Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air cooling and conditioning is among the most significant inventions of modern history. They were instrumental in making wartime and summer blockbusters and supplies possible.
However cooling places a significant burden on electrical systems and causes huge quantities of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the effects and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing an air conditioner, energy efficiency is a crucial aspect. Upgrade to an energy-efficient air conditioner and reduce your energy costs and also reduce your environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is assessed in various ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings show how much an air conditioner can cool in a given amount of electricity consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of a system can be found on the yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When shopping for a new air conditioning system, look for one that has a high SEER rating. This rating reveals how efficiently the unit can perform during a season under normal conditions. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating, it will drastically reduce your energy consumption and expenses.
Other factors can impact the efficiency of air conditioning systems too. For instance high levels of humidity in the indoor, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks can all make your system more efficient and consume more energy. Making sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks from ducts are easy ways to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency issues. These systems often utilize a combination of packaged or split compressors that have huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They could also have steam systems, which require specialized maintenance to keep the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally to that, many of these huge systems are controlled by a system called a Building Automation System (BAS) which connects all cooling and heating systems within the building into a single system. Verde has assisted clients in optimizing the performance of these systems with simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically have quick paybacks and incentives for implementation.
The global effort to reduce the effects of climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of energy used in cooling and air conditioning. In the end, we must ensure that manufacturers bring super-efficient cooling equipment to market, and that consumers demand these appliances. In the meantime we can also take other measures to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
A lot of people spend the majority of their lives in buildings and these structures can be a major health risk if the indoor air quality is poor. There are many ways to improve IAQ and avoid common ailments like asthma, allergies fatigue, asthma, etc.
Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide are the three most common pollutants in modern offices and homes. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, including cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they could lead to respiratory issues and allergic reactions.
High levels of moisture can also have a negative effect on the quality of air. Mildew and mold can flourish in humid air, which can cause respiratory problems. To prevent this from happening it is crucial to monitor humidity and keep the moisture level at a minimum. The best way to achieve this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, washing bedding and furniture, and using an air dehumidifier and humidifier if required based on readings from hygrometers.
Apart from the obvious health benefits in 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 trigger irritation to eyes, itchy skin and a feeling of suffocation. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help keep these issues from happening. Also, ensure that you open windows and doors for ventilation when needed.
Poor air quality can lead to headaches, difficulty concentrating and a general feeling of feeling of ill-health. While these symptoms can resolve themselves after leaving a area, prolonged exposure could exacerbate existing health conditions and can even result in serious health issues.
Ventilation is the primary factor that impacts IAQ. This can be influenced by the weather, occupancy rates, and also the design of the building. There are many ways to improve IAQ. These include adding plants to the home, opening windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is operating properly. If you want to go a 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 great job of filtering out most biological contaminants, like molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not designed to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles of smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and easily enter your nose, eyes, and throat which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and worsen chronic heart and lung conditions. The invisible fine particles in smoke can get stuck in your lung, triggering a range of health issues, including an increase in asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your heart and lungs.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing dangerous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoky haze decreases visibility and causes breathing difficulties for those who is outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from entering 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 minimize the amount of smoke that enters your home or business.
Close all windows and doors when it’s smokey. This can cut the amount of smoke by 30 percent. If you can, place damp towels around the door frames and cracks to stop the flow of smoke into your business or home.
If your HVAC system is in a recirculation mode, be sure to switch it off during smoky conditions. This will allow the system to expel the smoke directly outside rather than recirculating it inside. If your structure has ducts that connect to areas where contaminants are likely to be high, such as loading docks or parking garages, you should ensure that the ducts are separated from the rest.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more often during smokey conditions to ensure they are effectively eliminating the toxins from the indoor air. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) which is 13 or higher. These filters are designed to eliminate the smoke and gaseous pollution from the air.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has been an energy-saving method that is popular. It’s based off the idea that electricity costs different amounts at different times of the day. In reality, the majority of electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that offer different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners cool their homes in advance during off-peak times, so they don’t need to run air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However homeowners should examine their patterns of usage of electricity to determine when their air conditioner will be most cost-effective. This can save you up to 25% on your energy bills.
To supercool, the homeowner sets their air conditioner to lower temperatures in the morning, and then keeps it at the same setting for a couple of hours. The home’s walls are cooled by the cooling as well as floors, furniture and fixtures as well as the air inside. When peak energy costs hit homeowners, they turn the air conditioning up and then leave it running until the next time it’s turned off.
This method is efficient since cooling doesn’t just refer to making the air in the house cooler. It is essential to stop heat from entering your home through windows, doors, and other leaky points. This is why homeowners must ensure that their home is sealed and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. Also, they should consider using window shades to block sun light particularly in areas that get direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest times of the day. Also they should ensure that all doors and windows are sealed to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. Finally, they should consider using smart thermostats to aid them in remembering to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This will allow homeowners to keep their energy bills low and not worry about forgetting to turn off the system or on.
