Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are one of the most important inventions of the past century. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost production for wartime supplies as well as airplanes.
Cooling, however, puts enormous strain on the electricity system and generates massive amounts of pollution. This particular IEA report raises awareness about the negative impact of this demand and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Efficiency in energy is one of the most important aspects when selecting a new cooling system. Upgrading to an efficient air cooling system will lower your expenses for energy and reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated using a variety of energy efficiency ratings, including SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings show how much an air conditioner can cool with a certain amount of power consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of a system can be found on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
If you are looking for an air conditioner that is new, choose one with an A+ rating. This rating reveals how well the unit performs under normal conditions during a particular season. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating will significantly reduce your energy consumption and expenses.
Other factors can affect the efficiency of energy in air conditioning systems, too. For example, high indoor humidity levels, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks can make your system more efficient 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 their own energy efficiency concerns, too. They use a combination of split or packaged compressors as well as massive pipe networks to provide cooling throughout the building. They could also include steam systems, which require specialized maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these large systems can also be controlled with the use of a Building Automation System, which integrates the cooling and heating systems into one centralized system. Verde has helped clients improve the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically offer quick paybacks as well as incentives to implement.
Energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning is a key element of global efforts to mitigate climate change. We need to ensure that cooling equipment is efficient and that consumers are demanding them. In the meantime, there are a variety of steps 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 in the event that their indoor air quality isn’t good enough. There are numerous ways to improve IAQ and prevent common problems like asthma, allergies, fatigue, etc.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most frequent sources of pollution in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants can be released into the atmosphere through a variety of actions like cooking, cleaning and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory problems.
A high level of humidity can also wreak havoc on air quality. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew that can trigger respiratory issues. To avoid these issues, it is important to monitor humidity and ensure that the moisture level remains at a low level. The best method to do this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, washing bedding and furniture, and using an air dehumidifier and humidifier if needed based on the readings of a hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ It can also increase comfort in your home. For example, a home with a lot of air pollution can become musty and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritation to the eyes, itchy skin and a snoring feeling. Installing an air purifier as well as maintaining the HVAC system can help keep these issues from happening. Also, make sure that you open your windows and doors for ventilation when needed.
The signs of poor air quality are varied and can include headaches difficulty in concentrating, and a general feeling of malaise. Although these symptoms may disappear after leaving the space, prolonged exposure can worsen existing health issues and may lead to serious illness.
Ventilation is the most important factor that affects IAQ. This is affected by the weather, occupancy rate of rooms, and the design. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including adding plants to the house and opening doors and windows whenever possible and making sure that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. If you want to go a step further, we recommend that you talk to a Comfort Specialist for an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do a great job of filtering out most biological contaminants, like molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they are not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke are very dangerous and easily get into 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 the lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart conditions. The tiny particles of smoke can get stuck in your lung, triggering a range of health issues, including worsened asthma, bronchitis and damage to your heart and lungs.
The smoke that blanketed New York City last week was caused by forest fires that are burning in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality conditions across much of the south and north of the United States. The thick smoky haze decreases visibility and creates respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from entering your home through doors and windows especially in older houses with a lot of drafts and cracks. However, you can take steps to minimize the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all windows and doors shut when it’s smokey outside. This can cut the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks around door frames and in the corners to stop the flow of smoky air.
If your HVAC system is in an recirculation mode, make sure to turn off when you are in a smokey environment. This will allow the system expel the smoke directly outside rather than returning it to inside. If you have ducts in your building that connect to areas that may generate high levels of pollutants, like parking garages that are attached to the building and loading docks, you should be certain to have these ducts separate from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters much more often during smokey conditions to ensure they are effectively removing the toxins from the air inside. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) that is 13 or higher. These filters are designed to eliminate the smoke and gaseous pollution from the air.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has become an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based on the idea that electricity prices are different at different times of the day. The majority of power companies offer “time of use” plans that offer different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes at off-peak times so that they don’t need to run their air conditioners during the high-cost summer peak times.
This method requires a programmable thermostat that can be adjusted automatically. However, even with this, homeowners should take the time to look up their electric consumption patterns and decide the best time to run their air cooling system. A lot of people save 25% or more off their energy bills through this method.
To supercool, the homeowner sets their AC to a lower temperature in the morning and maintains it at the same setting for a few hours. This cools the walls, floors, furniture, and fixtures of the home as well as the air inside. When peak energy-cost hours hit the homeowner cranks the air conditioner up and runs it until it’s off for several hours again.
This method works because cooling isn’t only about keeping the air inside the home cool. It also aims to prevent heat from getting into the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It is essential that homeowners check their homes’ insulation and seal any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to cover windows to block the sun, especially in areas that receive direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. They should also make sure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles are in progress. They should also think about using smart thermostats to assist them remember when to begin and stop cooling. This allows homeowners to reduce their energy bills without having to remember when to turn on or off the system.