Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are among the most important inventions of modern history. They were instrumental in making summer blockbusters and wartime planes and other equipment possible.
Cooling, however puts immense strain on the electricity system and generates massive quantities of pollution. This particular IEA report raises awareness about the effects of this demand, and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important aspects when selecting a new cooling unit. The upgrade to a more efficient cooling system will lower your expenses for energy and reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated according to a variety of energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings indicate how the air conditioner is able to cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the score, the more efficient the unit is. You can locate a SEER rating of a system on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” on the internet.
When looking for a new air conditioner, choose one with a high rating. This rating reveals how the unit performs under normal conditions during a particular season. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating, it will greatly reduce your energy use and cost.
Other factors can affect the efficiency of energy in air conditioning systems, too. For example, high indoor humidity levels as well as a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can make your system work harder and use more energy. Routine maintenance and sealing ducts leaks are easy ways to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency considerations, too. These systems use a combination packaged or split-compressors and huge pipe networks to provide cooling throughout the building. These systems could also incorporate steam systems that require special maintenance to prevent the pipes from getting blocked.
Many of these systems can also be controlled with an Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into a single central system. Verde has been able to improve the performance of the systems by offering retrocommissioning recommendations that provide rapid paybacks.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key element of global efforts to reduce climate change. In the end, we must ensure that manufacturers bring super-efficient cooling appliances to market, and consumers want them. In the meantime we can also take other measures to reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A large portion of people live their lives in structures, and these structures could be a major health risk when their indoor air quality isn’t good enough. There are fortunately a number of ways to improve IAQ, which can be a solution to common ailments like asthma or allergies, as well as fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources for pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants can be released into the atmosphere by a number of activities such as cleaning, cooking and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory issues.
High levels of moisture can have a negative impact on air quality. Moisture can encourage the development of mildew and mold, which can trigger respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture low is key to preventing these issues. This can be done by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, cushions and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier using a humidity gauge.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ in your home, it can increase the comfort in your home. A home with high levels of air pollutants for instance, may smell musty. It can also cause irritation eyes or itchy eyes, and also a snoring sensation. These issues can be avoided by installing an air purifier, maintaining the HVAC system, and ensuring that doors and windows are kept open to let in air as required.
Symptoms of poor air quality can be varied and can include headaches, difficulty in concentrating, and general feeling of malaise. Although these symptoms may resolve themselves after leaving a space, prolonged exposure to air pollution can worsen existing health issues and could lead to serious health issues.
The most important factor that influences IAQ is the rate of fresh air replacing the old air, a process referred to as ventilation. This is affected by the weather conditions, the room occupancy rate, and the design. There are a few easy methods to improve IAQ. This can be done by adding plants to the home, opening doors and windows as often as feasible, and making sure that the HVAC system works correctly. If you’d prefer more of a thorough approach, it is recommended to speak with a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
While central air conditioners do a great job of removing the majority of biological pollutants, including bacteria, molds and pet dander pollen, they are not designed to eliminate smoke particles. The tiny particles of smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and can easily get into your nose, eyes, and throat and cause symptoms such as burning eyes or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate the lungs and exacerbate the severity of heart and lung problems. Smoke particles can trigger a variety health effects, including bronchitis and aggravated asthma.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada and has created hazardous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The dense smoky haze reduces visibility and creates respiratory stress for anyone who must be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent smoke from getting into your business or home through windows and doors, especially older homes with lots of cracks and drafts. You can take steps to lessen the amount of smoke that enters your home or business.
Close all doors and windows when it’s smokey. This can cut the amount of smoke by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks of door frames and around them to reduce the flow of smoke.
If your HVAC system has the ability to recirculate air, be sure that you switch it off when the air is smokey. This will allow the system to eliminate the smoke outside instead of recirculating it inside. If you have ducts in your building which connect to areas that may produce high concentrations of contaminants, such as attached parking garages and loading docks, make sure that those ducts are independently isolated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters much more often during smokey conditions to ensure that they are effective in eliminating the toxins from the air inside. Select a filter that has an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or higher, as these filters are designed to remove smoke and other gaseous air contaminants.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based on the notion that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. In reality, the majority of electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that feature different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners cool their homes in advance during off-peak hours, so they don’t have to run air conditioners during those costly summer peak hours.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that can adjust automatically. However, even with this, homeowners must take the time to look up their electric usage patterns and figure out the best time to run their air conditioning. Many people save about 25% or more off their energy bills by using this method.
To supercool homeowners, they set their air conditioner to a lower temperature in the morning and keeps it at that temperature for a couple of hours. This cools down the floors, walls furniture, fixtures and furniture of the house as well as the air inside. Then, when peak energy-cost hours hit, the homeowner turns the air conditioner up and leaves it running until it’s off for several hours.
This method works because cooling isn’t only about keeping the air inside the home cool. It’s also about preventing heat from entering the house through doors, windows and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check the insulation of their home and cover any drafty or leaky areas. They should also use window shades to block sun light particularly those that receive bright direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the daytime. Also they should ensure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. Additionally, they should think about 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 keep their energy costs low and not worry about forgetting to turn off the system or on.