Explaining the spread of residential air conditioning, 1955-1980

Jeff Biddle

Explorations in Economic History, 2008, vol. 45, issue 4, pages 402-423

Abstract: In 1955 fewer than 2% of the nation's residences had air conditioning; by 1980 over half were air conditioned, and over a quarter had central air. This paper attempts to explain the growth and the geographic differences in the prevalence of residential air conditioning from the mid fifties to 1980. Census data and data on climate and relevant prices are combined to estimate a model that focuses on the role of economic factors, that is, geographic differences and changes over time in incomes and prices, in affecting the pattern of diffusion of residential air conditioning.

Keywords: Residential; air; conditioning; New; product; diffusion; Electricity; rates; Climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WFJ ... 249c78575bd1c353bea6
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:exehis:v:45:y:2008:i:4:p:402-423

Access Statistics for this article

Explorations in Economic History is edited by R. A. Margo

More articles in Explorations in Economic History from Elsevier
Series data maintained by Heidi Boesdal ().