Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air cooling and conditioning is one of the most significant inventions of our time. They were instrumental in making summer blockbusters and wartime planes and supplies possible.
However cooling places a significant strain on electricity systems and causes huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report raises awareness of the issue and suggests solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing a new cooling system energy efficiency is a key aspect. The upgrade to a more efficient conditioner will help you save on energy bills and reduce environmental impacts. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is evaluated in a variety of ways, including SEER and EER. These ratings indicate how much an air conditioner can cool using a certain amount of electricity. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit is. The SEER rating of the system can be found on its yellow Energy Guide Label or by searching “SEER ratings”.
When shopping for a new air conditioning system, look for one with a high SEER rating. This rating reveals how efficiently the unit can perform in normal conditions. If you’re replacing an older model with a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy consumption and costs.
Other factors can impact the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. High indoor humidity, lack of maintenance and duct leaks for instance, could all make your system work harder and consume additional energy. Maintaining your system with regular maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are easy steps to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency considerations as well. These systems often make use of a combination of split or packaged compressors that have huge pipe networks to deliver cooling throughout the building. These systems may also include steam systems that require specific maintenance to keep 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 one centralized system. Verde has been able to improve the performance of these systems by providing retrocommissioning strategies that offer quick paybacks.
The global effort to curb climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of cooling and air-conditioning. We need to ensure that cooling equipment is super-efficient and that consumers demand them. In the meantime, there are a variety of steps we can take to help cut our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality can be an important health issue for many people who spend a significant portion of their lives in buildings. There are fortunately a number of ways to improve IAQ that can help be a solution to common ailments like asthma, allergies, and fatigue.
Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide are the three most frequent sources of pollution in modern offices and homes. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, including cooking, cleaning, and smoking cigarettes, and can cause respiratory problems as well as allergic reactions.
The high levels of humidity can also create havoc on air quality. The humid air encourages the development of mildew and mold, which can trigger respiratory issues. To avoid these issues, it is important to keep an eye on humidity levels and ensure that the moisture level remains at a lower level. This can be done by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, soft furnishings and using a dehumidifier or humidifier using a hygrometer.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ It can also improve the comfort of your home. For instance, a house with high air pollutants can turn musty and odor unpleasant. It can also trigger irritation to eyes, itchy skin, and a stuffy feeling. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, maintaining the HVAC system, and making sure that windows and doors are kept open to let in air as needed.
The symptoms of poor air quality can be a variety of symptoms and can include headaches, difficulty in concentrating, and a general malaise. These symptoms may improve after leaving the area however prolonged exposure to poor air quality could exacerbate existing health issues or cause serious illnesses.
The primary factor that affects IAQ is the rate of fresh air replacing stale air, a process known as ventilation. This can be affected by the weather, occupancy rates, and the design of the structure. There are a few easy ways to improve IAQ. This includes installing plants in the house, opening the windows and doors whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is working properly. For those who would prefer to take a more thorough approach, it is suggested to speak with a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do an excellent job of filtering out most biological pollutants, including molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not designed to eliminate smoke particles. Smoke from wildfires is a source of microscopic particles which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congested nasal, runny nose and coughing. They can also cause irritation to the lungs and worsen the severity of heart and lung problems. The fine particles that are invisible in smoke can lodge deep into your lung, triggering a myriad of health issues, including an increase in asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your lungs and heart.
The smoke that blanketed New York City last week was caused by forest fires burning in Canada. It can also cause dangerous air quality conditions across much of the south and north of the United States. The dense smoky haze reduces visibility and causes breathing difficulties for those who must be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent smoky air from entering your business or home through doors and windows, especially older homes with a lot of drafts and cracks. You can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your home or business.
Keep all windows and doors shut when it’s smokey outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks around door frames and in the corners to stop the flow of smoky air.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation feature, make sure that you shut it off when air is smoky. This will allow the system to eliminate the smoke outside instead of recirculating it inside. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contamination is likely to be high, for instance parking garages or loading docks You should make sure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA recommends that you change your HVAC filters more frequently during smokey conditions in order to ensure that they are effectively removing toxins from indoor air. Select a filter with a minimum efficiency report value (MERV) of 13 or greater, as these filters are specifically designed to eliminate gases and smoke contaminants.
Supercooling
In recent years, supercooling has become an increasingly popular method of reducing energy consumption. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices are different at different times of the day. In fact, many electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that provide different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling lets homeowners cool their homes ahead of off-peak times, so they don’t require air conditioners during those costly summer peak hours.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that is able to adjust itself automatically. Even with this, homeowners still need to take the time to analyze their patterns of usage of electricity to determine when their air conditioner will be most cost-effective. Many homeowners save around 25% or more off their energy bills through this method.
To make the house super cool the home, the homeowner set their air conditioner to lower temperatures in the morning and maintains it at that setting for a couple of hours. This cools the floors, walls furniture, fixtures and furniture of the home as well as the air inside. When energy costs are high homeowners, they turn up the temperature and then leave it running until the next time it is shut off.
This strategy works because cooling isn’t only about keeping the air inside the home cool. It also aims to prevent heat from entering the house through windows, doors and other leak points. It’s important that homeowners double-check their homes’ insulation and seal any leaky or drafty areas. Also, they should make use of window shades to block the sun, especially in areas that get direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. Also, they should make sure that all windows and doors are tightly sealed to stop air from getting out during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider using smart thermostats that can help them remember to start and stop cooling at the best times of the day. This will allow homeowners to cut down on their energy consumption without worrying about forgetting to switch on or off the system.
