Although popular
during the 1960s, natural gas air conditioning fell out of favor until recently due to
lower efficiencies and higher purchase costs. Since
that time, conventional electric air conditioning gained in popularity but did not offer
acceptable solutions to the need for zoned cooling in larger, high-end homes.
Increasingly larger newly constructed homes teamed with recent
advances in cooling technology are making natural gas a practical option for air
conditioning. As reported in the ASHRAE Journal, the average new home size has grown
to more than 2,000 ft Increasingly larger newly constructed homes teamed with recent
advances in cooling technology are making natural gas a practical option for air
conditioning. As reported in the ASHRAE Journal, the average new home size has grown
to more than 2,000 ft2 and
more than 10% of all new single-family detached homes built today are more than 4000 ft2.
According to ASHRAE, the installation of traditional electric air conditioning
units in such large homes results in uneven temperature distribution or requires multiple,
expensive and complex zones with two or more noisy cooling units. Additionally, as
electricity costs increase, the efficiency and economy of natural gas becomes an
attractive solution to the high cost of comfort cooling.
Over the last
decade, advances in natural gas cooling technology made large chiller units available to
business and industry, allowing them to take advantage of the efficiency, economy,
reliability and superior performance of natural gas. Now,
this same technology has been applied to small packaged units in sizes suitable for
residential homes.
Additionally, for
maximum cooling efficiency, residential homeowners can now take advantage of a cooling
technology that’s been successfully applied in and enjoyed by the occupants of many
commercial, institutional and industrial facilities for years—gas-fired desiccant
dehumidification. Teamed with natural gas
cooling, gas-fired dehumidification provides maximum cooling comfort, efficiency and
economy.
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