Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are one of the most important inventions in the past century. They made summer blockbusters and wartime planes and other equipment possible.
However, cooling puts a large strain on electricity systems and causes huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report raises awareness of the effects and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the most important factors when choosing a new cooling system. The upgrade to a more efficient conditioner will help you save on expenses for energy and reduce environmental impact. Air conditioning units are rated with several different energy efficiency ratings, including SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings indicate how much a unit can cool in a given amount of energy consumed. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit. You can find a SEER rating on the yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” on the internet.
If you are looking for an air conditioner that is new pick one with a high rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit can perform in normal conditions. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy consumption and costs.
Other things can influence the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. For example high levels of humidity in the indoor, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks could all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Regular maintenance and sealing of leaks in ducts are simple ways to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency considerations as well. These systems make use of a combination of packaged or split-compressors and huge pipe networks to provide cooling throughout the building. They might also have steam systems which require specialized maintenance to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with the use of a Building Automation System, which integrates the cooling and heating systems into a single central system. Verde has assisted clients in optimizing the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically have quick paybacks and incentives for implementation.
Energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning is a major component of global efforts to mitigate climate change. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers bring highly efficient cooling devices to market, and that consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime we can also take other measures to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A large portion of people live their lives in buildings and these structures can cause serious health risks in the event that their indoor air quality is not as good. There are fortunately a number of ways to improve IAQ and stop common issues like asthma as well as allergies and fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most common sources of pollution in modern homes and offices. These pollutants can be released into the air by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking, and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory issues.
The presence of excessive moisture can have a negative impact on air quality. The humid air encourages the growth of mold and mildew that can trigger respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity low is key to preventing these issues. This can be achieved by regularly cleaning and vacuuming, washing bedding, soft furnishings and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier using a humidity gauge.
Aside from the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can improve the comfort of a home. For example, a home that is contaminated by air pollutants could turn musty and odor unpleasant. It can also cause irritation to the eyes, itchy skin, and a stuffy feeling. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, ensuring the health of the HVAC system, and making sure that doors and windows are opened to allow air circulation when needed.
Symptoms of poor air quality can be a variety of symptoms and include headaches, difficulty concentrating, and even general feeling of malaise. Although these symptoms may disappear after leaving the space, prolonged exposure can exacerbate existing health conditions and can even result in serious illness.
Ventilation is the most important factor that impacts IAQ. This is affected by the weather, occupancy rate of the room and the design. But, a few simple steps can be taken to enhance IAQ, including adding plants to the home and opening doors and windows as much as possible and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. If you’re looking to go one step further, we suggest that you talk to a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do a great job of removing the majority of biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria and pet dander pollen, they’re not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke are very dangerous and can easily enter your nose, eyes and throat, which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also cause irritation to the lungs and exacerbate heart and lung conditions that are chronic. The invisible fine particles in smoke can get stuck in your lung, triggering a range of health effects, including an increase in asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your heart and lungs.
The smoke that blanketed New York City last week was caused by forest fires burning in Canada. It is also causing dangerous air quality conditions across most of the south and north of the United States. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from entering your home through doors and windows, especially in older homes with a lot of drafts and cracks. However, you can take steps to minimize the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all doors and windows closed when it is smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoke from outside air by 30 percent. Place damp towels in the cracks around door frames and in the corners to reduce the flow of smoky ai.
If your HVAC system is in an recirculation mode, make sure to switch off when you are in a smokey environment. This allows your HVAC system to exhaust the smoky indoor air outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, such as loading docks or parking garages You should make sure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA suggests changing your HVAC filters more often during times of smoke to ensure that they are effective in eliminating the toxins from the air inside. Select a filter with an MERV that is at least (MERV), which is 13 or higher. These filters are designed to remove the smoke and gaseous pollution from the air.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a trend to save energy that has become more popular in recent years. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. The majority of power companies offer “time of use” plans that offer different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling lets homeowners pre-cool their homes during off-peak times so that they don’t have to use their air conditioners during the high-cost summer peak times.
This method requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners should be sure to study their electric consumption patterns and decide the best time to run their air conditioning. This strategy can save you up to 25 percent off your energy bill.
To supercool the home homeowners should set their air conditioner at an lower temperature the following morning and maintain it for a few hours. This cools the home’s walls, floors, furnishings and fixtures as well as the air inside. Then, when peak energy-cost times arrive the homeowner cranks the air conditioning on and runs it until it’s off for several hours again.
This method is effective because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the home cool. It’s also about preventing heat from entering the home through doors, windows and other leak points. That’s why homeowners should double-check that their home is properly constructed and insulated, and also cover any drafty or leaky areas. Also, they should consider using blinds to block the sun’s rays particularly those that receive direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest times of the day. Also they should ensure that all doors and windows are tightly sealed to stop air from escape 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 makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy costs low and not worry about forgetting to switch off or on.
