Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are among the most significant inventions of the past century. They made summer movie blockbusters possible and also helped boost production for wartime supplies as well as airplanes.
Cooling, however puts enormous strain on the electricity system and generates massive quantities of pollution. This particular IEA report aims to raise awareness of the impact of this demand, and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing a new cooling system energy efficiency is an important factor. Upgrade to an energy-efficient air conditioner and save money on energy bills and reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is rated in several ways such as SEER and EER. These ratings indicate how the air conditioner is able to cool with a certain amount of electricity. The higher the score, the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of a unit can be found on the yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
If you are looking for an air conditioner that is new look for one that has a high rating. This rating reveals how the unit performs under normal conditions during a given season. If you’re replacing an older model, a higher SEER rating will drastically reduce your energy use and cost.
Other things can influence the efficiency of energy in air conditioning systems, too. For instance high levels of humidity in the indoor, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks can make your system work harder and use more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are simple steps to increase your system’s energy efficiency.
Large commercial cooling systems have particular energy efficiency considerations, too. They typically make use of a combination of split or packaged compressors and massive pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They might also include steam systems, which require specialized maintenance to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
In addition to that, many of these huge systems are controlled by what’s known as a Building Automation System (BAS) that integrates all heating and cooling systems of the building into a single system. Verde has helped clients optimize the performance of these systems through simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically have quick paybacks and incentives to implement.
Energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning is a major component of global efforts to reduce climate change. We must ensure that cooling devices are efficient and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime, there are other ways we can help cut our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A lot of people spend the majority of their lives in buildings and these structures can cause serious health risks when the indoor air quality is not as good. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to improve IAQ, which can be a solution to common ailments like asthma as well as allergies and fatigue.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most frequent sources of pollution in modern offices and homes. buildings. These pollutants are released into the air by a variety of activities, like cooking, cleaning, and smoking, and they can cause respiratory problems as well as allergic reactions.
High levels of moisture can also have a negative impact on the quality of air. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew that can trigger respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture level low is essential to avoid these problems. The best method to do this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture and using the dehumidifier or humidifier when required based on readings from hygrometers.
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 such as radon, for instance, can smell musty. It can also cause irritated eyes or itchy eyes, and also a snoring sensation. These issues can be avoided by installing an air purifier, keeping the HVAC system, and ensuring that doors and windows are kept open to let in air as required.
The signs of poor air quality can be a variety of symptoms and include headaches, difficulties in concentrating, or general malaise. The symptoms can resolve when you leave the room, but prolonged exposure to poor air quality can worsen existing health conditions or even cause serious illness.
Ventilation is the primary factor that impacts IAQ. This is influenced by the weather, room occupancy rates, and the design of the building. But, a few simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including introduction of plants into the house and opening doors and windows as much as is possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. For those who would prefer to take an even more comprehensive approach, it is recommended to speak with a Comfort Specialist about an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Central air conditioning systems are great at filtering out biological pollutants like molds, bacteria pollen, pet dander and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. Smoke from wildfires contains microscopic particles that can trigger symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nasal, and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and aggravate chronic heart and lung conditions. Smoke particles can cause a variety health effects, including bronchitis and aggravated asthma.
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 large parts of the north and south of the United States. The thick smoky fog can reduce visibility, and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely prevent smoky air from entering your business or home through doors and windows particularly older homes with a lot of drafts and cracks. However you can make steps to limit the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Close all doors and windows when it’s smoky. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place damp towels in the cracks and around door frames to stop the flow of smoke.
If your HVAC system has the ability to recirculate air, be sure you shut it off when air is smoking. This will allow your HVAC to take the smokey indoor air instead of the air being recirculated. If your building has ducts connecting to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, like parking garages or loading docks it is important to ensure that these ducts are kept away from the rest of.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more often during smokey conditions to ensure they are effectively taking out the toxins in the indoor air. Select a filter that has an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or more, since these filters are specifically designed to eliminate gases and smoke pollutants.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a trend to save energy that’s become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. The majority of power companies offer “time of use” plans that have different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners to cool their homes ahead of off-peak times, so they don’t require air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This method requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. Even so homeowners must be aware of their usage patterns for electricity to determine when their air conditioner will be most cost-effective. This could save you as much as 25 percent on your energy bills.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner sets their AC to a lower temperature in the morning, and then keeps it at the same setting for a few hours. This cools down the walls, floors furniture, fixtures and furniture of the house as well as the air inside. When peak energy-cost hours hit, the homeowner turns the air conditioning on and runs it until it’s off for several hours again.
This strategy is successful because cooling doesn’t just mean making the air in the home cooler. It’s also about preventing heat from entering the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check their home’s insulation and insulate any drafty or leaky areas. It is also recommended to make use of window shades to block the sunlight, particularly in areas that get direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. Additionally it is important to ensure that all doors and windows are tightly sealed to stop air from escape during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider using smart thermostats that can assist them in ensuring that they start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy bills low without worrying about forgetting to turn the system off or on.
