Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are among the most important inventions in the past century. They made summer movie blockbusters possible and helped boost manufacturing for wartime supplies as well as airplanes.
Cooling, however, places an enormous strain on the power system and creates huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA report aims to raise awareness of the negative impact of this demand, and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Efficiency in energy is one of the most important factors when selecting a new cooling unit. Making the switch to a more efficient air conditioner will save on your energy bills and reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is evaluated in a variety of ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings tell you how much a unit is able to cool for a given amount of power consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. You can find a SEER rating of a system on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.
If you are looking for an air conditioner that is new, choose one with an excellent rating. This rating reveals how efficiently the unit will perform during the course of a season in normal conditions. If you’re replacing a model that’s older, a higher SEER rating will drastically reduce your energy consumption and expenses.
Other things can influence the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. A high humidity indoors, a the absence of maintenance and duct leaks for instance, can make your system perform more efficiently and consume more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are easy ways to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency issues. They usually make use of the combination of split or packaged compressors that have huge pipe networks to deliver cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require special maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
A lot of these huge 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 been able to improve the efficiency of these systems by providing retrocommissioning recommendations that provide rapid paybacks.
The global effort to reduce the effects of climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of energy used in cooling and air-conditioning. We need to ensure that cooling devices are efficient and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime, there are other steps we can take to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality can be a major health risk for many people who spend a substantial portion of their lives inside buildings. There are a variety of ways to improve IAQ and avoid common ailments like allergies, asthma fatigue, allergies, etc.
Particulate matter (PM) as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources for pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants can be released into the atmosphere by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking and smoking. They can cause respiratory issues and allergies.
The presence of excessive moisture can have a negative impact on air quality. Mold and mildew can grow in moist air, which can lead to respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture level low is key to preventing these issues. The best method to do this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and soft furnishings and utilizing an air dehumidifier and humidifier if required based on readings from hygrometers.
Aside from the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can enhance the comfort in a home. For example, a home that is contaminated by air pollutants could become musty and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes, and also a snoring sensation. These issues can be avoided by installing an air purifier, keeping the HVAC system, and making sure that windows and doors are opened to allow air circulation when required.
The signs of poor air quality are varied and include headaches, difficulties in concentrating, or general malaise. Although these symptoms may be relieved after leaving a space, prolonged exposure can exacerbate existing health conditions and could lead to serious illness.
The main factor that affects IAQ is the rate of fresh air replacing stale air, a process that is known as ventilation. This can be influenced by the weather, occupancy rates, and also the design of the building. But, a few simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including adding plants to the home opening up windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is working correctly. If you’d prefer more of a thorough approach, it is suggested that they speak with a Comfort Specialist about an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Heat pumps and central air conditioning systems are great in removing biological pollutants such as bacteria, molds pollen, pet dander and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles that make up smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and can easily get into your nose, eyes and throat, and cause symptoms such as burning or itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart problems. The fine particles that are invisible in smoke can lodge deep into your lungs, triggering a variety of health effects such as worsened asthma, bronchitis and damage to your lungs and heart.
The haze that engulfed New York City last week was caused by forest fires raging in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality issues across most of the south and north of the United States. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and causes breathing difficulties for those who must be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely block smoke from getting into your business or home through windows and doors particularly older homes with many drafts and cracks. However you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all doors and windows shut when it’s smokey outside. This can reduce the amount of smoky outside air by 30%. If you can, put wet towels on the door frames and cracks to slow the flow of smoke into your business or home.
If your HVAC system has a recirculation function, make sure that you switch it off when the air is smoky. This will allow your HVAC to take the smokey indoor air to the outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contamination is likely to be high, like parking garages or loading docks You should make sure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA suggests that you change your HVAC filters more frequently when you are in a smokey environment to ensure that they are removing pollutants from the air in your home. Select a filter with a minimum efficiency report value (MERV) of 13 or higher, as these filters are specially designed to remove smoke and other gaseous air contaminants.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a green trend that has become more popular in recent years. It’s based on the notion that electricity doesn’t cost the same amount at all times of the day. Most electricity companies offer “time of use” plans that have different peak and offpeak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes in off-peak times so that they don’t have to run their air conditioners during the high-cost summer peak hours.
This requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners need to be sure to study their electric consumption patterns and decide when it’s most cost-effective to run their air cooling system. This strategy could save you up to 25 percent off your energy bill.
To supercool, the homeowner sets their air conditioner to lower temperatures in the morning and keeps it at that setting for a few hours. This cools the walls as well as floors, furniture and fixtures, as well as the interior air. Then, when the peak energy-cost hours arrive the homeowner cranks the air conditioning on and leaves it running until it’s off for several hours.
This method is efficient since cooling doesn’t just refer to making the air inside the home cooler. It’s important to prevent heat from getting into your home through your windows, doors and other leaky areas. This is why homeowners must ensure that their home is constructed and insulated, and also insulate any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to use window shades to block sun light particularly those that receive direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest times of the day. They should also make sure that all doors and windows are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider using smart thermostats to assist them in ensuring that they start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This allows homeowners to keep their energy bills low and not worry about forgetting to switch off or on.
