According to research recently featured in the New York Times, 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history. For Parker & Sons, a local home services company specializing in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, this is very interesting information. During summer, when temperatures routinely rise well above 100°C, HVAC units all across Phoenix start working overtime. It takes a massive amount of energy to lower the interior temperature of a home to a more manageable and livable level. Parker & Sons considers what the rise in temperatures mean for the HVAC and electrical industries.
According to data compiled and analyzed by a team of global scientists, the average global temperature during the year 2015 was .90°C above the average for the 20th century. This was also the highest average ever records since such information began being tracked in 1880. 10 of the 12 months during 2015 set new record highs in terms of average global temperature.
Parker & Sons notes, the odds of breaking global temperature records in back-to-back years has be estimated by scientists to be approximately 1:1500. This means that 2016 is likely to somewhat cooler than 2015.
Parker & Sons further notes that climate scientists believe that 2016 will be subject to a strong El Nino event, which is a complex weather pattern caused by variations in ocean temperatures. This unpredictable weather event could impact local temperatures here in the South West United States.
“We know this year was very hot, and it seems possible that 2016 might be very warm as well. Homeowners may wonder exactly what they are supposed to do with this information. I would say, they should just use it to stay prepared. Keep your HVAC unit tuned-up and well maintained. Don’t ignore problems if they crop up. The last thing you want is to have to sweat out a few 109°C days because you A/C unit breaks down,” said Josh Kelly of Parker & Sons.