While AC can help us cope with summer heat and the worsening effects of climate change, it also generates copious amounts of greenhouse gasses. Those make the problem of global warming worse, which means we need more air conditioning.

Now, a Bill Gates-backed startup is poised to break this cycle with a new kind of AC that requires 50-90% less electricity than the ones we use today — and you might be able to buy a unit for your home as soon as 2026.