Lies, Damned lies and Statistics!

Have you ever heard the fact that if you eat peanuts the day before you fly you are 73% less likely to be involved in a plane crash, or that 27% of female lottery winners hid their winning ticket in their bras? Apparently wearing white socks will also reduce your chances of being involved in a traffic accident but not if you are carrying a chicken in the back.

Bizarre statistics such as these examples are taken as fun with very few people relying upon them in their daily lives. I have yet to hear of any one actually consuming peanuts to avoid a travelling catastrophe, and as for the lucky lottery winners, the term ‘wonder-bra’ takes in a whole new meaning.

Statistics have long been the playground for politicians and it is common to hear them trading figures to prove a point or to justify an action. We have come to accept that it is often simply a way of avoiding answering the question and annoying as it, this practise has become part of the political landscape.

The quote ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics’, is meant to signify that there are three degrees of falsehood. Facts are facts after all, but statistics are facts often used to influence of perception and it is very easy for the unwitting to be misled by them.

The ACR industry is currently awash with statistics regarding refrigerants. The imminent HCFC phase out, combined with a drive to improve efficiency, have brought with them a whole rash of ‘facts’ and claims.

Sure, R22 is rising in price, but only after it had reached a ten year low. Even after it has doubled in price it will still be incredibly cheap. Many of the retro-fit alternative replacements refrigerants are showing extremely attractive energy savings, that is, until the extent of the system modifications is examined more closely.

Accurate information is desperately needed at this time if the industry is to maintain its credibility and make the right decisions. Fortunately, many responsible suppliers are providing just that, however, unfortunately others are perhaps unwittingly, dressing it up so that it can only be viewed through smoke and mirrors.

No one wants to mislead or be misled, and with an open mind the relevant facts can be disentangled and presented quite easily for everyone’s benefit. So let’s do it, before we all end up sounding like politicians or insisting on service engineers wearing white socks.

(see: http://www.acr-news.com/blog/blog.asp?author=14)