Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are one of the most significant inventions of modern history. They made wartime and summer blockbusters and other supplies possible.
Cooling, however puts enormous strain on the electricity system and produces huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the effects and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting a new cooling unit. Upgrade to an energy-efficient air conditioner and you’ll save money on energy bills, as well as reduce your environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is assessed in various ways that include SEER and EER. These ratings show how much a unit is able to cool for a given amount of power consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a system can be located on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When looking for a new air conditioner, choose one with an A+ rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit will perform during a season under normal conditions. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating, it will greatly reduce your energy consumption and costs.
Air conditioning systems can be affected by other causes too. High indoor humidity, lack of maintenance and duct leaks, for instance, can make your system be more demanding and consume more energy. Regular maintenance and sealing ducts leaks are easy ways to increase the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems come with particular energy efficiency considerations, too. They usually utilize a combination of packaged or split compressors that have huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They could also include steam systems, which require specialized maintenance in order to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
A lot of these huge systems can also be controlled by an Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into a single centralized system. Verde has helped clients optimize the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning guidelines that typically provide quick paybacks and incentives to implement.
The global effort to combat climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of cooling and air-conditioning. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers bring highly efficient cooling devices to market, and consumers demand them. In the meantime, there are other actions we can take to 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 could cause serious health risks if the indoor air quality isn’t good enough. There are a variety of ways to improve IAQ and prevent common issues like asthma, allergies fatigue, asthma, etc.
Particulate matter as well as 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 like cooking, cleaning and smoking. They can trigger respiratory issues and allergies.
High levels of moisture can also have a negative effect on air quality. The humid air encourages the development of mildew and mold which can cause respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture level at a minimum is crucial to avoid these issues. The best way to achieve this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, washing furniture and bedding and utilizing the dehumidifier or humidifier when necessary based on hygrometer readings.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ in your home, it can increase the comfort in your home. For instance, a house with a lot of air pollution can become musty and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes as well as a stuffy sensation. Installing an air purifier and maintaining the HVAC system can help keep these issues from happening. Also, make sure that you open your windows and doors to let air flow in when needed.
The symptoms of poor air quality are varied and can include headaches difficulty concentrating, and even general malaise. The symptoms can resolve after leaving the space however, prolonged exposure to poor air quality can aggravate existing health issues or even cause serious health issues.
Ventilation is the main factor that affects IAQ. This can be influenced by the weather, room occupancy rates, and also the design of the building. But, a few simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including introducing plants into the house opening up windows and doors as much as is possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is working effectively. If you’d like to take more of a thorough approach, it is recommended to speak with a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Heat pumps and central air conditioning systems are excellent at filtering out biological pollutants such as molds, bacteria pollen, pet dander, and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nasal and coughing. They can also irritate the lungs and exacerbate the severity of heart and lung problems. Smoke particles can trigger a variety health effects like bronchitis, as well as aggravation of asthma.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing dangerous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and creates breathing problems for those who must be outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from entering your home through doors and windows, especially in older homes that have a lot of cracks and drafts. However, you can make steps to limit the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Close all windows and doors when it’s smokey. This can cut 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 a recirculation function, make sure you shut it off when air is smoking. This allows your HVAC system to take the smokey indoor air, rather than recirculating it. If you have ducts in your building which connect to areas that may produce high concentrations of pollutants, like parking garages with attached loading docks, you should be sure that those ducts are independently isolated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends that you change your HVAC filters more frequently in the event of smoke to ensure that they are effectively removing contaminants from indoor air. Select a filter with an MERV that is at least (MERV) which is 13 or more. These filters are designed to eliminate gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a green trend that’s become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s based on the notion that electricity isn’t priced the same amount at all times of the day. Most electricity companies offer “time of use” plans that offer different peak and offpeak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes in off-peak times so that they don’t have to use their air conditioners during the high-cost summer peak periods.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that is able to adjust itself automatically. However even with this, homeowners must be aware of and study their electric usage patterns and figure out the most cost-effective time to run their air conditioner. This could save you up to 25% on your energy bills.
To supercool the home, the homeowner set their AC to a lower temperature in the morning, and then keeps it at that temperature for a few hours. This cools down the walls, floors furniture, fixtures, and furniture of the home as well as the air inside. When the energy costs are at their peak, the homeowner will increase the temperature of the air conditioner, and leave it running until the next time it’s turned off.
This method is efficient because cooling doesn’t just mean 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. This is why homeowners must ensure that their home is insulated and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. Also, they should consider using window shades to block sun light particularly those that receive direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, they should make sure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will help them remember to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy costs low without worrying about forgetting to turn off the system or on.