Your Crappy A.C. Unit Is Costing The City $180 Million

Photograph by Atomische • Tom Giebel on Flickr

You know it, the mice eating your Saltines know it, your real estate broker HAD to know it (damn you, Mickey): your apartment is a sieve. And now it's confirmed: The gaps around your A.C. unit are costing the city an extra "$130 million to $180 million a year" in fuel consumption. That's around a billion delicious, heat-thwarting Freeze-Pops, people!

A study conducted by the Urban Green Council (which appropriates the prestigious LEED designation to efficient buildings) entited "There Are Holes In Our City's Walls," showed that the leaks produce "375,000 to 525,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions" each year, which amounts to "1% of citywide greenhouse gas emissions." 1% may sound puny, but it's an issue of prevention, and prevention is always easy. Or is it?

Anyone who has a cheap, window-mounted A.C. knows that they never, ever fit correctly into the window sill. Once you feel the cool touch of Poseidon's breath crystallizing your pit stains, you don't really care about how much cash is shooting out the window. (Hence the impunity with which shops keep their A.C. on and their doors open.) Additionally, "residents of high-rise buildings are often required to hire professional help to remove and reinstall the units as a safety precaution," and one Upper West Ride tenant notes that "you find a reputable company, and then you find that these guys are just too busy and you can't get on their schedule." While you could just remove them yourself, we know how that story ends.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Christopher Robbins in News on April 14, 2011 4:20 PM

Comments [rss]

cmdrogogov

Of course, buildings could have just been designed with adequate thermal controls from the get-go - if we're truly this concerned about efficiency shouldn't we be busy renovating and reconditioning these properties? Oh - that's right... we needed to spend our federal tax dollars on blowing people up instead.

Then there's all those pitch rooftops that should be sporting solar panels due to the fact that peak AC use tends to occur with peak power production.

nicemarmot

My building has HVAC units and gaps around the window frames the size of your fist. Snow actually swirls in during the winter. I'd love to see the energy wasting stats.

jibbly

When the Commando 8 is pumping out a cooool 12000 BTU at your face nothing matters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

69GeorgeWBush69

does it go to 'Der Blitzkrieg'?

Mid-C Frank

And what about all the moronic landlords who pump so much damned steam heat into apartments such that windows need to be opened and some folks even run a/c units in the winter?!?!?

RobNYC

That's because no one calls 311 on their landlords for the building being too hot during the winter. The second any tenant thinks it's too cold in their apartment they're all over that shit. I really wouldn't blame the landlord for that, I doubt they want to waste the money heating the place up to 80 degrees.

Sinchy

I havent turned on my radiators in years and recently the hot water was coming out the tap at 210degrees!

zombie_cakes

Here here! Our building is still a sweltering rain forest (though it's better than NO heat, which I've also experienced) and we keep our bedroom window open year round, and often haveta put the window fan back in just to be able to sleep.

Guest

(1) NOBODY talks about my AC unit like that and gets away with it. (2) My AC unit is costing ME a few dollars a month. (3) If the city wants to pony up and pay my AC bill, I will fill out the necessary paperwork ASAP.