Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling are among the most important inventions in modern history. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost manufacturing for wartime supplies and airplanes.
However cooling places a significant demand on electric systems and creates massive quantities of pollution. This particular IEA report aims to raise awareness of the impact of this demand, and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing an air conditioner energy efficiency is a crucial aspect. Making the switch to a more efficient air cooling system will lower your energy bills and reduce environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioning units is rated in several ways that include SEER and EER. These ratings tell you how the air conditioner is able to cool using a specific amount of electricity. The higher the rating, 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”.
If you are looking for an air conditioner for the first time, choose one with an excellent rating. This rating indicates how well the unit can perform in normal conditions. If you’re replacing a model that’s older, a higher SEER rating will drastically reduce your energy use and expenses.
Other factors can affect energy efficiency in air conditioning systems, too. High indoor humidity, insufficient maintenance and duct leaks for example, can all cause your system to work harder and consume additional energy. Regular maintenance and sealing of leaks in the ducts are a simple way to improve the efficiency of your system.
Large commercial cooling systems have their own energy efficiency concerns also. These systems make use of a combination of packaged or split-compressors and huge pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They might also have steam systems which require specialized maintenance to ensure that the pipes do not become blocked.
Additionally, many of these large systems are controlled by a system known as a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all cooling and heating systems within the building into one centralized system. Verde has helped optimize the efficiency of the systems by offering retrocommissioning strategies that offer quick paybacks.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key component of global efforts to combat climate change. In the end, we have to ensure that manufacturers introduce super-efficient cooling equipment to market, and consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime we can take additional steps to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gases emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Many people spend much of their lives in buildings, and these structures could be a major health risk in the event that their indoor air quality is not as good. There are a variety of ways to improve IAQ and prevent common issues such as asthma, allergies fatigue, asthma, etc.
Particulate matter and volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most common sources of pollution in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants can be released into the air through a variety of activities such as cleaning, cooking and smoking. They can trigger allergies and respiratory problems.
A high level of moisture may also have a negative effect on air quality. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which can trigger respiratory problems. To prevent this from happening it is crucial to keep an eye on humidity levels and ensure that the moisture level remains at a minimum. This can be accomplished by regularly vacuuming and dusting, cleaning bedding, furniture and making use of a humidifier or dehumidifier that is based on the humidity gauge.
Apart from the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can enhance the comfort in homes. For instance, a house with high air pollutants can be stale and smell unpleasant. It can also cause irritation eyes or itchy eyes, and a swollen sensation. This can be addressed by installing an air purifier, maintaining the HVAC system, and ensuring that doors and windows are opened to allow air circulation when required.
Symptoms of poor air quality are varied and can include headaches difficulty concentrating, and even general malaise. Although these symptoms may be relieved after leaving a area, prolonged exposure could cause health problems that are already present and can even result in serious health issues.
The primary factor that affects IAQ is the rate at which fresh air replaces stale air, a process known as ventilation. This is influenced by the weather, room occupancy rates, and also the design of the structure. There are many ways to improve IAQ. This can be done by introducing plants in the home, opening the doors and windows whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system is operating correctly. For those who would prefer to take more of a 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 the majority of biological pollutants, such as bacteria, molds, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not specifically designed to remove smoke particles. The tiny particles of smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and easily enter your eyes, nose, and throat which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eyes congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and exacerbate chronic lung and heart conditions. The tiny particles of smoke can lodge deep into your lung, triggering a myriad of health effects such as aggravated asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your lung and heart.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada, and it 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 is outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent smoky air from entering your home or business through doors and windows particularly older homes with lots of cracks and drafts. You can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it is smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. If you can, put wet towels on the door frames and cracks in order to slow the movement of smoky air into your home or office.
If your HVAC system has the recirculation feature, make sure to turn off when you are in a smokey environment. This will allow your HVAC to exhaust the smoky indoor air, rather than the air being recirculated. If your building has ducts that connect to areas where contamination is likely to be high, for instance loading docks and parking garages, you should ensure that these ducts are kept away from the rest of.
The EPA recommends that you change your HVAC filters more frequently in the event of smoke to ensure that they are removing toxins from indoor air. Select a filter with an efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or higher, as these filters are specifically designed to remove the smoke and other gaseous air 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 vary at different times of the day. In fact, most electricity companies offer “time-of-use” plans that offer different peak and off-peak rates. Supercooling lets homeowners cool their homes in advance during off-peak hours, meaning they don’t need to run air conditioners at those expensive summer peak hours.
This requires a thermostat with programmable settings that can be adjusted automatically. However even with this, homeowners should be sure to study their electric usage patterns and figure out the best time to run their air conditioner. This method could save you up to 25 percent off your energy bill.
To keep the home cool homeowners should set their AC to lower temperatures the next morning and keep it there for a few hours. This cools down the walls, floors, furniture, and fixtures of the home as well as the air inside. When energy costs are high homeowners, they increase the temperature of the air conditioner 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 in the home cooler. It also aims to prevent heat from entering the home through windows, doors and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check their home’s insulation and insulate any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to cover windows to block out sun, particularly in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Also it is important to ensure that all doors and windows are sealed to prevent air from getting out during cooling cycles. Additionally, they should think about using smart thermostats to help them remember to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This helps homeowners cut their energy costs without worrying about forgetting to turn on or off the system.