It's been so hot in Vancouver lately, and many a dinner table or water cooler convo has been about how most of us don't have air conditioning in our homes. And according to this new map based on global climate data, we don't really need it.
@whoisvjm/Instagram
Published in the Guardian as part of their "Sweltering Cities" series, the interactive map lets you look up cities to see into which of four categories it's sorted--Cities that:
- don't need either heating or air conditioning;
- are warmer in the summer, meaning you probably want air conditioning but can still get by without heating;
- are cold in winter, not too warm in summer; and
- have hot summers and cold winters, where you probably want both air conditioning and heating.
Screenshot/The Guardian
How does Vancouver stack up? Here's what they say:
"Residents have no real need of air conditioning. In winter they'll need heat though. In the hottest month the daily average is 22.2C, and average highs are 18C. Days in the coldest month usually settle around 3.6C but can get as cold as 0.8C."
Now, there's a bit of a "but" here. We don't need air-con...YET. There's a bit more to this mapping project:
"Using data from the Impact Climate Lab, we have modelled how climate change might affect temperatures globally, making more people dependent on air conditioning in cities where it is currently strictly a luxury."
Over the next 40 years "hotter temperatures will creep towards the Arctic circle," in the northern hemisphere.
These rising temps, along with some other market factors, mean that new residential builds in Metro Vancouver are often making air conditioning a new standard feature.
