Wisely Using Your Air Conditioning

As a savvy user of air conditioning you know how to make the best use of it. If you were a business in New York, you’d have to follow certain rules or face a fine. According to an article in the Daily News, New York City Businesses Must Shut Doors While Using AC or Face Fine, the stakes are getting higher every day.

The City Council takes a stand

According to the article, it’s a common practice in New York City for some businesses to keep their doors open during the hottest times of the year. They know that the steamy temperatures can drive people indoors, and they hope that walking by a burst of cold air will entice customers into their stores and restaurants. The City Council had enough of this policy.

What’s the City Council’s problem?

The City Council is concerned about a few things. First, they don’t believe that businesses should basically be cooling the sidewalks. They also say that while customers certainly want a cool, comfortable store to shop in, leaving doors open during the summer has not been proven to increase business. Finally, they say that leaving doors open leads to overstress of the New York City electrical grid.

The proposed effect

According to one City Council member, this single change could result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by up to 22,000 tons of carbon dioxide. What does that mean for us? Imagine taking 3,600 cars off the road. That’s the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we’re talking about.

Not the first rules of this kind

There was a law passed years ago that banned larger businesses in New York City – those with more than 4,000 square feet – from keeping their doors open if the air conditioning was on. This latest legislation extended the mandate to all businesses. It also added windows, which were not previously a part of the legislation.

Violators have some time to comply

The fines will vary between $250 and $1,000. The article referenced above doesn’t specify what will mean the difference between these two extremes. Warnings will be given out from now until July of 2016, at which time actual fines will begin to be levied.

Drawing in customers isn’t the only reason these businesses may have left their doors open

While it’s likely some of the businesses had their doors open to draw in customers, it’s also likely that some of them did it out of necessity. Many older air conditioning systems provide uneven cooling and in order to make sure all areas are moderately cool, some areas must be freezing cold. A multi-zone air conditioning system can solve this issue by providing different levels of cooling to different areas. AC-World can meet all your air conditioning needs today!