From strain to support: Your AC could help stabilize the power grid

It is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units to balance supply and demand on the power grid.

As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you’re like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning—do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world?