The air conditioner was intended as an example in which a product is shitty in ways the large majority of consumers don’t notice, and therefore market pressures don’t fix it.
But they do: among air-air heat pumps, dual hose air conditioners exist (but one hose versus two hoses is a huge gain in convenience), as do window air conditioners which are better (for efficiency; they cannot be installed in all windows), as do heat pumps with split indoor and outdoor units, which are much better (but more expensive). And ground-source heat pumps, which are better still, exist as well (but are still more expensive upfront and often not subsidized by utility companies and governments like air-air heat pumps are; but, like regulations on the units and on the people installing them, this depends on location and there are places where they are widely used for heating and air conditioning). And simple fans, which are not even air conditioners, also exist. The market offers the entire range of possible tradeoffs between efficiency, convenience, and cost. And different consumers are using products in this entire range.
… though at the same time, a counter has incremented in the back of my head, and I do have a slight concern that I’m avoiding evidence against the “people don’t notice major problems” model.
You are avoiding evidence against that model, but not in the way you think. It’s because you were looking at air conditioner ratings on Amazon, which gives you an impression of consumer preferences that is biased for convenience.
There are a lot of people using more efficient systems for air conditioning that they also use for heating. Searching for air conditioners on Amazon will give you a distorted picture because it selects against systems that are also meant for heating and systems that usually require professional installation—these are the most efficient systems, so searching on Amazon gives you a strong selection bias against efficiency and in favor of convenience. But that doesn’t mean that the majority of consumers don’t notice what products are more efficient. It’s just that Amazon search results for air conditioners aren’t representative of the market: the most efficient air conditioners aren’t marketed as air conditioners and consumers don’t purchase them on Amazon.
The most common product used by worldwide consumers, the ductless mini split, is highly efficient. In most circumstances it is likely cheaper to operate than geothermal because of lower installation and equipment costs. I think you’re onto something here. That consumers who need a temporary system sporadically or they need the cheapest possible system benefit from 1-hose. And if they need efficiency, air-air and geothermal are much more efficient.
2 hose is less convenient and more expensive, and marginally more efficient. It’s niche is apparently just not very deep. Window units are superior to 2 hose in every stat except the type of windows they work with and they are more visible from the outside of a building.
But they do: among air-air heat pumps, dual hose air conditioners exist (but one hose versus two hoses is a huge gain in convenience), as do window air conditioners which are better (for efficiency; they cannot be installed in all windows), as do heat pumps with split indoor and outdoor units, which are much better (but more expensive). And ground-source heat pumps, which are better still, exist as well (but are still more expensive upfront and often not subsidized by utility companies and governments like air-air heat pumps are; but, like regulations on the units and on the people installing them, this depends on location and there are places where they are widely used for heating and air conditioning). And simple fans, which are not even air conditioners, also exist. The market offers the entire range of possible tradeoffs between efficiency, convenience, and cost. And different consumers are using products in this entire range.
You are avoiding evidence against that model, but not in the way you think. It’s because you were looking at air conditioner ratings on Amazon, which gives you an impression of consumer preferences that is biased for convenience.
There are a lot of people using more efficient systems for air conditioning that they also use for heating. Searching for air conditioners on Amazon will give you a distorted picture because it selects against systems that are also meant for heating and systems that usually require professional installation—these are the most efficient systems, so searching on Amazon gives you a strong selection bias against efficiency and in favor of convenience. But that doesn’t mean that the majority of consumers don’t notice what products are more efficient. It’s just that Amazon search results for air conditioners aren’t representative of the market: the most efficient air conditioners aren’t marketed as air conditioners and consumers don’t purchase them on Amazon.
The most common product used by worldwide consumers, the ductless mini split, is highly efficient. In most circumstances it is likely cheaper to operate than geothermal because of lower installation and equipment costs. I think you’re onto something here. That consumers who need a temporary system sporadically or they need the cheapest possible system benefit from 1-hose. And if they need efficiency, air-air and geothermal are much more efficient.
2 hose is less convenient and more expensive, and marginally more efficient. It’s niche is apparently just not very deep. Window units are superior to 2 hose in every stat except the type of windows they work with and they are more visible from the outside of a building.