For many of us, it's hard to imagine summer without air conditioning. ACs make those hot days much more comfortable, they help us sleep, make us more productive and are vital for the elderly who struggle to cope with the effects of high temperatures.

In the US, ACs are often also used for winter heating and remain a must have device all year round.

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The challenge of air conditioning

But for all the good ACs have done for us there’s also a flip side - ACs consume a massive amount of energy. Americans use almost as much electricity for cooling than than the rest of the world combined. Almost 90 per cent of American households run ACs, which significantly contributes to the average annual US energy bill of $2,000, while emitting over 100 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Global warming is real. 14 of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred in the 21st Century, 2014 being the hottest of them all, until 2015 trumped it. Furthermore, the continued rise of global incomes is resulting in a tremendous growth and demand for air conditioners. A recent study by the University of Yale predicted that a tenfold increase of energy consumption for cooling could happen by 2050, driven primarily by the developing world.

The increasing use of air conditioning has the somewhat ironic cyclical effect of making our cities warmer. The hotter our cities get the more AC we use, the more AC we use the more hot air they pump out. Studies have shown that ACs alone can raise a city’s temperature by over 2°F (1.1°C) in the summer.

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tado

A smart solution

For those who are concerned about global warming and their energy bill, but need air conditioning, there is a solution. With new smart technology becoming ever more available a huge opportunity has arisen to reduce our AC use without sacrificing our cool homes.

tado°'s Smart AC Control brings the Internet of Things (IoT) to your air conditioner for better energy efficiency and enhanced comfort and convenience. Through the use of your phone’s location, tado° automatically switches down the AC when the last person leaves the house and switches it back on again when it detects the first person heading home.

With the web-based service IFTTT,  the tado° geolocation feature can also be used for purposes other than cooling. For example, when the last tado° user leaves the house, not only will the AC automatically go to savings mode, but simultaneously the lights and electric home appliances like the coffee machine or TV switch off, the alarm system activates and the front door locks.

The Smart AC Control works with all remote-controlled ACs. Whether you have a split, portable or in-window AC, tado° will connect to it by replacing your old remote control. If your AC also works as a heat pump then tado° can be used for your home heating as well as cooling. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re at home, at work or on holiday, with the tado° app on your phone you’ll always know your home temperature and can easily change the settings via manual control on your Apple, Android or Windows phone, tablet or computer.

The Smart AC Control saves money and energy, allows for flexible schedules and serves those who want to ensure that their home is already cool once they step through the front door. Studies have shown this can reduce AC use by up to 40 per cent and works equally well for those whose priority is a cool and comfortable home as well as for those whose primary concern is living sustainably.

For more information visit: www.tado.com 

About tado°

Headquartered in Munich, tado°, the European market leader in intelligent home climate control solutions, was founded in 2011. With its Smart Thermostat and Smart AC Control, tado° revolutionizes the way energy is consumed at home. Through the use of a geo-aware app, tado° automatically adjusts the temperature based on the residents’ locations, enabling households to save up to 31% on energy costs while reaching a higher level of comfort.

www.tado.com