Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are one of the most important inventions in modern history. They were instrumental in making summer blockbusters, wartime planes and other equipment possible.
However cooling places a significant strain on electricity systems and creates massive amounts of pollution. This particular IEA report raises awareness about the effects of this demand, and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important factors when choosing a new cooling system. Upgrade to an efficient air conditioner and you’ll save money on energy bills and also reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is rated in several ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings show how much a unit is able to cool with a certain amount of energy consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. You can find the SEER rating of a system on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.
When shopping for a new air conditioning unit, look for one with a high SEER rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit performs during the course of a season in normal conditions. A higher SEER rating will lower the cost of energy and consumption if you are replacing an older model.
Other factors can affect the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. Insufficient humidity in the indoors, lack of maintenance and duct leaks for example, can all cause your system to perform more efficiently and consume more energy. Routine maintenance and sealing leaks in the ducts are a simple way to increase the efficiency of your system.
Commercial cooling systems are also susceptible to concerns about energy efficiency. They typically use the combination of packaged or split compressors and massive pipes to distribute cooling throughout the building. They may also incorporate steam systems that require specific maintenance in order to prevent the pipes from getting blocked.
Many of these large systems can also be controlled by the use of a Building Automation System, which connects the cooling and heating systems into a single centralized system. Verde has helped optimize the performance of these systems by providing retrocommissioning strategies that offer quick paybacks.
The global effort to reduce the impact of climate change is largely dependent on the efficiency of energy used in cooling and air conditioning. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers introduce super-efficient cooling devices to market, and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime we can also take other steps to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a serious health concern for many people who spend a significant portion of their lives in buildings. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to improve IAQ that can help stop common issues like asthma as well as allergies and fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most common pollutants in modern workplaces and homes. These pollutants can be released into the air through a variety of actions like cooking, cleaning, and smoking. They can trigger respiratory issues and allergies.
High levels of moisture can have a negative impact on air quality. The humid air encourages the development of mildew and mold that can trigger respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture level at a minimum is crucial to avoid these problems. This can be achieved by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, soft furnishings and using a humidifier or dehumidifier based on the humidifier or hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can improve the comfort of homes. For example, a home with a lot of air pollution can be stale and smell unpleasant. It can also trigger itchy skin, irritated eyes, and a stuffy feeling. Installing an air purifier and maintaining the HVAC system can help avoid these issues. Also, make sure that you open your windows and doors to let air flow in when needed.
The symptoms of poor air quality can be varied and can include headaches difficulty concentrating, and even a general malaise. These symptoms may improve when you leave the room however prolonged exposure to poor air quality can aggravate existing health issues or even trigger serious illnesses.
Ventilation is the most important factor that affects IAQ. This is affected by the weather, occupancy rate of the room and the design. There are a few easy methods to improve IAQ. These include introducing plants in the house, opening the doors and windows whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is operating correctly. If you’re looking to go one step further, we suggest you talk to a Comfort Specialist regarding an indoor air assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do an excellent job of filtering out most biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria and pet dander pollen, they are not designed to eliminate smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke are very dangerous and can easily get into your nose, eyes and throat, and cause symptoms such as burning eyes or itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and worsen lung and heart conditions that are chronic. Smoke particles can cause a range of health issues such as bronchitis and aggravation of asthma.
The haze that covered New York City last week was caused by forest fires raging in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality conditions across large parts of the north and south of the United States. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and causes breathing problems for those who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely stop smoke from getting into your business or home through doors and windows especially older houses with lots of drafts and cracks. However you can take steps to minimize the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it’s smoky outside. This can cut the amount of smoke by 30 percent. If possible, place wet towels on the door frames and cracks in order to slow the movement of smoky air into your home or business.
If your HVAC system is in a recirculation mode, be sure to turn it off during smoky conditions. This will allow the system to eliminate the smoke outside, rather than returning it to inside. If your structure has ducts that connect to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, for instance loading docks or parking garages it is important to ensure that the ducts are separated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends that you change your HVAC filters more frequently in the event of smoke to ensure that they are effectively removing contaminants from indoor air. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) which is 13 or more. These filters are designed to get rid of smoke and gaseous air pollution.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. Most electricity companies offer “time of use” plans that have different peak and offpeak rates. Supercooling lets homeowners pre-cool their homes at off-peak hours so they don’t have to use their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak hours.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners need to be aware of and study their electric usage patterns and figure out the best time to run their air conditioner. A lot of people save 25% or more off their energy bills through this method.
To keep the home cool homeowners should set their AC at an lower temperature the following morning and keep it there for a few more hours. This cools the walls as well as floors, furniture and fixtures as well as the interior air. When energy costs are high the homeowner, he or she will increase the temperature of the air conditioner, and leave it running until the next time it is shut off.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t just about making the air inside the home cool. It’s also about preventing heat from getting into the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It is essential that homeowners check their home’s insulation and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. They should also use window coverings to block out sun particularly those that receive bright direct sunlight in the hottest parts of the day. Also, they should make sure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. They should also consider using smart thermostats to assist them remember when to begin and stop cooling. This allows homeowners to keep their energy bills low and not worry about forgetting to switch off or on.