For 18 years, Tom Young used an evaporative cooler at his Kearns home to combat Utah's hot and dry summers.
This month he knocked the square metal box off his roof, replacing it with a brand-new refrigerated air conditioning system.
"It was a pain in the butt to get up on the roof," said Young, pointing to the constant maintenance demanded by his so-called "swamp" cooler. "Last year the float went out part-way through the season."
Like Young, a growing number of Utahns are trading in their swamp coolers for central air.
Blame it on global warming or simple convenience, but central air conditioning's popularity is red-hot.
In fact, central air is fast replacing what once was a Utah tradition.
Evaporative coolers — which cool air by drawing it through water-soaked pads and use about one-quarter of the electricity of central air conditioners — were found in more than 70 percent of Utah homes in 1994. Today less than 50 percent of Utah homes use swamp coolers. And swamp cooler use is projected to continue falling to the point that they will constitute only 20 percent of Utah's market by 2019, according to PacifiCorp, which operates as Utah Power in the state.
But central air conditioning's demand is expected to skyrocket, penetrating 70 percent of the state's homes by 2019.
"I think there is a move toward central air," said Tony Oakman, president of Salt Lake-based Lee's Heating and Air Conditioning. "People today are more into comfort. I don't know if I ever had anybody that has had refrigeration that has gone back to a swamp cooler, but everybody goes the other way."
And with central air conditioning costing little more than $1 a day to operate, about twice as much as a swamp cooler, price is not a barrier.
The new trend means increased sales for air conditioner installers like Oakman, who estimates his company sells 40 to 60 units a month.
Last year Oakman's gross sales increased by 10 percent over the previous year. In 2001, his sales were up 18 percent.
However, the move to refrigeration is pushing Utah's household consumption of electricity through the ceiling, according to officials at Utah Power, which is responsible for providing electricity to more than 75 percent of Utah's residents.
In fact, when it comes to electricity consumption, Utah accounts for 42 percent of PacifiCorp's total demand, consuming more electricity than any state in the company's six-state region, which also includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and California.
That demand is largely attributed to the rapid rise in central air conditioning, according to John Stewart, PacifiCorp's director of Utah regulation.
In particular, Stewart said, heightened electrical loads are being driven by larger new homes that contain multiple central air conditioning units, as well as conversions of existing swamp coolers to central air.
"Utah is growing faster, and its 'peak' is growing faster than any of the rest of the six states," Stewart said. "They're using more power, and they're using more power again at peak times, which is the most expensive time."
Peak loads — the most amount of electricity used at any given moment — are increasing along the Wasatch Front at a rate of 5.4 percent annually. That compares to almost flat growth in PacifiCorp's other regions.
Most of central air conditioning's use occurs during peak hours, between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., usually the hottest part of the day and the time when people arrive home from work and turn on other electrical appliances.
Within Utah, central air conditioning consumes more electricity than any other residential activity, accounting for nearly 30 percent of total usage and exceeding that of refrigerators, lights, range ovens and dryers.
"The market research that we've done indicates that many people are converting. Most large new homes are built with multiple air conditioning units, usually two and sometimes three," said Dave Eskelsen, a senior communications consultant for PacifiCorp. "New homes, even starter homes, are furnished with refrigerated central air conditioning as a marketing point."
PacifiCorp's data reflects other studies indicating Utah's appetite for electricity. During the 1990s demand for electricity in the state increased by 52 percent, according to a report by the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Nina Dougherty, air quality and energy chairwoman for the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, said the trend is disturbing.
"It's almost tragic, this turn to refrigerated air conditioning," said Dougherty, who doesn't use any type of air conditioning in her home. "You are using much more electricity to keep cool. I think people maybe want things cooler than they actually need."
Dougherty also attributes the switch to central air to Utah's low electricity rates. According to the most recent data from the Energy Information Administration, Utah's residential electricity rates are the lowest in the nation, averaging $48.55 a month. The U.S. average monthly bill is $75.57.
But Utah's prices may not stay low forever. PacifiCorp has embarked on a 10-year plan to build several electrical power plants to meet the state's increased demand. Earlier this month Utah Power initiated the process to build a new 775-megawatt gas-fired plant.
More than 4,000 megawatts of power will be needed to replace retiring power plants and meet Utah's expected peak load over the next decade. One megawatt is enough energy to power about 500 homes at any one moment.
The costs of those plants will be passed on to customers. Some estimates project a 30 percent increase in electricity costs over the next 10 years.
"The more growth in peak power," Stewart said, "the more it is likely to push up rates."
E-mail: danderton@desnews.com