How do countries implement climate control to deal with their weather conditions?

For most people living in warmer countries, life without air conditioning would be a struggle. After experiencing the discomfort brought on by summer heatwaves in Europe, we can appreciate the convenience of smart climate control in the UK. 

What are the differences?

Both ‘air conditioning’ and ‘climate control’ deal with temperatures within a certain area, but they do so differently. While air conditioning cools the air directly, climate control does the same thing using smart technology. Climate control technology allows users to select their desired temperature. The climate control computer will then maintain this by increasing or decreasing the temperature via the air conditioning unit. 

Climate control across the globe

Climate control is used to create comfortable living environments in some of the world’s most inhospitable places. For example, in the 1950s, only 28% of the United States lived within the Sun Belt that stretches across the southeast and southwest of the United States. In 2000, this had increased to 40% of its population. This surge in popularity was attributed to the image that came with the name ‘the Sun Belt’, as well as the idea of “mechanically cool” comfort to balance out the previous view of the Southern states being uncomfortably muggy. 

As noted by The Guardian, the United States has benefited greatly from climate technology and cooler living temeratures. Both China and India, two countries which regularly experience uncomfortably hot temperatures, have seen their population increase rapidly; without the benefit of air conditioning units, living in such hot climates would have been a less inviting concept! Countries are using climate control technology to make the environment cooler and more tolerable for their inhabitants, which in turn is leading to population growth.  

Attracting tourism through climate control

There are countries using smart air conditioning to attract tourism too. For example, in India, the ‘Vistadome’ coach on the Kalka-Shimla Railway has been constructed in a hopes of boosting tourism. With a seating capacity of 36, the coach has been designed with a glass roof, air conditioning, designer LED lights and cushioned window interiors. Everything has been constructed with comfort in mind. 

Providing great hospitality without air conditioning can prove difficult, especially with the potential risk of customer complaints. In the summer of 2018, Danish hotel staff experienced this first-hand during the European heatwave, where many hotels found themselves woefully underequipped to deal with the uncomfortable conditions. Hotels without climate control facilities suffered a long list of complaints from their guests as a result. In fact, 42 of the 90 reviews left for Copenhagen Admiral Hotel throughout July 2018 commented on the lack of air conditioning within the rooms. And yet, in July 2017, 17 of the 68 reviews noted the issue of rooms being too hot. 

This year, the summer was slightly cooler, but 25% of hotel guests still commented on hotel rooms being too hot – even outside of heatwave conditions. This would suggest that climate control has a significant role to play in the tourism industry. 

Across the world, smart climate control has been used to create the perfect living conditions for both locals and tourists. Without it, we surely wouldn’t see quite so many people travelling and living in warmer countries!