Tokyo’s AC Usage Tops the World: 14 Hours 12 Minutes a Day Across 12 Major Cities

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A survey of 12 cities worldwide conducted by air conditioner manufacturer Daikin Industries found that Tokyo’s average daily air conditioner usage time was 14 hours and 12 minutes — the longest of any city surveyed. With the finding that 30% of households run their AC “almost all day,” the thread lit up with personal anecdotes that leaving the AC on all the time is actually cheaper, debates over home insulation performance, and comparisons with France’s notably low AC adoption rate.

8/26 (Wed) 13:21 JST

Yomiuri Shimbun Online

According to a survey on air conditioner usage across 12 cities worldwide conducted by major air conditioning manufacturer Daikin Industries, the average daily at-home usage time during the hottest period was longest in Tokyo, at 14 hours and 12 minutes.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

6Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:17:45.15ID:4rOnL1YB0
Tokyo's bad for the environment, man.
It's not like you're running factories — show some restraint.
16Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:19:40.36ID:6X32lPlM0
>>6
Lots of buildings and "tamamans" around. Buildings and tamamans throw off huge amounts of heat from their outdoor AC units.
22Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:21:10.48ID:VnZSbDaG0
>>16
That's not "tamaman," it's "tawaman" (tower mansion / high-rise condo), lol
7Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:17:47.64ID:zGRMi8kN0
Tokyo's been cool enough these past few years that you barely even need AC, though?
182Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:44:17.69ID:ekNyRtxp0
>>7
Okutama folks, sit down and shut up. (Okutama is Tokyo's rural, mountainous — and much cooler — western edge)
237Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:50:22.50ID:xgNy9qAu0
>>7
Well, it's true that when people from western Japan come to Tokyo, they think 'huh, maybe I could actually get by without AC here?'
The humidity and sunlight are just that different.
305Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:56:30.27ID:dsQM7o7j0
>>7
That's just this year though…
10Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:18:29.20ID:XyLg4MeQ0
Wasn't leaving it on 24/7 supposed to be the most cost-effective option?
15Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:19:36.43ID:VnZSbDaG0
>>10
Not turning it on at all for 24 hours is the most cost-effective, lol!
49Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:26:05.09ID:yUoslzdb0
>>10
It's just that if you're only turning it off for 30 minutes, you're better off leaving it running.
12Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:18:58.39ID:wUBmRz1G0
France's household AC installation rate is only around 20%
An abnormally low number
32Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:24:13.74ID:x7QBOX500
>>12
Guess that's what you'd expect from an environmental leader, huh
38Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:24:51.75ID:KDUbQ0610
>>12
If eco-terrorists spot your outdoor unit, they'll smash it
54Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:27:04.12ID:DyKWtpzX0
Modern AC auto mode is pretty smart, honestly.
If you set it to 28°C, once it hits 28°C it basically goes silent
and barely uses any power — isn't that how it works?
Once the room hits 28°C, it'll just idle there for 10 or even 15 hours.

Back in the Showa era (roughly 1926–1989), it'd just blast cold air forever trying to reach 28°C,
overcooling the room and wasting tons of electricity.
If a Showa-era AC saw today's auto mode doing nothing, it'd say "If you're not gonna do anything, get out!"
65Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:28:53.51ID:nW82ASvF0
>>54
I guess that's because inverter ACs are just standard now?
Though the era when that was a selling point was ages ago
82Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:30:37.22ID:OtZA3mKG0
>>54
Exactly, that's why I just leave mine running all the time now
93Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:31:54.82ID:fwvIjaRr0
>>54
I've got two units — one stops exactly at the set temp and runs quietly, but the other one cools down to 25°C even when I set the max of 30°C, and it's driving me nuts
58Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:27:47.90ID:lbXxn/qD0
But AC doesn't work very well in traditional Japanese-style houses
because they're not very airtight
70Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:29:30.13ID:6X32lPlM0
>>58
That was true for a lot of houses up through the Showa era, but new builds have high insulation now, so they actually cool efficiently
189Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:44:51.07ID:Ax3nlqDa0
>>58
It's not about airtightness

Insulation performance is what matters
Airtightness is basically garbage-tier by comparison
80Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:30:22.83ID:76RnH2Jy0
>>12
Because it's not that hot there
100Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:32:52.41ID:z+oR3u+50
>>80
Yeah right, that's a lie—

134Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:37:52.13ID:VnZSbDaG0
>>100
June…? That's freak weather… it's not normally that hot
206Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:46:30.06ID:76RnH2Jy0
>>100
Go check today's temperature
122Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:35:52.11ID:a3kGzP1q0
Electricity isn't cheap anywhere in the world, so Tokyo must be rolling in money
140Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:38:43.89ID:sRUqwC0L0
>>122
I heard new detached houses in Tokyo are now required to install solar power systems
Hearing that, I actually got solar installed myself this past February, lol
144Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:39:41.90ID:NsmJOoC90
>>122
Sure, electricity's expensive, but if you look at your August bill, about 10% is knocked off thanks to government subsidies
126Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:36:34.55ID:CIGDHznr0
If people don't state where they live and their preferred set temperature,
this just turns into a classic 5ch thread where everyone argues past each other
based on their own personal standards
129Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:36:59.38ID:6X32lPlM0
>>126
But that's the whole charm of 5ch, isn't it
300Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:56:15.84ID:ED839m2h0
>>126
Same story on any social media, honestly
150Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:40:19.27ID:9YeTMtuA0
So the waste heat from all these ACs just fuels more warming,
and now we're in a full-blown feedback loop
It's over for planet Earth
156Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:41:32.54ID:SqoTxVNF0
>>150
I kind of want them to build even more data centers in the Kanto region and make it even more hellish (lol)
160Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:41:53.54ID:romIUx3r0
>>150
Just splash water on your outdoor unit

#keep it rain-level so it doesn't break
170Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:42:53.47ID:eh61BOXp0
>>150
Honestly, I think this is exactly it
Also, the asphalt
209Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:47:12.17ID:Ryf8d78l0
Wait, 'running all day' — does that mean it's on even while you're out of the house?
216Anonymous2026/08/26(水) 14:48:19.49ID:6X32lPlM0
>>209
Apparently there are cases where leaving it running costs less than switching it on and off constantly. The AC uses the most power right when you first turn it on in the heat

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Survey] Tokyo’s AC Usage Longest Among 12 World Cities at 14 Hours 12 Minutes… 30% Run It Almost All Day”.

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