Heating and Cooling Across North America

Once considered a luxury, air conditioning units are now essentials found in almost every home and business across the nation and around the world. With certain exceptions, most home have both heating and cooling systems in place that keep the internal temperature of the building comfortable and adjustable year-round.

One of the exceptions to this rule is Canada. Many homes in Canada have adequate heating systems in place for the long frozen winters, but many individual homeowners do not have air conditioning systems included in their central heat and air. This is often because the summer season is much shorter and much cooler than down south, but often this intentional overlook reflects a certain way of thinking when it comes to construction and building plans.

Another example of how building plans can differ across the continent is down south where homes are often poorly insulated, and heating and cooling efforts are considered to be very energy inefficient. In the past, energy efficiency was not considered to be important enough to spend extra money up front on insulation. As such, a number of homes were built for decades without insulation. This makes heating and cooling efforts much less efficient as the hot and cold air are lost through windows and doors.

However, as climates change and economic recessions continue to dig fingers deeper into personal pockets, more homeowners are looking toward energy-efficient options for keeping the temperature in their home comfortable. This includes Canadians that are experiencing shorter winters and hotter summers due to global climate shifts. Many Canadians are having air conditioning systems added to their central heat systems or added independently in the form of window units that can cool an entire room. Also, homeowners down south are taking a second look at their heating and cooling bills and deciding to make short term investments in insulation in order to reap long term benefits in savings.

We are likely to continue seeing changes in the ways we use energy and the ways we try to save money as the climates continue to change and we evolve with the environment. Our human nature is to stay comfortable and controlling our temperature indoors is one of the most advanced ways we have of controlling the environment's effects on us. In the future, we are likely to see further advances in energy efficiency, and the Canadians may begin experiencing even longer and hotter summers.