Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are among the most significant inventions of the history of modern times. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost production for wartime supplies and airplanes.
Cooling, however, places immense strain on the electricity system and produces huge quantities of pollution. This special IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the impact and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When selecting a new cooling system energy efficiency is a crucial factor. The upgrade to a more efficient cooling system will lower your expenses for energy and reduce environmental impact. Air conditioning units are rated according to a variety of energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings indicate how much a unit can cool with a certain amount of electricity consumed. 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 looking for a new air conditioner, choose one with an A+ rating. This rating reveals how the unit performs under normal conditions during a particular season. A higher SEER rating can reduce your energy consumption and costs when replacing an older model.
Air conditioning systems are affected by other causes as well. For example, high indoor humidity levels and a lack of maintenance and duct leaks could all make your system more efficient and use more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are simple steps to increase the efficiency of your system.
Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency concerns. These systems use a combination split or packaged compressors as well as massive pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. These systems may also include steam systems that require special maintenance in order to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Many of these large systems can also be controlled by a Building Automation System, which integrates the heating and cooling systems into a single centralized system. Verde has helped clients improve the performance of these systems through simple retrocommissioning recommendations that typically have quick paybacks and incentives for their implementation.
The global effort to curb 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 introduce super-efficient cooling appliances to market, and consumers demand these appliances. In the meantime we can take additional measures to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is an important health issue for those who spend a large part of their lives inside buildings. There are fortunately numerous ways to improve IAQ that can help stop common issues like asthma as well as allergies and fatigue.
Particulate matter as well as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most common sources of pollution in modern homes and office buildings. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and smoking, and they could lead to respiratory issues and allergic reactions.
High levels of humidity can also wreak havoc on the quality of air. Mold and mildew can grow in humid air, which can lead to respiratory issues. To prevent these issues, it is important to monitor humidity and ensure that the moisture level remains at a minimum. The best way to achieve this is to regularly dust and vacuuming, washing furniture and bedding, and using an air dehumidifier and humidifier if required based on readings from hygrometers.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ, it can also increase the comfort in your home. A home with high levels of air pollutants for instance, may smell musty. It can also trigger irritated eyes or itchy eyes, as well as a stuffy sensation. Installing an air purifier and keeping the HVAC system can help to avoid these issues. Also, ensure that you open your windows and doors for ventilation whenever you need to.
Poor air quality can trigger headaches, concentration problems and a general feeling of malaise. These symptoms may resolve after leaving the space, but prolonged exposure to poor air quality can worsen existing health conditions or even cause serious health issues.
The main factor that affects IAQ is the rate that fresh air replaces stale air, a process that is known as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather conditions, the room occupancy rate, and the design. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ, including introduction of plants into the house, opening windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning properly. If you’d prefer to take an even more comprehensive approach, it is recommended that they speak with a Comfort Specialist about an indoor air quality assessment.
Smoke Pollution
Heat pumps and central air conditioning systems are effective at removing biological pollutants such as bacteria, molds pollen, pet dander, and mold. However they cannot remove smoke particles. The tiny particles that make up wildfire smoke pose a risk and easily get into your nose, eyes, and throat causing symptoms like burning or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and worsen chronic lung and heart problems. The fine particles that are invisible in smoke can get stuck in your lungs, triggering a variety of health effects, including worsened asthma, bronchitis and damage to your lungs and heart.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing hazardous air quality conditions throughout much of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and causes breathing problems for those who must be outdoors.
There is no way to stop smoke from getting into your home through your windows and doors especially in older houses with a lot of drafts and cracks. You can take steps to lessen the amount of smoke entering your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it is smoky outside. This will reduce 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 home or office.
If your HVAC system is in a recirculation mode, be sure to switch off the recirculation mode during smoke conditions. This will allow your HVAC to take the smokey indoor air, rather than returning it. If you have ducts within your building which connect to areas that could produce high concentrations of pollutants, like attached parking garages and loading docks, you should be sure that those ducts are separate from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA suggests that you change your HVAC filters more frequently during smokey conditions in order to ensure that they are removing pollutants from the air in your home. Choose a filter with an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or higher, as these filters are specially designed to eliminate gases and smoke contaminants.
Supercooling
Supercooling is a trend to save energy that has become more popular in recent years. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices are different at different 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 lets homeowners 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 a thermostat with programmable settings that can be adjusted automatically. Even with this, homeowners still need to be aware of their patterns of usage of electricity to determine when their air conditioner is most cost-effective. This method can save you up to 25% on your energy bills.
To keep the home cool, the homeowner sets their air conditioner to a lower temperature in the morning and maintains it at that setting for a few hours. This cools the home’s walls, floors, furnishings and fixtures as well as the air inside. When peak energy costs hit, the homeowner will turn the air conditioning up and leave it on until the next time it’s shut off.
This method is efficient because cooling doesn’t just mean making the air inside the house cooler. It’s also about preventing 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 leaky or drafty areas. They should also use window covers to block out sun, especially in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. They should also ensure that all doors and windows are sealed tightly to stop air from escaping when cooling cycles are in progress. Also, they should consider 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 reduce their energy bills without having to remember when to turn on or off the system.
