With temperatures hitting over 30 degrees Celsius, more and more people are relying on air conditioning units to keep cool. Here at Tops, we’ve found a better solution – better for the natural world and better for the economy.
Tops Bournemouth benefits from a solar control window film, R20. This easy to install window covering is the most commonly used film in commercial premises worldwide. Thorough testing has proven its ability to reduce the amount of heat coming in through windows by a staggering 80%. Not only does it minimise heat, but it also filters out 99% of ultraviolet light. UV rays can cause skin cancer, as well as eye damage and immune system difficulties.
R20 also hugely reduces glare, offers one way privacy and presents a smart, uniformed look from the outside – can your AC do that?
The problem with air conditioning
Traditional air conditioning units use hydrofluorocarbons in their manufacturing. HFCs are man-made gases that have been shown to contribute to the disastrous effects of global warming. They can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds of years and can trap thousands of times as much heat as Carbon Dioxide, a gas that has a well-documented negative effect on our natural world.
Hydrofluorocarbons are released during the production of every AC unit, during their improper disposal and any time the AC becomes damaged or leaks.
The running of air conditioning units comes with its own problems. AC units need vast amounts of electricity to run. Consider commercial premises where the AC is run on an almost 24/7 basis – that is a huge amount of electricity consumed. It is rare for the electricity supplied to come from sustainable sources. When electricity is produced from the burning of fossils fuels, such as coal, large quantities of greenhouse gases are released which have a devastatingly negative impact on the natural world. The use of sustainable energy resources, such as geothermal energy, are on the increase… but until electricity is 100% natural world friendly, the running of an air conditioning unit is damaging.
By 2050, it was been estimated that 27% of all global warming will be directly due to gases emitted from air conditioning units. Temperatures over 24C reduce concentration levels and mental performance, can lead to accidents, and just aren’t pleasant. With the temperatures rocketing, it’s an unwelcome prospect to boycott AC.
