Air conditioning accounts for 7% of global electricity and 3% of carbon emissions. Here's how to beat the heat—efficiently.

Air conditioning units on the exterior of a hotel during a heatwave in the Marques de Pombal district of Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.

Why Americans are turning off air conditioners this summer About 39 million Americans don't use AC. While many can't afford it or don't need it (yet, as the planet warms), some simply don't like it.

CROWNHART: Yeah, you're definitely not alone in that. But basically, the way that an air conditioner works is that there's a refrigerant inside, and it gets pumped around in a cycle.