actions on an international scale are being taken without consultation, hence the need for genuine political will, strengthened legislation, and better regulation of practices. The few existing thermal regulations could one day serve as a helpful basis for a long‑awaited global standard. While a world without air conditioners may be a utopian dream, solutions exist to stem their pernicious effects in the more or less short term. Manufacturing more energy-efficient air conditioners, adapting our buildings and environments to make them less vulnerable to heat, changing our lifestyles, developing innovative technologies, etc., with – in our sights – the challenge of a proactive policy to regulate their use on a global scale. these two markers) from the firm Baumschlager Eberle Architekten (BEA) does not require a heating, ventilation, or cooling system. A first building with 24 housing units using this method will be inaugurated in Lyon (France) in 2025 in the Confluence neighborhood. For its part, “free cooling” cools down a building by using the temperature difference between the outdoor and indoor air or very cold water, harnessing shutters and ventilation. Seawater heating is a variant of this system, in which water is used to cool buildings. LAWS GOVERNING PRACTICES In fact, countries are not standing idly by in the light of the surge in air conditioning units and their consequences. In France, the government recommends setting the air conditioning no lower than 26 °C. In Italy, a law from 2022 forbids lowering thermostats below 25 °C in all areas. In parallel, renewable energies are encouraged in order to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions linked to the electricity consumed by air conditioners. Nonetheless, all the A building using an alternative cooling system will be inaugurated in Lyon (France) in 2025. Up to 80% of the energy needed for heating or cooling can be saved by insulating. Here, an interior insulation project. ©Isover
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