First-ever Daikin World Air Survey

In Riyadh, the temperature difference between the AC setting and the maximum outdoor temperature reaches up to 20.6°C. During the hottest month, residents use AC for an average of 14.9 hours per day. 

When studying the difference between the average maximum outdoor temperature[2] and the average set temperature[1] for AC during the hottest month in each city, the largest difference was found in Riyadh at 20.6°C (average maximum outdoor temperature: 44.0°C, average set temperature for AC: 23.4°C). Lagos was also found to have the third largest temperature difference, with a 12.1°C variation (average maximum outdoor temperature 34.0°C and an average AC setting of 21.9°C).

Furthermore, when asked about the average time spent using AC at home all day during the hottest month of the year[3], Riyadh was found to use air conditioning for 14.9 hours, the second longest time after Houston. On the other hand, Madrid had the shortest usage time with 5.6 hours, Paris had the second shortest with 6.3 hours and Istanbul was third with 6.8 hours.

In Riyadh, air conditioning systems face significant demands due to the extreme differences between outdoor temperatures and AC settings, as well as the long daily usage during the hottest time of the year. Fortunately, Daikin air conditioners are engineered to handle the specific needs of each region, so they perform well even in the high temperatures of Riyadh.

[1] Average of the temperature most commonly set for residential AC cooling during the hottest month of the year. Responses of ‘18°C or lower’ were calculated as 18°C, while ‘30°C or higher’ were calculated as 30°C. Responses stating ‘automatic’ settings were excluded from the calculations.

[2] Temperature in the month with the highest average maximum temperature from January to December. (Average of 1992-2021 or 2012-2021). Source: Time and Date https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/

[3]  Average hours of AC cooling use per day when spending all day at home during the hottest month of the year. Calculated as 1.5 hours for responses of ‘1-2 hours’, 3.5 hours for ‘3-4 hours’, 5.5 hours for ‘5-6 hours’, 8.5 hours for ‘7-10 hours’, 13 hours for ‘11-15 hours’, 19.5 hours for ‘16-under 24 hours’ and 24 hours for ‘24 hours’.

Madrid recorded the lowest proportion of people who like being exposed to and feeling the airflow of air conditioners during the hottest months, at 52% among the 12 cities surveyed. 

When asked about their opinion about feeling the airflow of air conditioners on their skin during hot weather, most people in most cities responded positively saying they “strongly like it” or “somewhat like it”. However, in Madrid and Tokyo, opinions were more mixed. In these cities, nearly half of the respondents liked the airflow, while the other did not, showing a clear division in preferences.

When respondents who prioritised energy efficiency when purchasing an air conditioner were asked for their reasons, the predominant motivation across all cities was reducing their electricity bill, rather than minimising environmental impact. A total of 72% of respondents from all 12 cities cited reducing their electricity bill as their primary reason.

New York had the highest percentage of people who prioritised energy efficiency mainly for the purpose of "reducing environmental impact", at 45.2%. Paris, Madrid, and Istanbul also had relatively high percentages, with each city seeing over 30% of respondents citing "reducing environmental impact" as the key reason.

[5] Respondents were asked to rank the most important factors when purchasing an air conditioner from 1 to 3. The rankings were then weighted, with the first choice receiving 3 points, the second choice 2 points, and the third choice 1 point, to calculate a weighted average.