Moderating AC Usage Can Reduce Thermal Disparity between Indoor and Outdoor Environments

In the context of escalating urban heat events due to climate change, air conditioning (AC) has become a critical factor in maintaining indoor thermal comfort. Yet the usage of AC can also exacerbate outdoor heat stress and burden the electricity system, and there is little scientific knowledge regarding how to balance these conflicting goals. To address this issue, we established a coupled modeling approach, integrating the Weather Research and Forecasting model with the building energy model (WRF_BEP + BEM), and designed multiple AC usage scenarios. We selected Chongqing, China’s fourth-largest megacity, as our study area due to its significant socioeconomic importance, the severity of extreme heat events, and the uniqueness of its energy infrastructure. Our analysis reveals that AC systems can substantially reduce indoor temperatures by up to 18 °C; however, it also identifies substantial nighttime warming (2–2.5 °C) and a decline in thermal comfort. Particularly for high-density neighborhoods, when we increase 2 °C indoors, the outdoor temperature can be alleviated by up to 1 °C. Besides, despite the limited capacity to regulate peak electricity demand, we identified that reducing the spatial cooled fraction, increasing targeted indoor temperature by 2 °C, and implementing temporal AC schedules can effectively lower energy consumption in high-density neighborhoods, especially the reduction of spatial cooled fraction (up to 50%). Considering the substantial demand for cooling energy, it is imperative to carefully assess the adequacy and continuity of backup energy sources. The study underscores the urgency of reassessing energy resilience and advocates for addressing the thermal equity between indoor and outdoor environments, contributing to the development of a sustainable and just urban climate strategy in an era of intensifying heat events.