Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is one of the most important inventions of the modern age. They made summer movie blockbusters possible and also helped boost production for wartime supplies and airplanes.
However cooling places a significant demand on electric systems and generates huge quantities of pollution. This particular IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the impact and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important aspects when selecting a new cooling unit. Upgrading to an efficient air conditioner will help you save on expenses for energy and reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is rated in several ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings indicate how much an air conditioner can cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the score, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a unit can be found on the yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When looking for an air conditioner for the first time pick one with a high rating. This rating reveals how well the unit performs under normal conditions during a given season. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating, it will greatly reduce your energy use and cost.
Air conditioning systems can be affected by other causes too. For example high levels of indoor humidity and a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Routine maintenance and sealing leaks in the ducts are a simple way to increase the energy efficiency of your system.
Commercial cooling systems are also susceptible to concerns about energy efficiency. These systems often make use of a 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 in order to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with the use of a Building Automation System, which connects the cooling and heating systems into a single centralized system. Verde has assisted clients in optimizing the performance of these systems through simple retrocommissioning suggestions that usually offer quick paybacks as well as incentives for their implementation.
The global effort to reduce climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of energy used in cooling and air conditioning. We must ensure that cooling devices are efficient and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime we can take additional steps to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Many people spend much of their lives in structures, and these structures can cause serious health risks if their indoor air quality isn’t good enough. There are fortunately numerous ways to improve IAQ that can help be a solution to common ailments like asthma or allergies, as well as fatigue.
Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide are three of the most frequent pollutants in modern homes and office buildings. These pollutants can be released into the atmosphere by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking and smoking. They can cause allergies and respiratory issues.
The high levels of humidity can also create havoc on air quality. Mildew and mold can flourish in humid air, and can cause respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture low is key to preventing these problems. The best way to accomplish this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture, and using an air dehumidifier and humidifier if necessary based on hygrometer readings.
Aside from the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can improve the comfort of a home. For instance, a home with a lot of air pollution can be stale and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes and also a snoring sensation. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, ensuring the health of the HVAC system, and ensuring that windows and doors are open for ventilation as required.
Poor air quality can lead to headaches, problems with concentration, and a general unwellness. The symptoms can resolve after leaving the area however, prolonged exposure to poor air quality can aggravate existing health issues or even cause serious illnesses.
Ventilation is the main factor that impacts IAQ. This can be influenced by the weather, occupancy rates, and the design of the building. However, simple steps can be taken to enhance IAQ by introduction of plants into the house opening up windows and doors as much as possible and making sure that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. If you’d prefer to take more of a thorough approach, it is recommended that they speak with a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
Central air conditioning systems are excellent at filtering out biological pollutants like bacteria, molds pollen, pet dander, and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke are very dangerous and easily get into your nose, eyes, and throat causing symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and aggravate chronic heart and lung conditions. The invisible fine particles in smoke can get stuck in your lungs, triggering a variety of health effects, including aggravated asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your lungs and heart.
The smoke that blanketed New York City last week was caused by forest fires raging in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality conditions throughout large parts of the north and south of the United States. The thick smoky fog can reduce visibility and may cause respiratory distress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
There is no way to keep smoke from entering your home through windows and doors especially in older houses with many cracks and drafts. You can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it’s smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky outside air by 30 percent. If possible, place wet towels on the door frames and cracks to slow the movement of smoky air into your home or office.
If your HVAC system is in an recirculation mode, make sure to turn it off during smoky conditions. This allows the system to exhaust the smoky air directly outside rather than the air being recirculated inside. If your building has ducts connecting to areas where contamination is likely to be high, such as loading docks or parking garages, you should ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more often when you are in a smokey environment to ensure that they are effectively removing contaminants from indoor air. Choose a filter that has a minimum reporting value (MERV) that is 13 or greater. These filters are designed to get rid of the smoke and gaseous pollution from the air.
Supercooling
In recent times, supercooling has become 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 offer different off-peak and peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to cool their homes ahead of off-peak times, so they don’t need to run air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners should be aware of and study their electric usage patterns and determine the best time to run their air conditioning. This method can save you up to 25 percent off your energy bill.
To make the house super cool the home, the homeowner set their air conditioner to a lower temperature in the morning and maintains it at that setting 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 hours hit the homeowner, he or she turns the air conditioning up and then leaves it running until it’s off for several hours.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the house cool. It’s also about preventing heat from entering the house through doors, windows and other leak points. It is essential that homeowners check their homes’ insulation and seal any drafty or leaky areas. It is also recommended to use blinds to block out sun particularly those that receive bright direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the daytime. Also, they should ensure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air from escaping when cooling cycles occur. They should also think about using smart thermostats to assist them remember when to start and stop cooling. This allows homeowners to keep their energy costs low without worrying about forgetting to turn the system off or on.
