Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is among the most significant inventions of our time. They were instrumental in making wartime and summer blockbusters and supplies possible.
Cooling, however puts enormous strain on the electricity system and produces huge quantities of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the effects and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When choosing a new cooling system energy efficiency is a crucial aspect. Upgrading to an efficient air conditioner will save on your expenses for energy and reduce environmental impacts. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is assessed in various ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings show how much a unit 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”.
When looking for a brand new air conditioning unit, look for one that has a high SEER rating. This rating indicates how well the unit performs under normal conditions during a given season. If you’re replacing a model that’s older, a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy consumption and cost.
Air conditioning systems can be affected by other causes as well. For example high levels of humidity in the indoor, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks can 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.
Large commercial cooling systems come with particular energy efficiency considerations, too. They usually use the combination of packaged or split compressors that have huge pipes to distribute cooling throughout the building. They might also include steam systems, which require specialized maintenance in order to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally, many of these large systems are controlled by something known as a Building Automation System (BAS) that integrates all cooling and heating systems within the building into a single system. Verde has assisted clients in optimizing the performance of these systems by providing simple retrocommissioning guidelines that typically offer quick paybacks as well as incentives to implement.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a major component of global efforts to combat climate change. We must ensure that cooling devices are super-efficient and that consumers demand these appliances. In the meantime, there are a variety of actions we can take to help cut our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a major health risk for those who spend a large part of their time in buildings. There are fortunately a number of ways to improve IAQ, which can be a solution to common ailments like asthma as well as allergies and fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM) as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources for pollution in modern homes and offices. These pollutants are released into the air due to many different activities, such as cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they can cause respiratory problems as well as allergic reactions.
A high level of humidity can also create havoc on air quality. The humid air encourages the growth of mold and mildew that can trigger respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture low is essential to avoid these problems. The best way to achieve this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture and utilizing a dehumidifier or humidifier as needed based on the readings of a hygrometer.
Aside from the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can improve the comfort of a home. A home that has high levels of air pollution such as radon, for instance, can smell musty. It can also trigger irritated or itchy eyes, as well as a stuffy sensation. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help to prevent these issues. Also, ensure that you open doors and windows for ventilation when needed.
Poor air quality can cause headaches, difficulty concentrating and a general feeling of feeling of ill-health. The symptoms can resolve after leaving the space however, prolonged exposure to poor air quality could exacerbate existing health issues or even cause serious health issues.
The main factor that affects IAQ is the rate that fresh air replaces the old air, a process referred to as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather, room occupancy rates, and the design of the structure. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including introduction of plants into the house opening up windows and doors as much as is possible and making sure that the HVAC system is working correctly. If you want to go further, we suggest that you speak with a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
While central air conditioners do a fantastic job of filtering out the majority of biological contaminants, like molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they are not designed to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles that make up smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and can easily enter your eyes, nose and throat, and cause symptoms such as burning or itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and aggravate lung and heart conditions that are chronic. Smoke particles can cause a range of health issues such as bronchitis and aggravation of asthma.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada and is causing hazardous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick fog of smoke reduces visibility, and can cause respiratory stress to anyone who is required to be outside.
There is no way to keep smoke from entering your home through doors and windows particularly in older homes that have a lot of cracks and drafts. You can make steps to decrease the amount of smoke entering your home or business.
Keep all doors and windows shut when it’s smokey outside. This can cut the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. If you can, put wet towels around the door frames and cracks to stop the movement of smoky air into your business or home.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation feature, make sure to turn it off when the air is smoky. This will allow the system expel the smoke directly outside instead of returning it to inside. If your building has ducts connecting to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, like loading docks or parking garages, you should ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more often during times of smoke to ensure they’re effectively taking out the toxins in the air inside. Select a filter with a minimum reporting value (MERV) which is 13 or more. These filters are designed to get rid of gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
In recent times, supercooling has become an increasingly popular method of reducing energy consumption. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. In fact, many electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that feature different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling lets homeowners to cool their homes in advance during off-peak hours, meaning they don’t need to run air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This method requires an automatic thermostat that can be programmed. However even with this, homeowners must be aware of and examine their electricity consumption patterns and decide when it’s most cost-effective to run their air cooling system. This method can save you up to 25 percent on your energy bills.
To keep the home cool the home, the homeowner set their AC to lower temperatures in the morning, and then keeps it at that temperature for a couple of hours. This cools the home’s walls furniture, floors, flooring and fixtures, as well as the inside air. When peak energy-cost hours hit the homeowner, he or she turns the air conditioning up and runs it until it shuts off for a few hours.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t only about making the air inside the home cool. It’s also about stopping heat from entering the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It’s important that homeowners double-check the insulation of their home and cover any drafty or leaky areas. Also, they should consider using window coverings to block sun light particularly in areas that get bright direct sunlight in the hottest times of the day. They should also ensure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles occur. Also, they should consider installing smart thermostats that will help them remember to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy costs at a minimum without having to remember to turn the system off or on.