Ask any I.T. manager about the importance of air-conditioning in server rooms. Without A.C., we would not have an Internet as we know it.
Air-Conditioning Made This Debate Possible
Updated June 22, 2012, 10:40 AM
In the modern world, it is inconceivable to go to a swelteringly hot country without air-conditioning. Even the very thought of it makes us begin to sweat. You cannot think straight, sit straight or even sleep straight when you are overheating. You're likely to wake up in a Hudson River-size puddle of your own juices.
In these environments, air-conditioning is not a luxury, it is an absolute necessity. Perhaps the question to ask is whether the cooler climates should be using such devices. Certainly, the more frivolous users ought to be stopped in their tracks.
On a more serious note, there are some obvious needs for air-conditioning. Server rooms routinely require cooling. Ask any I.T. manager who has suffered an A.C. failure and you will get some idea of the importance of keeping cool. I, for one, would not have been able to write this article had my server room A.C. unit suffered a breakdown, and I am in no doubt that without air-conditioning, we would not have an Internet as we know it.
Office productivity rises significantly when the work environment has a steady, comfortable temperature; conversely, excessive heat and humidity result in significant drops in productivity. Most corporate decision makers would happily install air-conditioning to squeeze any additional profits from workers.
From a health perspective, many pharmaceutical companies need a cooled environment not only for initial research and development purposes, but for the safe storage of medicines. In some countries, where air-conditioning is considered a luxury, a sudden spike in temperature often results in mass deaths, as was the case across Southern Europe in 2006.
Just as cars and air travel have caused increased global warming by virtue of sheer numbers, they have nevertheless become infinitely more efficient than they were 20 years ago. Already, huge strides and innovations have been made in the way air conditioners are manufactured and run. Many companies have already developed air-conditioners and gases that do not contribute to global warming, so that perhaps buildings festooned with single units, what I call "urban barnacles," might become a thing of the past.
This is just the beginning of the air-conditioning revolution.