Heating As Opposed To Air Conditioning?

Question

My local McDonalds have their air conditioning on all the while.

Even when it is cold it is freezing in there, they hardly ever use the heating.

I sit in there drinking my tea and have to wear a coat (I do eat the food but it is very very rare)

I was once told when that it costs virtually the same to power an air conditioning unit in these places as opposed to switching on the heating?

Is there any truth in this? Thanks

Answer 1

possibly but why make customers freeze....design it so it just goes into the kitchen

Answer 2

Well, actually, "air conditioning" includes heating and cooling.  We just use stupid children's terms, like calling zero the letter "o" when they are not the same (the letter 'o' on your cell phone is on the six key, what used to be the operator key is the zero key, so if you dial "two-oh-two area code" to reach Washington DC, you are actually dialing area code 262!).

In a food establishment and in some industrial buildings, it is important to maintain an air ambience.  Sometimes it is part of the air purging system such as in a hospital or chemical factory, sometimes it is to maintain cleanliness as in a restaurant or fast food joint, and there are various other reasons.

So it could be that the air system of a particular building will continue to function whether the temperature needs to be cooler or warmer, or no change at all in temperature.  If that is the case, there will be little difference in the cost of running a unit continuously.

However, sometimes air pressure is used to keep bugs or pollutants out of a building.  Sometimes the temperature control system may only function if the building is not open to the outside directly for more than brief moments, and so there are no controls for heat and cold beyond the master control panel.  Therefore, a constant temperature is maintained by keeping the building closed and continuously forcing temperature-controlled air into all rooms of the building at the same time.  These are just a few examples of the engineering that goes into buildings, and no doubt, a heating and air conditioning professional can give a better explanation than my limited knowledge.