One of the major reasons we find ourselves in this current climate crisis is because of a near-religious devotion to convenience. For more than a century, scientists have known that burning coal warms the planet, but the finite, energy-dense resource was too convenient a fuel to pass up. Some of the first cars to ever hit the road were clean electric cars, but cars with internal combustion engines were more convenient to mass produce. And so on.

As the planet continues to inch past the 1.5 ºC increase in global temperature—a threshold originally reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as critical to avoiding catastrophic climate impacts—this same dedication to convenience dominates the conversation about how we’re going to keep ourselves cool. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), air conditioners and electric fans already account for 10 percent of global electricity consumption, and that number is only expected to rise as summers reach sweltering temperatures around the world.

Now, a new study published in the journal Nature Reviews Clean Technology argues that air conditioners should be seen as a last-ditch solution, rather than the go-to one. The study’s co-authors—Matthaios Santamouris (from the University of New South Wales) and Konstantina Vasilakopoulou (from RMIT University in Melbourne)—analyzed emerging building materials that could help lower temperatures with minimal energy usage, decreasing the reliance on air conditioners especially on hot days when energy demands are already high.

Among these materials are radiative systems, evaporative systems, and green roofs, as well as solar control systems and smart ventilation technologies. Some of this same tech can also help trap warm air in buildings during the winter.

“The best cooling strategy is to stop unwanted heat entering buildings in the first place,” Santamouris said in a press statement. “Shading, reflective materials, smarter ventilation, and new cooling materials can dramatically reduce indoor temperatures before an air conditioner even needs to switch on.”

The authors note that air conditioners likely won’t ever disappear completely, but that a combination of these technologies could reduce A/C demand by up to 80 percent and lower ambient temperatures by more than 4 degrees Celsius. The authors note, however, that results vary based on region and climatic conditions.

Because buildings are being constructed today that will need to survive into our warming future, Santamouris and Vasilakopoulou argue that it’s essential that these technologies come to be seen as vital, rather than niche curiosities.

And we have options. After all, air conditioners have only been around for
125 years or so, and only 12 percent of U.S. households had them by 1960. Dating back to at least the ancient Sumerians, humans have developed many ingenious methods to beat the heat, including homes designed for maximum cross-ventilation or
materials designed to keep cool air in and warm air out.

“Cooling should not be a luxury available only to those who can afford rising electricity bills,” Santamouris said in a press statement. “Better building design can reduce costs, improve comfort and help protect the people most vulnerable to extreme heat.”