Air conditioners are generally considered ‘environmentally unfriendly’ due to their high electricity consumption. However, using them in winter can reduce CO2 emissions. Air conditioners, which function as heat pumps, owe this positive contribution to their efficient operation.

A portion of the heating provided by a heat pump, therefore, counts as renewable energy, allowing users with a heat pump to save a significant amount of gas and consequently emit less CO2.

Heat pumps

In this way, heat pumps make a substantial contribution to renewable energy, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek, CBS). Thanks to solar, wind, and biomass, 23 percent of the Netherlands’ energy consumption now comes from renewable sources. 

Almost a tenth of that – 2 percent of the Netherlands’ total energy consumption – comes from heat pumps. Air conditioners that heat or cool air using outside air now account for a quarter of all heat pump-based generation, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Using air conditioning during the summer months does not count as renewable energy and, because of electricity consumption, results in CO2 emissions. However, since households heat their homes almost daily in winter, whereas cooling in summer is limited to a few dozen hot days, the net environmental impact is favorable.

Positive results

According to detailed figures from CBS, heat pumps collectively save 742 million kilograms of CO2 – equivalent to the energy consumption of a quarter of a million households. Air conditioning also yields positive results, the calculations show.

Experts therefore recommend minimizing the use of your air conditioner or heat pump for cooling, preferring instead to use sun shading and smart ventilation, and using your air conditioner for heating in winter to save gas. Something that around 85 percent of the Dutch population is already doing, according to a representative sample.