One of the greatest innovations of all time was the “cost of keeping comfortable”

in hot climates. Air conditioning allowed regions like Florida to become highly productive and well populated. For such a large system, it is difficult to discuss true costs and benefits. However, there are some ways to try to get a reasonable estimate. The Gross State Product (GSP) of Florida in 2013 was $803.2 billion. Only California, Texas, and New York had larger GSPs.

Assume that without air-conditioning, Florida and Michigan would be about the same, viz., $413.6 billion. The population of Michigan was 10.3 million which is just about half that of Florida (viz., 20.2 million). With these assumptions, what, if anything, can be said about the value of air conditioning?