th century, when technologies began to 

improve and reduce costs (Basile, 2016). The first commercial air conditioner was developed 

in 1902 in the United States. However, these devices were very expensive and could only be 

used by the rich. In the 1920s, new technologies began to be developed, which made it possible 

to produce cheaper and more efficient air conditioners. This led to an increase in demand for 

air conditioners, which began to be used even in commercial premises. In the 1950s, air 

conditioners began to be massively used in households. This was due to several factors, 

including: 

 Growing population: A greater number of people lived in urban areas where summers 

can be very hot and humid. 

 Rising standard of living: People began to appreciate comfort more and were willing to 

pay more for air conditioners. 

In recent decades, the use of air conditioners has continued to increase. This is due to 

several factors, including: 

 Upcoming climate crises (Lynas, 2008) (Polya, 2020): Climate change is making 

summers warmer and more humid in many parts of the world. This increases the 

demand for air conditioners that provide a comfortable indoor temperature. 

 Reducing the cost of air conditioners: Air conditioners have become cheaper in recent 

years. This made them more accessible and contributed to an increase in demand. 

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4503-1495
mailto:uros.breskvar@sckr.si


Uroš BRESKVAR 

57 
 

 Development of new technologies: The development of new technologies (Silberstein 

et al., 2024), such as inverter air conditioners, has increased the energy efficiency of air 

conditioners. This contributed to reducing their negative impact on the environment. 

Today, air conditioners are used in all parts of the world. In some parts of the world, 

such as the United States, household air conditioners are almost indispensable. 

 

Figure 1. Centrifugal cooling machine from 1922  

 
Source: (Magazine, 2019) 

 

2. Methodology 

This study analyzed data from 17 countries that account for more than 70% of the 

world’s air conditioner electricity consumption. The analysis included data from organizations 

such as the International Energy Agency (IEA, 2022), the World Meteorological Organization 

(WMO, 2023), and the World Bank (2023). The study evaluated variables such as national 

electricity consumption, GDP per capita, and the average summer temperature at 12 PM in the 

capitals of each country. Macroeconomic variables such as GDP are frequently used in 

empirical energy studies to explain cross-country differences in consumption patterns (Boduri 

& Pjetri, 2024). The statistical correlation was analyzed using the Pearson correlation 

coefficient. 

 

2.1 Research questions 

1. What is the global electricity consumption of air conditioners? 

2. How does electricity consumption of air conditioners relate to GDP in each country? 

3. How does electricity consumption of air conditioners relate to the average summer 

temperature in each country? 

2.2 Research Objectives 

The aim of this research is to determine how electricity consumption of air conditioners, 

GDP, and average summer temperature relate to each other. The results of the research may be 

useful for designing policies that will help reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse gas 

emissions from air conditioners. 

 

3. Electricity consumption and greenhouse gas production 

All electricity consumers are responsible for greenhouse gas production, specifically 

CO2 (MacKay, 2013). The amount of CO2 produced depends on how the electricity is produced. 

The average CO2 emission per 1 kWh per country depends on the structure of electricity 

production in that country.  



RISING DANGER OF AIR CONDITIONERS: A NECESSITY OR A LUXURY? 

58 
 

Countries that produce most of their electricity from renewable sources have lower CO2 

emissions than countries that produce most of their electricity from fossil fuels. The average 

global CO2 emission per 1 kWh is 0.55 kg/kWh. This emission varies depending on the energy 

source used to produce electricity (Eldesouki et al., 2023). Renewable energy sources such as 

solar, wind and hydropower have the lowest emissions (Lave & Hendricks, 2013). These 

energy sources do not produce any CO2 emissions, but it should be borne in mind that a lot of 

energy is needed to produce the technology that captures renewable sources and that these 

sources are very volatile. High emissions are produced by fossil fuels such as coal, oil and 

natural gas (IPCC, 2013). The production of electricity from these sources releases large 

amounts of CO2. 

Air conditioners accounted for 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 (IEA, 

2022), equivalent to 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2. Emissions from air conditioners have been 

increasing in recent years as demand for them has increased. Demand is driven by global 

warming, which is causing rising temperatures during the summer months. By comparison, 

lighting accounted for about 2.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That's about 7.2 billion 

tons of CO2. Emissions from lighting are decreasing as more and more efficient lighting such 

as LED bulbs are used. So far, only refrigeration appliances contribute more greenhouse gases 

to households. They accounted for 2.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. That's 

6.6 billion tonnes of CO2. In line with the expected thermal heating and the consequent 

increasing use of air conditioners, in a few years air conditioners can be expected to become 

the largest consumer of electricity and consequently, the main cause of greenhouse gases in 

households. If the trend of electricity consumption continues, this could cause significant 

problems for global electric energy. Air conditioners are important consumers of electricity 

and their consumption contributes to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

3.1 Measurement of electricity consumption for air conditioning operation 

To conduct research on the use of air conditioners, a lot of data was obtained. For 

accurate data, measurements should be carried out on each air conditioner. Since such 

measurements are not carried out, certain values are given approximately, which were obtained 

with the help of previously conducted public research.  

The amount of electricity consumed by a particular air conditioner is determined by 

(Wang, 2001): 

 Outdoor temperature 

 Set temperature in the room 

 Insulation of air-conditioned space 

 Proper use of air conditioning 

 Installation location of an external device 

 Air conditioning device maintenance 

 Energy class 

 The method of using the air conditioner, etc. 

The consumption of electricity at the national level is determined by the number of 

installed devices. Here also, the values are given from various surveys, since the exact number 

of working devices is unknown. Air conditioners are mainly used for cooling living quarters.  



Uroš BRESKVAR 

59 
 

Therefore, the key to use of air conditioners is outdoor temperature. The study used data 

on the average temperature during the 2 warmest months of the year at 12 p.m. in the country's 

capital (WMO, 2023). The reason for choosing the capital, and not the average temperature to 

countries, lies in the reliability of the data. The reason for using the average temperature data 

at 12 o'clock is because there can be large differences between day and night temperatures, but 

air conditioners should only be used for outdoor temperatures higher than 26°C. 

 

4. The use of air conditioners in the world 

The number of built-in air conditioners is rapidly increasing. In 2022, around 3.6 billion 

air conditioners were operating worldwide, 50% more than in 2010 (IEA, 2022). The number 

of air conditioners is expected to increase to 9.2 billion by 2050. According to the world's 

population – 8 billion, 0.45 air conditioners are installed per capita. 

Figure 2 shows the increasing electricity consumption for air conditioners globally. In 

2022, it amounted to 2,700 TWh, representing 8% of global electricity consumption. In Europe, 

this figure is 7%, in the United States it is 15%. Electricity consumption of air conditioners 

increases as average temperatures on Earth rise, as does air conditioning availability. 

According to projections (IEA, 2022), this share will increase to 18% and 3,000 TWh 

respectively by 2050. 

 

Figure 2. Trend of rising CO2 and electricity consumption due to air conditioners 

 
Figure 3 shows that more than 40% of all air conditioners are used in China, which is somewhat 

expected as China is the largest in terms of number of people and has also the largest production 

capacity. 

 

Figure 3. Distribution of electricity consumption due to the use of air conditioners 

 

1,8 MRD
650 TWh

4% CO2

3.6

9,2 MRD
3.000 TWh 18% 

CO2

2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

China 41.4%

United 
States
15.0%

Japan 8.6%

India 7.1%

Europe 5.7%

Rest of the world
22.2%



RISING DANGER OF AIR CONDITIONERS: A NECESSITY OR A LUXURY? 

60 
 

Most air conditioners are installed in households. With the current share of installed air 

conditioners, it can be expected that the number of installed appliances will increase most 

significantly precisely in household use, since a significant part of the developing world does 

not yet use mass air conditioners compared to the developed world. Furthermore, more and 

more people, in general, work from home. 

 

Figure 4. Distribution of installed air conditioners by sector 

 
 

For further detailed analysis, 17 countries that consume more than 70% of the world’s 

electricity - consumed by air conditioners - have been selected. Figure 5 shows that the largest 

consumer is China. As we will see in later analyses, high consumption is due to the population 

of a particular country and not due to the excessive use of air conditioners. 

 

Figure 5: Countries with the highest electricity consumption for air conditioners 

 
A better indicator of the overall use of air conditioners in each country is the number of 

installed appliances per capita. Figure 6 shows that Saudi Arabia uses the most devices per 

capita - 1.4 devices per capita, followed by the USA, Australia and Japan. The global average 

is 0.45 climates per capita.   

 

Figure 6: Number of installed air conditioners per capita 

  

Households
44%

Businesses 37%

Industry 19%

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

TW
h

/y
ea

r

0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8

1
1.2
1.4



Uroš BRESKVAR 

61 
 

 

In addition to the average number of air conditioners per individual, it is also important 

how much the appliance is used. The following Figure 7 shows how much kWh of electricity 

is accounted for by the average air conditioning user. It is clear that the use of air conditioners 

is the highest in the United States, followed by Australia and Japan.  

 

Figure 7: Average air conditioning consumption per air conditioner user 

 
Logically, we would expect that consumption would depend on external temperatures 

- the warmer the location of a particular country, the greater the use of air conditioners (Nguyen 

et al., 2017). However, Figure 8 shows a large consumption gap between countries with 

comparable outdoor temperatures. In terms of consumption, the United States stand out 

strongly, while Germany stands out for its low average temperature. 

When establishing the statistical correlation between outdoor temperature and 

electricity consumption per air conditioner the Peason correlation coefficient was applied 

(Blalock, 1972). Since the coefficient is only 0.019, we can conclude that the use of air 

conditioners is not related to outdoor temperature. 

 

Figure 8. Consumption depending on outdoor temperature 

 

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

kW
h

USA

Australia

Japan

South Korea

Germany

Saudi Arabia

China

India

Brazil

Indonesia

Pakistan

Thailand

Argentina

Russia

Iran

MexicoTurkey

25

27

29

31

33

35

37

39

41

43

350 450 550 650 750 850 950 1,050 1,150 1,250

A
ve

ra
ge

 t
em

p
er

at
u

re

Average air conditioning consumption per air conditioner user



RISING DANGER OF AIR CONDITIONERS: A NECESSITY OR A LUXURY? 

62 
 

The survey then examined whether the use of air conditioners is related to the GDP of 

each country (World Bank, 2023). Figure 9 shows that countries are divided into two groups. 

The first group contains countries that have low GDP and also have low electricity 

consumption for air conditioners. The second group consists of rich countries – the United 

States, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and South Korea, which also consume the 

most energy.  

The link between consumption and GDP is also statistically provable, with the Pearson 

correlation coefficient of 0.956, which translates into a very high correlation. The trend line 

shown in the graph also proves the correlation. From the data obtained, we can conclude that 

the use of air conditioners does not depend on temperature conditions, but primarily on the 

level of the standard of living. We can conclude that, especially in more affluent countries, air 

conditioners are being over-utilized. 

 

Figure 9. Spending as a function of government GDP 

 
4.1 Rational use of air conditioners 

The purpose of air conditioners is to create a temperature zone of comfort. In order for 

a person to feel well, however, several factors need to be taken into account. Air conditioning 

can only affect temperature and humidity.  

The comfort zone depends on (Nicol et al., 2022): 

 Human activities. The activities of a person are usually conditioned by his work which 

is impossible to control. 

 Wall temperatures. The temperature of the walls is highly dependent on the insulation 

used. With proper insulation, we can significantly influence energy consumption both 

in winter and summer (Zhang et al., 2022). With good insulation and built-in 

ventilation system, a favourable temperature can be maintained in most cases without 

the use of air conditioners. 

 Relative humidity. The humidity in the room is mostly influenced by the climate in 

which we are located or the air in the vicinity of the building. The humidity of the air 

can be largely regulated by the ventilation of the premises. 

 Air temperatures. The air temperature depends on the outdoor temperature, the number 

of devices that heat the air and the number of people in the room. We can greatly 

USA

AustraliaJapan

South Korea

Germany

Saudi Arabia

China

India

Brazil

Indonesia

Pakistan

Thailand

Argentina

Russia

Iran

Mexico

Turkey 0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

350 450 550 650 750 850 950 1,050 1,150

G
D

P
 p

er
 c

ap
it

a

Average air conditioning consumption per air conditioner user



Uroš BRESKVAR 

63 
 

influence the temperature in the room by properly shading and preventing direct 

sunlight during the summer months. 

 The speed of air movement. The speed of air movement depends on the mode of 

ventilation and air conditioners, which, with unprofessional installation, can greatly 

affect the comfort zone. 

 Clothing. The right temperature can be greatly influenced by choosing suitable 

clothing. We use light and airy clothing during the hot months. 

All of the above influences whether we will feel comfortable at a lower or higher temperature.  

 

Figure 10. Comfort zone where temperature and relative humidity are taken into account 

 
Most people set the temperature of the air conditioner to their feel. Such adjustment 

leads to an incorrectly defined temperature. Setting the thermostat too low not only wastes 

energy but also increases the risk of respiratory illnesses. International standards ANSI 

ASHRAE55 (ASHRAE, 2021) (Fig. 10) and ISO7730 can help to set up air conditioners 

correctly (Loveday et al., 2002). The standards define the comfort zone, where the temperature 

and relative humidity in the room for work in the office and in the locals in general are taken 

into account. A favourable temperature is determined between 22.5°C and 27°C.  By lowering 

the desired temperature, we influence a higher consumption of electricity (Pita, 2008) (Kato et 

al., 2018). With each degree, electricity consumption increases by 6-8% (Wang et al., 2013). 

The difference between the set maximum (27°C) and the minimum temperature (22.5°C) can 

be more than 30% in electricity consumption (El Berry, 2019). Many air conditioners are set 

below the recommended minimum temperature and electricity consumption is even higher. 

The optimal use of air conditioners would be automatic adjustment of their operation according 

to the relative humidity and temperature in the room.  

 

5. Discussions and Conclusions 
This study has presented important insights into the rising global use of air conditioners 

and its relationship with economic development and climate. One of the key findings is that 

electricity consumption for air conditioning is much more closely related to a country’s GDP 

than to its average outdoor temperature. This suggests that comfort and lifestyle, driven by 

economic capability, are stronger motivators than actual climatic needs. 

22.5, 80%

26, 57%

27, 20%

23.5, …

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

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el

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Temperature °C

Comfort zone 



RISING DANGER OF AIR CONDITIONERS: A NECESSITY OR A LUXURY? 

64 
 

The strength of this study lies in its use of cross-national data and its statistical approach, 

including Pearson correlation, which offers strong evidence for the conclusions drawn. 

However, one limitation is the reliance on average national data, which may overlook regional 

variations within countries. Additionally, some of the data, such as the number of functioning 

air conditioning units, had to be estimated due to lack of direct measurements. 

The results are generally consistent with previous research (Nguyen et al., 2017; AIJES, 

2024), reinforcing the concern that increased access to cooling, if unmanaged, can escalate 

energy demand and CO2 emissions significantly. While smart and energy-efficient 

technologies can mitigate this trend, behavioral adaptations and policy regulation remain 

critical. 

Although this study does not employ primary data collection, its analytical approach 

allows for generalisation across many countries, especially those in similar stages of economic 

development. Future research could include deeper case studies or household-level surveys to 

validate the observed macro trends. 

In practical terms, the study underlines the need for: 

 Policy incentives for energy-efficient cooling; 

 Greater enforcement of international temperature standards; 

 Improved insulation regulations in building codes; 

 Public campaigns that promote sustainable cooling habits. 

These findings provide valuable input for decision-makers and urban planners aiming 

to reduce the environmental burden of rising cooling demand. More interdisciplinary research 

will be necessary to further integrate engineering, behavioral science, and public policy 

approaches in this field. 

Findings indicate that air conditioner electricity consumption is strongly correlated with 

GDP rather than outdoor temperature. Countries with higher GDPs exhibit higher electricity 

consumption from air conditioners, suggesting overuse rather than necessity. This aligns with 

previous studies, such as Nguyen et al. (2017), which found that energy consumption patterns 

depend more on economic prosperity than climatic conditions. 

A comparative analysis with prior literature, including studies published in AIJES 

(2024), supports the idea that improvements in insulation, energy efficiency, and smart cooling 

technologies can significantly reduce electricity consumption and mitigate environmental 

impacts. AIJES research highlights the importance of integrating adaptive cooling systems and 

enforcing energy policies that address the increasing demand for cooling in both developed and 

developing regions. 

Policy recommendations include: 

 Implementing international temperature-setting standards (ASHRAE, 2021) to prevent 

unnecessary overcooling. 

 Promoting energy-efficient air conditioners (El Berry, 2019) to optimize energy use. 

 Enhancing building insulation (Zhang et al., 2022) to reduce dependency on artificial 

cooling. 

 Public awareness campaigns to encourage responsible air conditioner use and 

sustainable practices. 



Uroš BRESKVAR 

65 
 

If the current global trend in air conditioner consumption continues, it could pose severe 

challenges for electricity infrastructure and climate policies. Addressing this issue requires a 

collaborative effort involving policymakers, manufacturers, and consumers to implement 

energy-efficient solutions effectively. 

 

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