Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are one of the most important inventions in modern history. They helped make wartime and summer blockbusters and supplies possible.
However cooling puts a huge burden on electrical systems and creates massive quantities of pollution. This special IEA Report raises awareness of the impact and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing a new cooling system, energy efficiency is a crucial factor. Making the switch to a more efficient air conditioner will save on your energy bills and reduce environmental impacts. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is evaluated in a variety of ways that include SEER and EER. These ratings tell you how much an air conditioner can cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a system can be found on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When shopping for a new air conditioning system, search for one that has a high SEER rating. This rating reveals how the unit performs in normal conditions during a given season. A higher SEER rating could reduce the cost of energy and consumption if you are replacing an older model.
Other factors can impact energy efficiency in air conditioning systems, too. For example, high indoor humidity levels, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks could all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing duct leaks are easy ways to improve the efficiency of your system.
Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency issues. They typically make use of an array of split or packaged compressors and massive pipes to distribute cooling throughout the building. They could also have steam systems, that require special maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with a Building Automation System, which connects the cooling and heating systems into a single centralized system. Verde has helped clients improve the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically provide quick paybacks and incentives for implementation.
The global effort to reduce climate change is heavily dependent on energy efficiency in cooling and air-conditioning. We must ensure that cooling equipment is efficient and that consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime we can also take other steps to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gas 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 fortunately many ways to improve IAQ, which can prevent common problems such as asthma or allergies, as well as fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most common pollutants in modern workplaces and homes. These pollutants can be released into the air through a variety of actions like cooking, cleaning, and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory issues.
High levels of moisture can also have a negative impact on the quality of air. Mildew and mold can flourish in humid air, and can lead to respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity low is essential to avoid these problems. This can be accomplished by regularly cleaning and vacuuming, washing bedding, soft furnishings and using a humidifier or dehumidifier based on the humidity gauge.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ in your home, it can improve the comfort of your home. For instance, a house with a lot of air pollution can turn musty and odor unpleasant. It can also cause irritation or itchy eyes, and also a snoring sensation. These issues can be prevented by installing an air purifier, ensuring the health of the HVAC system, and ensuring that windows and doors are kept open to let in air as required.
Poor air quality can cause headaches, problems with concentration and a general feeling of feeling of ill-health. While these symptoms can resolve themselves after leaving a space, prolonged exposure to air pollution can exacerbate existing health conditions and may lead to serious illness.
The most important factor that influences IAQ is the rate at which fresh air replaces the old air, a process that is known as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather, room occupancy rates, and also the design of the building. There are many ways to improve IAQ. These include installing plants in the home, opening the doors and windows as often as possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is operating correctly. If you’d prefer to take an even more comprehensive 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 the majority of biological pollutants, including bacteria, molds, pet dander, and pollen, they are not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles of smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous, and they can easily enter your nose, eyes and throat, causing symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also cause irritation to the lungs and cause worsening of heart and lung conditions that are chronic. Smoke particles can trigger a variety of health problems like bronchitis, as well as aggravation of asthma.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada and is causing dangerous air quality conditions throughout much of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoky haze decreases visibility and causes respiratory stress for anyone who is outdoors.
There is no way to keep smoke from getting into your home through your windows and doors particularly in older homes that have a lot of cracks and drafts. However you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your home or business.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it’s smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky outside air by 30%. If possible, place wet towels on the door frames and cracks to slow the movement of smoky air into your home or office.
If your HVAC system features a recirculation function, make sure you switch it off when the air is smoking. This allows your HVAC system to exhaust the smoky indoor air to the outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If you have ducts in your building which connect to areas that may have high concentrations of contaminants, such as parking garages that are attached to the building and loading docks, be sure that those ducts are independently isolated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA suggests changing your HVAC filters more often in the event of smoke to ensure they’re effectively removing the toxins from the indoor air. Choose a filter with an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or more, since these filters are specifically designed to eliminate the smoke and other gaseous air contaminants.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a green trend that’s become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s based upon the notion that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at all times of the day. In fact, most electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that feature different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes in off-peak hours so they don’t have to use their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak periods.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners need to take the time to study their electric consumption patterns and decide 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 maintains it at that setting for a couple of hours. This cools the walls, floors, furniture, and fixtures of the house as well as the air inside. Then, when the peak energy-cost hours hit the homeowner cranks the air conditioning on and leaves it running until it shuts off for a few hours again.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the house cool. It also aims to prevent heat from entering the home through windows, doors and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check the insulation of their home and cover any drafty or leaky areas. It is also recommended to use window shades to block the sun’s rays, especially those that get bright direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the daytime. Also, they should ensure that all doors and windows are tightly sealed to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles are in progress. Also, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will aid them in remembering to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This helps homeowners cut their energy consumption without worrying about forgetting to turn on or off the system.
