Air conditioner use on the rise over the past decade, according to Statistics Canada

With another heat warning in much of Alberta, it’s a hot market for air conditioners.

According to data from Statistics Canada, a higher percentage of homes across the country are using air conditioners but it’s more stark in Calgary, where almost a third of homes have air conditioning.

That’s 68 per cent more than there were 10 years ago.

“It’s become a little unbearable, the heat. It’s affecting our sleep,” Katherine Hirtig said.

She and her husband decided it was time to get air conditioning this year.

“Finally, after that week we had where it was up to 35 C that one day, we just said, ‘Alright, this is our year,’” Jonas Hirtig said.

Born-and-raised Calgarians remember when very few homes in the city had air conditioning but say it wasn’t really needed back then.

“Summers have definitely been getting hotter, more intense. It’s not just a few days in the summer that are in the 30s,” Katherine said.

The latest stats show 32 per cent of Calgary homes have air conditioning, up from about 19 per cent 10 years ago.

“Using your air conditioning just two weeks a year actually isn’t real anymore. We’re often experiencing hotter, more humid summers earlier in the season. … Last year, we stated our first heat wave in April,” said Josh Glass, comfort adviser for Action Furnace.

Action Furnace says winter used to be the busy month but now they are much busier in the summer.

Despite the high demand right now, their customers in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer only have to wait a couple of days to get an appointment.

An air conditioning option growing in popularity is heat pump technology.

“The technology is developing to provide more adequate solutions for northern climates like here in Calgary and Edmonton,” Glass said.

It’s not just temperature but also wildfire smoke sparking the decision to splurge for air conditioning.

“I suffer from asthma. It’s a big factor.” Jonas Hirtig said.

“People’s only solution to mitigate the smoke is to close all the windows, turn off the air circulation, but then you’re stick with a stale, hot home,” Glass said.

Action Furnace says its central air units start around $6,500.

With many hot days in the near forecast, the Hirtigs see it as an investment.