Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are one of the most important inventions in the history of modern times. They made wartime and summer blockbusters and other equipment possible.
Cooling, however, places immense 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
Energy efficiency is among the most important factors when choosing a new cooling system. The upgrade to a more efficient cooling system will lower your expenses for energy and reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is evaluated in a variety of ways that include SEER and EER. These ratings indicate how much an air conditioner can cool for a given amount of power consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. You can find the system’s SEER rating on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” on the internet.
If you are looking for a new air conditioner, choose one with an excellent rating. This rating indicates how well the unit can perform during a season under normal conditions. A higher SEER rating could lower the cost of energy and consumption if you are replacing an older model.
Other factors can impact energy efficiency in air conditioning systems too. A high humidity indoors, a lack of maintenance and duct leaks for example, can all cause your system to perform more efficiently and consume more energy. Routine maintenance and sealing ducts leaks are easy ways to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems come with particular energy efficiency considerations also. They typically use the combination of split or packaged compressors and massive pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They may also have steam systems, that require special maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
A lot of these huge systems can also be controlled with an Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into one centralized system. Verde has helped clients optimize the performance of these systems with simple retrocommissioning suggestions that usually provide quick paybacks and incentives to implement.
Energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning is a key component of global efforts to combat climate change. We need to ensure that cooling appliances are efficient and that consumers are demanding these appliances. 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 in the event that their indoor air quality is not as good. There are a variety of ways to improve IAQ and prevent common problems like allergies, asthma fatigue, allergies, etc.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most frequent pollutants in modern offices and homes. buildings. These pollutants can be released into the air through a variety of activities such as cooking, cleaning, and smoking. They can cause allergies and respiratory problems.
High levels of moisture can have a negative impact on air quality. Moist air encourages the development of mildew and mold that can trigger respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity at a minimum is crucial to avoid these problems. This can be done by regularly cleaning and vacuuming, washing bedding, cushions and using a humidifier or dehumidifier using a humidity gauge.
Aside from the obvious health benefits in improving IAQ can enhance the comfort in homes. For instance, a home that is contaminated by air pollutants could become musty and smell unpleasant. It can also trigger irritation to eyes, itchy skin and a snoring feeling. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help to avoid these issues. Also, ensure that you open doors and windows for ventilation whenever you need to.
Symptoms of poor air quality are varied and can include headaches difficulty in concentrating, and general feeling of malaise. The symptoms can resolve when you leave the room however, prolonged exposure to poor quality air can worsen existing health conditions or cause serious illnesses.
Ventilation is the most important factor that impacts IAQ. This is influenced by the weather, room occupancy rates, and also the design of the structure. There are a few easy ways to improve IAQ. These include introducing plants in the house, opening the windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is working effectively. If you want to go a step further, we recommend that you consult a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While central air conditioners do a great job of filtering out most biological pollutants, such as bacteria, molds and pet dander pollen, they are not designed to remove smoke particles. The microscopic particles in 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 cause irritation to your lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart conditions. Smoke particles can cause a variety of health problems like bronchitis, as well as aggravation of asthma.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing hazardous air quality conditions throughout much of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoky haze decreases visibility and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who must be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent smoky air from getting into your business or home through doors and windows especially older houses with a lot of drafts and cracks. However, you can take steps to minimize the amount of smoke entering your home or business.
Close all windows and doors when it’s smokey. This can cut down on the amount of smoke from outside air by 30%. If possible, place wet towels around the door frames and cracks in order to slow the flow of smoke into your home or business.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation mode, make sure to turn off the recirculation mode during smoke conditions. This allows the system to eliminate the smoke outside, rather than returning it to inside. If you have ducts within your building connected to areas that could have high concentrations of pollutants, like parking garages with attached loading docks, be sure that those ducts are separate from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA suggests that you change your HVAC filters more often when you are in a smokey environment to ensure that they are effectively removing toxins from indoor air. Select a filter with a minimum efficiency report value (MERV) of 13 or more, since these filters are specifically designed to remove gases and smoke pollutants.
Supercooling
In recent times, supercooling has become a popular energy-saving technique. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. In fact, most power companies offer “time-of-use” plans that feature different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling lets homeowners pre-cool their homes during off-peak times so that they don’t have to run their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak periods.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that is able to adjust itself automatically. Even so, homeowners still need to be aware of their patterns of usage of electricity to determine the time when their air conditioner is most cost-effective. A lot of people save 25% or more on their energy bills by using this method.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner should set their AC to a lower temperature the next morning and maintain it for a few hours. This cools the floors, walls furniture, fixtures, and furniture of the home as well as the air inside. When peak energy-cost hours hit the homeowner cranks the air conditioning on and runs it until it’s off for several hours.
This method is effective because cooling isn’t just about making the air inside the home cool. It is essential to stop heat from getting into your home through windows, doors and other points that leak. It’s important that homeowners double-check their home’s insulation and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to make use of window shades to block out sun, particularly in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Also they should ensure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to stop air from getting out during cooling cycles. Additionally, they should think about using smart thermostats to help them remember to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy bills low and not worry about forgetting to turn the system off or on.