Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air cooling and conditioning is among the most important inventions of modern history. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost manufacturing for wartime supplies and aircrafts.
Cooling, however puts an enormous strain on the power system and generates massive amounts of pollution. This special IEA Report raises awareness of the issue and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Efficiency in energy is one of the most important aspects when selecting a new cooling system. Upgrade to a more efficient air conditioner and you will reduce your energy costs and reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is assessed in various ways such as SEER and EER. These ratings show how much an air conditioner can cool with a certain amount of electricity. The higher the score, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a unit can be located on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When looking for a brand new air conditioning system, search for one with a good SEER rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit will perform during the course of a season in normal conditions. A higher SEER rating could lower your energy consumption and costs if you are replacing an older model.
Air conditioning systems can be affected by other factors too. For example high levels of humidity in the indoor as well as a lack of maintenance and duct leaks could all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Making sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks from ducts are simple steps to increase your system’s energy efficiency.
Large commercial cooling systems come with their own energy efficiency considerations as well. These systems use a combination split or packaged compressors as well as massive pipeline networks to supply cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require specific maintenance to keep the pipes from getting blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with an Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into one centralized system. Verde has been able to improve the performance of systems by providing retrocommissioning suggestions that have rapid paybacks.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key component of global efforts to mitigate climate change. We must ensure that cooling appliances are super-efficient and that consumers demand these appliances. In the meantime, we can take other measures to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality can be a major health risk for those who spend a substantial portion of their time in buildings. There are many ways to improve IAQ and prevent common issues like allergies, asthma, fatigue, etc.
Particulate matter (PM) as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources of pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants can be released into the air through a variety of actions such as cooking, cleaning and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory problems.
A high level of humidity can also wreak havoc on air quality. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which can trigger respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity low is essential to avoid these problems. This can be achieved by regularly vacuuming and dusting, washing bedding, furniture and using a dehumidifier or humidifier using a hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can increase comfort in the home. A home with high levels of air pollutants for instance, may smell musty. It can also trigger irritated or itchy eyes and also a snoring sensation. These issues can be prevented by installing an air purifier, maintaining the HVAC system, and ensuring that windows and doors are opened to allow air circulation when required.
Poor air quality can lead to headaches, concentration problems, and a general malaise. These symptoms may improve after leaving the space, but prolonged exposure to poor quality air can aggravate existing health issues or even cause serious health issues.
The primary factor that affects IAQ is the speed at which fresh air replaces stale air, a process known as ventilation. This is affected by the weather conditions, the occupancy rate of the room, and the design. There are simple ways to improve IAQ. This includes installing plants in the house, opening the windows and doors whenever possible, and making sure that the HVAC system is working correctly. If you want to go one step further, we suggest that you talk to a Comfort Specialist regarding an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do an excellent job of filtering out the majority of biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria and pet dander pollen, they are not designed to eliminate smoke particles. Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles that can trigger symptoms such as burning or itchy eyes congestion, runny nose and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart problems. Smoke particles can trigger a 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 throughout much of the northern US and southern Canada. The dense smoky fog reduces visibility and may cause respiratory distress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely stop smoky air from getting into your business or home through doors and windows particularly older homes with many drafts and cracks. However you can make steps to limit the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Close all windows and doors when it’s smoky. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks and around door frames to slow down the flow of smoky air.
If your HVAC system features the ability to recirculate air, be sure that you shut it off when air is smoky. This allows the system to exhaust the smoky air directly outside rather than recirculating it inside. If your structure has ducts that connect to areas where contamination is likely to be high, for instance loading docks or parking garages it is important to ensure that these ducts are kept away from the rest.
The EPA suggests changing your HVAC filters more frequently during smokey conditions to ensure they’re effectively eliminating the toxins from the indoor air. Select a filter with an MERV that is at least (MERV) which is 13 or more. These filters are designed to remove gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been a popular energy-saving technique. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at any time of the day. In reality, the majority of electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that provide different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes in off-peak hours, so they don’t have to use their air conditioners during those high-cost summer peak hours.
This method requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners need to be aware of and examine their electricity usage patterns and figure out the most cost-effective time to run their air conditioning. Many homeowners save around 25% or more on their energy bills using this method.
To supercool the home, the homeowner should set their AC at lower temperatures the next morning and then keep it there for a few more hours. This cools 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 the air conditioning up and leave it on until the next time it is shut off.
This strategy is successful because it doesn’t only mean making the air in the home cooler. It’s also about stopping heat from entering the home through windows, doors and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check their homes’ insulation and seal any leaky or drafty areas. Also, they should make use of window shades to block out sun, particularly in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. It is also important to ensure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to stop air from getting out during cooling cycles. Finally, they should consider using smart thermostats to help them remember to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This allows homeowners to keep their energy costs at a minimum without having to remember to turn the system off or on.
