We often read headlines that say something like ‘Americans rely too much on air conditioning’. And it may even be true in some parts of the country and in some parts of the year.
However, when it comes to the deserts of the southwest, the actual situation is far from that idealized title. In fact, the vast swathes of this region were largely uninhabited and uninhabitable before the rise of modern air conditioning.
We asked heating and cooling experts at Hughes Air Conditioning, Heating & Cooling to explain why AC is not a luxury of a spoiled nation, but rather a necessity in Arizona.
Dry Heat
You will often hear people say ‘dry heat’ is much easier to withstand. Even if we take that to be true, heat is still heat. And when temperatures reach 110 and up, it really doesn’t matter if it is dry or humid – humans can’t function in those temperatures.
Sadly, people die of a heat stroke if they are outdoors too much in the hottest parts of the day. Emergency services often have to issue an alert calling people to stay in their homes unless they absolutely must go out.
Hot Weather Persists for a Long Time
Even though it may not be the middle of the summer, temperatures can still rise to unpleasant degrees. Despite not being life-threatening, heat in May and October can still be really difficult to manage and most people will require air conditioning.
However, in order to have a fully functional and operational air conditioning unit, you will need to maintain it properly. That means having regular inspections and dealing with all problems quickly and decisively. When your cooling season lasts so long, your AC system is under more pressure than most others.
Maintenance of AC Units
Residential air conditioning units require at least one tune-up each year, although professionals claim that having a check-up before and after the cooling season might be optimal, especially in the environments where ACs have to work longer, like Arizona.
Scheduling a checkup should be fairly easy – just pick an air conditioning company that suits you best and they will take care of the whole process.
Why Tune-ups Are Relevant
Even in the desert like Arizona, the temperatures can plummet over the winter. That means that all of the outdoor elements of your air conditioning unit are exposed to the elements and can break down. That is why it is essential to have a pre-season checkup that can identify any problems which may have occurred during the winter.
Before you start using your AC, it is always better to have an insight into the state of your unit. If there’s something that needs to be replaced or fixed, it is better to do it ahead of time, rather than in the middle of the cooling season.
Similarly, once the cooling season starts winding down, it may be a good idea to have another inspection which will show you how the prolonged use of your AC may have affected it. If there are any problems with the device, repairing it now is preferable to leaving it over winter, when the elements can exacerbate the problem.
Whether we like it or not, air conditioning is a part of our lives and it is not likely to change any time soon. While in some parts of the country, it may be simply a luxury item that people use out of sheer habit, in the deserts of the Southwest, ACs are a vital part of the infrastructure which needs to be maintained and taken care of.
