Heating and cooling takes up half the European Union’s energy consumption but it is often radiators and heaters that hog the spotlight, while air conditioning and fans are sidelined. But cooling is set to become far more important because of the changing climate and economic situation.

Worldwide demand for air conditioning is expected to triple over the next 30 years, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Some 1.6 billion buildings around the globe have AC today, a number that will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, “which means 10 new ACs sold every second for the next 30 years”, said IEA report author Brian Motherway, according to Euractiv.com.

That massive growth will be driven by a mixture of climate change, expected to increase average temperatures in many parts of the world, and economic changes, which will give more and more people disposable income that can be spent on “luxuries” like AC.

Changing behaviour patterns will mean that people will no longer “make do when it’s hot”, explained Motherway, and will instead rely on AC, leading to what the IEA expert branded “a ratcheting effect”.

The amount of power needed to meet this anticipated surge in indoor cooling will equal the combined electricity capacity of the United States, the European Union and Japan today, the report warned.

But as with many other energy issues, the problem is efficiency related. In this regard, AC units vary widely and those sold in Europe and Japan tend to be at least 25% more efficient than those sold in the United States and China.