Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are one of the most important inventions in the past century. They made summer blockbusters, wartime planes and other equipment possible.
However cooling puts a huge burden on electrical systems and creates massive amounts of pollution. This special IEA Report raises awareness of the impact and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing an air conditioner energy efficiency is an important factor. Upgrading to an efficient air cooling system will lower your energy bills and reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated with several different energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings tell you how much an air conditioner can cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the score, the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of a system can be located on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
If you are in the market for an air conditioner that is new, choose one with a high rating. This rating shows how the unit performs under normal conditions during a given season. A higher SEER rating can reduce your energy costs and consumption if you are replacing an older model.
Other factors can affect energy efficiency in air conditioning systems, too. For instance high levels of indoor humidity as well as a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can make your system more efficient and consume more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing duct leaks are easy steps to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
Commercial cooling systems are also susceptible to concerns about energy efficiency. They typically make use of a combination of packaged or split compressors and massive pipes to distribute cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require specific maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally, many of these large systems are controlled by what’s called a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all cooling and heating systems within the building into a single system. Verde has assisted in optimizing the performance of these systems by providing retrocommissioning suggestions that have quick paybacks.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key element of global efforts to mitigate climate change. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers bring super-efficient cooling appliances to market, and that consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime, there are other steps we can take to help cut our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a major health risk for many people who spend a significant portion of their lives inside buildings. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to improve IAQ and prevent common problems such as asthma or allergies, as well as fatigue.
Particulate matter and volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most prevalent pollutants in modern homes and office buildings. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, including cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they could cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions.
A high level of moisture may also have a negative effect on the quality of air. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which can trigger respiratory issues. To prevent this from happening, it is important to monitor humidity and ensure that the moisture level remains at a low level. The best way to achieve this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture and using the dehumidifier or humidifier when necessary based on hygrometer readings.
Apart from the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can enhance the comfort in homes. For instance, a house with a lot of air pollution can turn musty and odor unpleasant. It can also cause itchy skin, irritated eyes, and a stuffy feeling. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, keeping the HVAC system, and making sure that windows and doors are opened to allow air circulation when needed.
Poor air quality can lead to headaches, concentration problems and general malaise. While these symptoms can be relieved after leaving a area, prolonged exposure could exacerbate existing health conditions and may lead to serious illness.
Ventilation is the most important factor that impacts IAQ. This can be affected by the weather, occupancy rate of rooms, and the design. There are simple ways to improve IAQ. This can be done by adding plants to the home, opening windows and doors whenever feasible, and making sure that the HVAC system is operating properly. If you’re looking to go a step further, we recommend that you consult a Comfort Specialist for an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
Central air conditioning systems are effective at filtering out biological pollutants such as bacteria, molds pollen, pet dander, and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. The microscopic particles in smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and easily enter your nose, eyes and throat, causing symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate the lungs and exacerbate chronic lung and heart conditions. Smoke particles can cause a range of health issues like bronchitis, as well as aggravation of asthma.
The haze that engulfed 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 north and south of the United States. The dense smoky fog reduces visibility, and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outside.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent smoky air from entering your business or home through windows and doors 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.
Keep all doors and windows closed when it is smoky outside. This can reduce the amount of smoky outside air by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks around door frames and in the corners to reduce the flow of smoky air.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation feature, make sure to shut it off when air is smokey. This will allow your HVAC to take the smokey indoor air instead of recirculating it. If your building has ducts connecting to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, such as loading docks and parking garages You should make sure that these ducts are kept away from the rest of.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters much more often during times of smoke to ensure they’re effectively removing the toxins from the indoor air. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV), which is 13 or greater. These filters are designed to get rid of gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been a popular energy-saving technique. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. Most electricity companies offer “time of use” plans that have different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling lets homeowners pre-cool their homes during off-peak hours, so they don’t need to run their air conditioners during the high-cost summer peak times.
This method requires a thermostat that can be adjusted automatically. However even with this, homeowners must be aware of and look up their electric consumption patterns and decide when it’s most cost-effective to run their air conditioning. Many people save about 25% or more on their energy bills by using this method.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner should set their AC to an lower temperature the following morning and keep it there for a few hours. This cools the walls, floors, furniture, and fixtures of the home as well as the air inside. Then, when peak energy-cost hours arrive the homeowner cranks the air conditioner up and leaves it running until it shuts off for a few hours.
This method works because cooling isn’t only about keeping the air inside the house cool. It’s crucial to prevent heat from entering your home through doors, windows and other points that leak. It is crucial that homeowners double-check their home’s insulation and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. They should also use window coverings to block sun light particularly in areas that get bright direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. Also, they should make sure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. Finally, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will help them remember to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This helps homeowners cut their energy costs without having to remember when to switch on or off the system.