Most new homes use natural gas or
propane for space heating and
domestic hot water. But few residential
builders realize that gas can also be used
as a fuel for air conditioning. Although
residential gas-fired air conditioners
make up only a tiny percentage of the
market, interest in them is increasing,
especially in California, where power
shortages are spurring attempts to
reduce electrical demand.
Gas-fired air conditioning is not a new
technology. The heyday of gas-fired
chillers was in the 1960s, when appliance
manufacturers, including Whirlpool
and Bryant, sold 75,000 units a year.
But in the late 1960s, natural gas shortages
led to a moratorium on residential
gas hookups, and the industry all but
died. Now there is only