Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air cooling and conditioning is one of the most important inventions of our time. They made summer movie blockbusters possible and helped boost production for wartime supplies and aircrafts.
Cooling, however, puts enormous strain on the electricity system and creates huge amounts of pollution. This special IEA Report raises awareness of the impact and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important aspects when choosing a new cooling system. Upgrade to a more efficient air conditioner and you will reduce your energy costs and also reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated with several different energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings indicate how much an air conditioner can cool using a certain amount of electricity. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of the system can be found on the yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When looking for a brand new air conditioning system, look for one with a high SEER rating. This rating indicates how the unit performs in normal conditions during a particular season. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating will significantly reduce your energy use and cost.
Air conditioning systems are affected by other causes as well. Insufficient humidity in the indoors, lack of maintenance and leaks in ducts, for instance, can make your system be more demanding and consume more energy. Maintaining your system with regular maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are easy ways to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency considerations, too. These systems make use of a combination of packaged or split-compressors and huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require specific maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with an Building Automation System, which connects the cooling and heating systems into a single central system. Verde has helped clients optimize the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning guidelines that typically provide quick paybacks and incentives for implementation.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key component of global efforts to combat climate change. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers introduce super-efficient cooling appliances to market, and consumers demand these appliances. In the meantime, there are other ways we can reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A lot of people spend the majority of their lives in structures, and these structures can be a major health risk when the indoor air quality is poor. There are fortunately a number of ways to improve IAQ, which can stop common issues like asthma, allergies, and fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources for pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants can be released into the air by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking, and smoking. They can cause allergies and respiratory issues.
A high level of moisture may also have a negative impact on air quality. Mold and mildew can grow in moist air, which can lead to respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity at a minimum is crucial to avoid these issues. The best way to accomplish this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, washing furniture and bedding and using an air dehumidifier and humidifier if necessary based on hygrometer readings.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ It can also increase comfort in your home. For instance, a house with a lot of air pollution can be stale and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes as well as a stuffy sensation. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help avoid these issues. Also, ensure that you open doors and windows for ventilation when needed.
Poor air quality can cause headaches, difficulty concentrating, and a general malaise. The symptoms can resolve when you leave the room however prolonged exposure to poor quality air can worsen existing health conditions or even trigger serious illnesses.
Ventilation is the main factor that affects IAQ. This can be affected by the weather, room occupancy rates, as well as the design of the structure. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including introduction of plants into the home, opening windows and doors as much as is possible and making sure that the HVAC system is working correctly. For those who would prefer a more thorough approach, it is recommended to consult a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Central air conditioning systems are excellent in removing biological contaminants like bacteria, molds pollen, pet dander and mold. However they cannot remove smoke particles. The tiny particles of wildfire smoke are very dangerous, and they can easily get into your eyes, nose, and throat which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and cause worsening of chronic heart and lung conditions. Smoke particles can cause range of health issues such as bronchitis and aggravation of asthma.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing dangerous air quality conditions across much of the northern US and southern Canada. The dense smoky fog reduces visibility and can cause respiratory distress to anyone who is required to be outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from getting into your home through windows and doors, especially in older homes that have a lot of cracks and drafts. You can make steps to decrease the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it is smoky outside. This can cut the amount of smoke by 30 percent. Place damp towels in the cracks and around door frames to slow down the flow of smoke.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation mode, make sure to turn off when you are in a smokey environment. This will allow your HVAC system to take the smokey indoor air outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If you have ducts in your building connected to areas that may generate high levels of pollutants, like parking garages that are attached to the building and loading docks, be certain to have these ducts independently isolated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more frequently during smokey conditions in order to ensure that they are effectively removing toxins from indoor air. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) that is 13 or more. These filters are designed to remove smoke and gaseous air pollution.
Supercooling
In recent times, supercooling has become an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based upon the notion that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at any time of the day. In reality, the majority of energy companies offer “time-of-use” plans that provide different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling lets homeowners cool their homes in advance during off-peak times, so they don’t need to run air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners should take the time to look up their electric consumption patterns and decide the most cost-effective time to run their air cooling system. A lot of people save 25% or more on their energy bills by using this method.
To cool the house, the homeowner should set their AC at a lower temperature the next morning and maintain it for a few hours. This cools down the floors, walls, furniture, and fixtures of the home as well as the air inside. When peak energy costs hit the homeowner, he or she will turn up the temperature and then leave it running until the next time it is turned off.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the house cool. It’s important to prevent heat from entering your home through doors, windows and other leaky areas. That’s why homeowners should double-check that their homes are properly insulated and make sure to insulate any drafty or leaky areas. Also, they should use window covers to block the sun, particularly in areas that get direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. They should also make sure that all doors and windows are sealed tightly to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. Additionally, they should think about using smart thermostats to assist them in ensuring that they start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy bills at a minimum without having to remember to turn the system off or on.
