Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is among the most important inventions of modern history. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost manufacturing for wartime supplies and airplanes.
However, cooling puts a large demand on electric systems and creates massive amounts of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the impact and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important factors when selecting a new cooling unit. The upgrade to a more efficient cooling system will lower your energy costs and also reduce environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is evaluated in a variety of ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings show how much an air conditioner can cool for a given amount of electricity consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. You can find a SEER rating on the yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.
If you are in the market for a new air conditioner look for one that has an excellent rating. This rating indicates how well the unit will perform during the course of a season in normal conditions. A higher SEER rating could reduce your energy consumption and costs if you are replacing an older model.
Other things can influence energy efficiency in air conditioning systems too. Insufficient humidity in the indoors, the absence of maintenance and duct leaks for example, can all make your system perform more efficiently and consume more energy. Routine maintenance and sealing ducts leaks are easy ways to increase the energy efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency considerations, too. They usually utilize the combination of split or packaged compressors with huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They could also have steam systems, which require specialized maintenance to ensure that the pipes do not become blocked.
Additionally, many of these large systems are controlled by something called a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all heating and cooling systems of the building into one central system. Verde has been able to improve the performance of the systems by offering retrocommissioning recommendations that provide rapid paybacks.
The global effort to curb climate change is heavily dependent on energy efficiency in cooling and air-conditioning. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers bring super-efficient cooling equipment to market, and that consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime, we can take other steps to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a serious health concern for those who spend a large part of their lives inside buildings. There are numerous ways to improve IAQ and avoid common ailments like asthma, allergies fatigue, allergies, etc.
Particulate matter and volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most frequent pollutants in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants are released into the air through many different activities, like cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they can cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions.
A high level of humidity can also create destruction on the air quality. Mildew and mold can thrive in moist air, which can lead to respiratory problems. To avoid these issues it is crucial to monitor humidity and ensure that the moisture level remains at a minimum. The best way to accomplish this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture and using the dehumidifier or humidifier when needed based on the readings of a hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ, it can also improve the comfort of your home. A home with high levels of air pollution for instance, may smell musty. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes, and a swollen sensation. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, ensuring the health of the HVAC system, and ensuring that doors and windows are opened to allow air circulation when required.
Poor air quality can cause headaches, difficulty concentrating and general feeling of ill-health. These symptoms may improve after leaving the space however, prolonged exposure to poor quality air can aggravate existing health issues or even trigger serious illnesses.
The main factor that affects IAQ is the rate at which fresh air replaces old air, a process that is known as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather conditions, the room occupancy rate, and the design. There are many ways to improve IAQ. These include installing plants in the home, opening the doors and windows as often as possible, and making sure that the HVAC system is operating effectively. If you want to go further, we suggest that you talk to a Comfort Specialist for an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do a great job of filtering out most biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not designed to eliminate smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke pose a risk and easily get into your eyes, nose, and throat which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate the lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart conditions. Smoke particles can trigger a range of health issues, including bronchitis and aggravated asthma.
The haze that covered New York City last week was caused by forest fires burning in Canada. It is also causing dangerous air quality conditions across much of the south and north of the United States. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and creates breathing difficulties for those who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely stop smoky air from entering your home or business through doors and windows, especially older homes with many cracks and drafts. However you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Close all windows and doors when it’s smokey. This can cut the amount of smoke by 30 percent. If you can, place damp towels around the door frames and cracks in order to slow the flow of smoke into your home or office.
If your HVAC system features an recirculation feature, make sure you shut it off when air is smoking. This allows your HVAC system to expel the smokey indoor air, rather than returning it. If you have ducts in your building which connect to areas that may have high concentrations of contaminants, such as parking garages that are attached to the building and loading docks, make sure that those ducts are separated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more frequently during times of smoke to ensure that they are effective in removing the toxins from the indoor air. Choose a filter that has an MERV that is at least (MERV) which is 13 or more. These filters are designed to eliminate gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
In recent times, supercooling has become a popular energy-saving technique. It’s based upon the notion that electricity isn’t priced the same amount at all times of the day. In fact, many power companies offer “time-of-use” plans that provide different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners cool their homes ahead of off-peak times, so they don’t have to run air conditioners during the expensive summer peak hours.
This requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. Even with this, homeowners still need to take the time to analyze their usage patterns for electricity to determine the time when their air conditioner is the most efficient. Many homeowners save around 25% or more on their energy bills using this method.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner sets their air conditioner to a lower temperature in the morning, and then keeps it at that setting for a few hours. This cools the home’s walls as well as floors, furniture and fixtures as well as the inside air. When energy costs are high homeowners, they turn the air conditioning up and leave it on until the next time it is turned off.
This method is efficient since cooling doesn’t just refer to making the air in the home cooler. It also aims to prevent heat from getting into the house through doors, windows and other leak points. It’s important that homeowners double-check their home’s insulation and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to make use of window shades to block the sunlight, particularly in areas that receive direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. Also, they should make sure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles occur. They should also think about using smart thermostats to help them remember when to begin and stop cooling. This will allow homeowners to keep their energy bills low and not worry about forgetting to turn the system off or on.
