Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are among the most important inventions in the history of modern times. They made summer movie blockbusters possible and helped boost production for wartime supplies and airplanes.
Cooling, however puts immense strain on the electricity system and generates massive amounts of pollution. This special IEA report aims to raise awareness of the negative impact of this demand, and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When selecting the right cooling system, energy efficiency is a crucial factor. Upgrade to an energy-efficient air conditioner and you’ll reduce your energy costs and also reduce your environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is rated in several ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings indicate how the air conditioner is able to cool using a certain amount of electricity. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of the system can be found on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
If you are looking for an air conditioner for the first time pick one with an excellent rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit will perform during the course of a season in normal conditions. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating, it will significantly reduce your energy use and expenses.
Other things can influence the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. A high humidity indoors, a insufficient maintenance and duct leaks, for instance, could all cause your system to be more demanding and consume more energy. Regular maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are simple ways to increase the energy efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems come with particular energy efficiency considerations also. These systems use a combination packaged or split-compressors and huge pipeline networks to supply cooling throughout the building. They might also have steam systems, that require special maintenance to ensure that the pipes do not become blocked.
In addition the majority of these massive systems are controlled by a system known as a Building Automation System (BAS) which connects all cooling and heating systems within the building into a single system. Verde has helped clients improve the performance of these systems with simple retrocommissioning suggestions that usually have quick paybacks and incentives to implement.
The global effort to reduce climate change is heavily dependent on energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning. In the end, we must ensure that manufacturers bring highly efficient cooling devices to market, and consumers demand them. In the meantime we can also take other measures to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A large portion of people live their lives in buildings and these structures could pose significant health threats if the indoor air quality isn’t good enough. There are a variety of ways to improve IAQ and avoid common ailments like asthma, allergies fatigue, allergies, etc.
Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most common sources of pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, including cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they can cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions.
A high level of humidity can also create havoc on air quality. Mold and mildew can grow in humid air, and can cause respiratory problems. To prevent this from happening it is crucial to monitor humidity and ensure that the moisture level remains at a lower level. This can be done by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, furniture and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier using a humidifier or hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ It can also increase comfort in your home. A home with high levels of air pollution, for example, can smell musty. It can also cause irritation eyes or itchy eyes, and a swollen sensation. Installing an air purifier as well as maintaining the HVAC system can help avoid these issues. Also, ensure that you open your windows and doors to let air flow in when needed.
Poor air quality can trigger headaches, problems with concentration and general feeling of ill-health. While these symptoms can disappear after leaving the space, prolonged exposure to air pollution can exacerbate existing health conditions and may lead to serious illness.
The primary factor that affects IAQ is the rate that fresh air replaces old air, a process referred to as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather conditions, the room occupancy rate, and the design. There are a few easy methods to improve IAQ. These include introducing plants in the home, opening windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is operating effectively. If you want to go further, we suggest you speak with a Comfort Specialist about an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Heat pumps and central air conditioning systems are effective at filtering out biological pollutants such as bacteria, molds, pet dander and pollen. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles of wildfire smoke are very dangerous and can easily enter your eyes, nose and throat, and cause symptoms such as burning eyes or itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and aggravate chronic lung and heart problems. Smoke particles can cause a variety of health problems such as bronchitis and aggravation of asthma.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada and is causing hazardous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick fog of smoke reduces visibility and may cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outside.
There is no way to prevent smoke from getting into your home through windows and doors, especially in older homes with a lot of drafts and cracks. You can take steps to lessen the amount of smoke entering your home or business.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it is smoky outside. This can cut down on the amount of smoky outside air by 30 percent. If you can, place damp towels on the door frames and cracks to slow the movement of smoky air into your home or office.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation feature, make sure you switch it off when the air is smokey. This will allow the system exhaust the smoky air directly outside instead of returning it to inside. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, like loading docks and parking garages, you should ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends that you change your HVAC filters more often during smokey conditions in order to ensure that they are effectively removing pollutants from the air in your home. Choose a filter with an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or greater, as these filters are designed to remove smoke and other gaseous air pollutants.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been an increasingly popular method of reducing energy consumption. It’s based upon the notion that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at any time of the day. The majority of energy companies offer “time of use” plans that have different peak and offpeak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes during off-peak hours so they don’t have to run their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak periods.
This requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners must take the time to examine their electricity consumption patterns and decide when it’s most cost-effective to run their air cooling system. This strategy could save you as much as 25% on your energy bills.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner sets their air conditioner to a lower temperature in the morning and keeps it at that setting for a few hours. This cools down the floors, walls furniture, fixtures, and furniture of the home as well as the air inside. When peak energy costs hit homeowners, they turn the air conditioning up and leave it on until the next time it’s turned off.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t just about making the air inside the home cool. It’s also about stopping heat from entering the home through doors, windows and other leak points. This is why homeowners must ensure that their home is sealed and cover any drafty or leaky areas. Also, they should consider using window shades to block the sun’s rays, especially those that get direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest hours of the daytime. They should also ensure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air from escaping when cooling cycles. Finally, they should consider using smart thermostats that can aid them in remembering to start and stop cooling at the ideal times of the day. This allows homeowners to reduce their energy costs without worrying about forgetting when to switch on or off the system.
