Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is one of the most important inventions of our time. They helped make summer blockbusters and wartime planes and other supplies possible.
Cooling, however, puts enormous strain on the electricity system and produces huge amounts of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the impact and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Efficiency in energy is one of the most important factors when selecting a new cooling system. Upgrade to a more efficient air conditioner and you’ll save money on energy bills, as well as reduce your environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated using a variety of energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings tell you how much an air conditioner can cool in a given amount of energy consumed. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit is. You can find the SEER rating on the yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.
When shopping for a new air conditioning system, search for one with a good SEER rating. This rating indicates how efficiently the unit will perform during a season under normal conditions. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy use and expenses.
Other factors can impact the efficiency of energy in air conditioning systems, too. For example high levels of indoor humidity and a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Maintaining your system with regular maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are easy steps to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have particular energy efficiency considerations as well. These systems often utilize the combination of packaged or split compressors that have huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require specific maintenance to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally the majority of these massive systems are controlled by something called a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all cooling and heating systems within the building into one centralized system. Verde has assisted clients in optimizing the performance of these systems with simple retrocommissioning guidelines that typically have quick paybacks and incentives for their implementation.
The global effort to reduce the impact of climate change is largely dependent on the efficiency of cooling and air-conditioning. In the end, we must ensure that manufacturers bring highly efficient cooling devices to market, and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime, we can take other measures to cut down on 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 in the event that their indoor air quality is poor. There are fortunately numerous ways to improve IAQ that can help prevent common problems such as asthma or allergies, as well as fatigue.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most prevalent sources of pollution in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants can be released into the air by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory problems.
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 issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture low is key to preventing these problems. This can be done by regularly vacuuming and dusting, washing bedding, cushions and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier that is based on the hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits as well as the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can increase comfort in the home. A home with high levels of air pollutants, for example, can smell musty. It can also trigger irritation to the eyes, itchy skin and a snoring feeling. These issues can be avoided by installing an air purifier, keeping the HVAC system, and ensuring that windows and doors are kept open to let in air as needed.
Poor air quality can trigger headaches, concentration problems, and a general unwellness. While these symptoms can disappear after leaving the space, prolonged exposure can exacerbate existing health conditions and can even result in serious illness.
Ventilation is the primary aspect that influences IAQ. This can be affected by the weather conditions, the occupancy rate of the room, and the design. However, simple steps can be taken to enhance IAQ by adding plants to the home and opening doors and windows as much as is possible and ensuring that the HVAC system is working correctly. If you’re looking to go one step further, we recommend that you talk to a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
While central air conditioners do a great job of removing the majority of biological pollutants, including bacteria, molds and pet dander pollen, they are not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles that make up wildfire smoke pose a risk and can easily get into your nose, eyes, and throat causing symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and worsen chronic lung and heart problems. The fine particles that are invisible in smoke can clog your lung, triggering a myriad of health effects, including worsened asthma, bronchitis and damage to your lungs and heart.
The smoke that blanketed New York City last week was caused by forest fires burning in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality conditions across much of the south and north of the United States. The dense smoky fog reduces visibility, and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outside.
There is no way to keep smoke from getting into your home through doors and windows particularly in older homes that have a lot of cracks and drafts. However, you can take steps to minimize 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%. Place wet towels in the cracks of door frames and around them to reduce the flow of smoke.
If your HVAC system is in the recirculation feature, make sure to switch it off during smoky conditions. This will allow your HVAC system to take the smokey indoor air outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, such as loading docks or parking garages it is important to ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more frequently in the event of smoke to ensure they’re effectively removing the toxins from the indoor air. Select a filter with an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or higher, as these filters are specially designed to remove gases and smoke pollutants.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been an increasingly popular method of reducing energy consumption. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at any given time of the day. The majority of power companies offer “time of use” plans that offer different off-peak and peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to cool their homes in advance during off-peak hours, meaning they don’t need to run air conditioners during the expensive summer peak hours.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners must be aware of and look up their electric consumption patterns and decide the best time to run their air conditioning. Many homeowners save around 25% or more off their energy bills using this method.
To make the house super cool, the homeowner sets their AC to lower temperatures in the morning, and then keeps it at the same setting for a few hours. This cools the home’s walls furniture, floors, flooring and fixtures, as well as the air inside. When peak energy-cost times arrive the homeowner cranks the air conditioning up and leaves it running until it shuts off for a few hours.
This strategy is effective because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the home cool. It also aims to prevent heat from getting into the house through doors, windows and other leak points. It’s important that homeowners double-check the insulation of their home and cover any leaky or drafty areas. They should also use window shades to block sun light, especially those that get direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest times of the day. Also they should ensure that all doors and windows are tightly sealed to stop air from escape during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will assist them in ensuring that they start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This allows homeowners to keep their energy bills at a minimum without having to remember to switch off or on.