Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are among the most important inventions in the past century. They helped make wartime and summer blockbusters and other equipment possible.
However cooling places a significant demand on electric systems and causes huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report raises awareness of the effects and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing the right cooling system energy efficiency is a crucial factor. Upgrading to an efficient air cooling system will lower your energy costs and also reduce environmental impact. Air conditioning units are rated using a variety of energy efficiency ratings, including SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings show how the air conditioner is able to cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a unit can be located on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When you are looking for a new air conditioning unit, look for one with a good SEER rating. This rating reveals how efficiently the unit performs in normal conditions. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating will drastically reduce your energy use and cost.
Air conditioning systems can be affected by other factors as well. Insufficient humidity in the indoors, lack of maintenance and duct leaks for instance, could all cause your system to perform more efficiently and consume more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are simple steps to increase the efficiency of your system.
Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency issues. These systems make use of a combination of packaged or split-compressors and huge pipe networks to provide cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require specialized maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally, many of these large systems are controlled by something called a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all cooling and heating systems of the building into one central system. Verde has helped clients improve the performance of these systems through simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically provide quick paybacks and incentives for their implementation.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key component of global efforts to reduce climate change. In the end, we have to ensure that manufacturers introduce super-efficient cooling equipment to market, and consumers are demanding them. In the meantime we can take additional measures to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A large portion of people live their lives in buildings and these structures could cause serious health risks when their indoor air quality is poor. There are numerous ways to improve IAQ and prevent common problems such as asthma, allergies fatigue, asthma, etc.
Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide are three of the most common pollutants in modern offices and homes. buildings. These pollutants are released into the air due to many different activities, including cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they could cause respiratory problems as well as allergic reactions.
High levels of moisture can have a negative impact on the quality of air. Moisture can encourage the development of mildew and mold that can trigger respiratory issues. To prevent these issues it is essential to keep an eye on humidity levels and keep the moisture level at a low level. This can be done by regularly vacuuming and dusting, washing bedding, furniture and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier based on the hygrometer.
Apart from the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can increase comfort in homes. For instance, a home with a lot of air pollution can be stale and smell unpleasant. It can also trigger itchy skin, irritated eyes and a feeling of suffocation. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help to keep these issues from happening. Also, ensure that you open windows and doors for ventilation when needed.
Poor air quality can trigger headaches, problems with concentration, and a general feeling of ill-health. The symptoms can resolve after leaving the space, but prolonged exposure to poor quality air can aggravate existing health issues or even trigger serious illnesses.
The most important factor that influences IAQ is the speed at which fresh air replaces stale air, a process known as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather, occupancy rate of the room and the design. But, a few simple steps can be taken to enhance IAQ by adding plants to the house opening up windows and doors as much as is possible and making sure that the HVAC system is functioning properly. For those who would prefer more of a thorough approach, it is suggested to speak with a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do a fantastic job of filtering out most biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they are not designed to eliminate smoke particles. The microscopic particles in wildfire smoke pose a risk, and they can easily enter your eyes, nose, and throat causing symptoms like burning eyes or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and exacerbate chronic lung and heart conditions. The invisible fine particles in smoke can get stuck in your lung, triggering a range of health effects, including aggravated asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your lung and heart.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing hazardous air quality conditions across much of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoky fog can reduce visibility and may cause respiratory stress to anyone who is required to be outdoors.
There is no way to prevent smoke from getting into your home through your windows and doors especially in older houses that have a lot of cracks and drafts. However, you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke entering your building.
Close all doors and windows when it’s smoky. This will reduce the amount of smoke by 30 percent. Place damp towels in the cracks and around door frames to slow down the flow of smoky air.
If your HVAC system has the ability to recirculate air, be sure to switch it off when the air is smoking. This will allow your HVAC system to exhaust the smoky indoor air outside, rather than recirculating it. If your building has ducts connecting to areas where contamination is likely to be high, for instance loading docks and parking garages, you should ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more often during smokey conditions to ensure they are effectively removing the toxins from the indoor air. Choose a filter with a minimum efficiency report value (MERV) of 13 or more, since these filters are designed to remove smoke and other gaseous air contaminants.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has become an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based off the idea that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. In fact, most electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that feature different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes at off-peak times so that they don’t have to run their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak times.
This requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners need to take the time to examine their electricity usage patterns and determine the most cost-effective time to run their air conditioner. This method could save you up to 25% on your energy bills.
To make the house super cool, the homeowner sets their AC to a lower temperature in the morning, and then keeps it at the same setting for a couple of hours. This cools the home’s walls as well as floors, furniture and fixtures, as well as the inside air. When peak energy costs hit the homeowner, he or she will increase the temperature of the air conditioner, and leave it running until the next time it’s shut off.
This strategy is successful because it doesn’t only mean making the air in the house cooler. It’s important to prevent heat from entering your home through doors, windows and other leaky areas. It is essential that homeowners check their home’s insulation and insulate any drafty or leaky areas. It is also recommended to make use of window shades to block the sunlight, particularly in areas that receive direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. It is also important to ensure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles are in progress. Finally, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will aid them in remembering to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This will allow homeowners to cut down on their energy bills without having to remember when to switch on or off the system.
