Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is among the most significant inventions of our time. They helped make summer blockbusters and wartime planes and other equipment possible.
Cooling, however puts immense strain on the electricity system and creates huge quantities of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the issue and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is among the most important factors to consider when selecting a new cooling system. Upgrading to an efficient air conditioner will help you save on energy bills and reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated with several different energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings tell you how much a unit is able to cool for a given amount of electricity consumed. The higher the rating is, the more efficient the unit. The SEER rating of a unit can be found on the yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When looking for an air conditioner that is new, choose one with an excellent rating. This rating shows how the unit performs in normal conditions during a given season. A higher SEER rating will reduce the cost of energy and consumption in the event that you replace an older model.
Air conditioning systems are affected by other causes as well. High indoor humidity, the absence of maintenance and duct leaks, for instance, could all make your system be more demanding and consume more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing duct leaks are easy steps to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
Commercial cooling systems are also susceptible to concerns about energy efficiency. These systems make use of a combination of split or packaged compressors as well as massive pipe networks to provide cooling throughout the building. They could also have steam systems, that require special maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these large systems can also be controlled with the use of a Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into a single centralized system. Verde has assisted in optimizing the performance of the systems by offering retrocommissioning suggestions that have quick paybacks.
The global effort to curb the effects of climate change is heavily dependent on energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning. Ultimately, we need to ensure that manufacturers introduce super-efficient cooling devices to market, and that consumers want these appliances. In the meantime we can take additional measures to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality can be a major health risk for many people who spend a large part of their lives inside buildings. Fortunately, there are many ways to improve IAQ that can help be a solution to common ailments like asthma, allergies, and fatigue.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most prevalent pollutants in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants are released into the air by various 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 wreak havoc on air quality. Mildew and mold can flourish in humid air, which can cause respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity low is essential to avoid these issues. This can be achieved by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, soft furnishings and using a dehumidifier or humidifier based on the hygrometer.
Apart from the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can improve the comfort of the home. A home with high levels of air pollution, for example, can smell musty. It can also cause irritation to eyes, itchy skin and a snoring feeling. Installing an air purifier as well as maintaining the HVAC system can help to keep these issues from happening. Also, make sure that you open your windows and doors for ventilation when needed.
Symptoms of poor air quality can be varied and can include headaches, difficulties in concentrating, or general malaise. Although these symptoms may be relieved after leaving a area, prolonged exposure could cause health problems that are already present and may lead to serious illness.
Ventilation is the most important factor that impacts IAQ. This can be affected by the weather, room occupancy rates, as well as the design of the structure. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ by introduction of plants into the home and opening doors and windows whenever possible and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. If you’re looking to take it a one step further, we recommend that you speak with a Comfort Specialist regarding 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 contaminants, like bacteria, molds, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles that can cause symptoms such as burning or itchy eyes congested nasal, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and aggravate lung and heart conditions that are chronic. The invisible fine particles in smoke can lodge deep into your lung, triggering a range of health issues, including an increase in asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your heart and lungs.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week is the result of forest fires in Canada and is causing hazardous air quality conditions throughout much of the northern US and southern Canada. The dense smoky haze reduces visibility and causes respiratory stress for anyone who is outdoors.
There is no way to prevent smoke from entering your home through doors and windows especially in older houses with a lot of drafts and cracks. However, you can take steps to minimize the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all doors and windows closed when it’s smoky outside. This can reduce the amount of smoke from outside air by 30%. If you can, place damp towels around the door frames and cracks to slow the flow of smoke into your business or home.
If your HVAC system has a recirculation mode, be sure to turn off the recirculation mode during smoke conditions. This will allow your HVAC to exhaust the smoky indoor air outside, rather than recirculating it. If you have ducts in your building which connect to areas that can have high concentrations of pollutants, like attached parking garages and loading docks, be certain to have these ducts separated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters much more often during smokey conditions to ensure they are effectively removing the toxins from the indoor air. Select a filter with the minimum reporting value (MERV), which is 13 or higher. These filters are designed to remove smoke and gaseous air pollution.
Supercooling
Supercooling is an energy-saving trend that has gained popularity in recent years. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. Most power companies offer “time of use” plans that offer different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes in off-peak hours so they don’t need to run their air conditioners during those high-cost summer peak hours.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that can be adjusted automatically. Even so, homeowners still need to examine their usage patterns for electricity to determine when their air conditioner will be the most efficient. Many homeowners save around 25% or more off their energy bills using this method.
To supercool the home homeowners should set their AC at an lower temperature the following morning and maintain it for a few more hours. This cools the home’s walls as well as floors, furniture and fixtures, as well as the inside air. When peak energy-cost times arrive the homeowner, he or she turns the air conditioning on and runs it until it’s off for several hours.
This strategy is successful because cooling doesn’t just mean making the air in the house cooler. It’s also about preventing heat from getting into the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check the insulation of their home and cover any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to make use of window shades to block out sun, especially in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Also they should ensure that all doors and windows are sealed to prevent air from escaping during cooling cycles. Additionally, they should think about using smart thermostats that can help them remember to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This allows homeowners to keep their energy bills low without worrying about forgetting to switch off or on.