Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Air conditioning and cooling is among the most significant inventions of modern history. They helped make summer blockbusters and wartime planes and other equipment possible.
However cooling puts a huge demand on electric systems and creates massive amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report raises awareness of the issue and provides solutions.
Energy Efficiency
When you are choosing an air conditioner, energy efficiency is an important factor. Upgrade to an efficient air conditioner and you’ll reduce your energy costs, as well as reduce your environmental impact. Air conditioning units are rated with several different energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings indicate how the air conditioner is able to cool using a certain amount of electricity. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit. You can locate a SEER rating on the yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” on the internet.
If you are in the market for an air conditioner that is new pick one with an A+ rating. This rating shows how well the unit performs under normal conditions in a given season. If you’re replacing an older model, a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy consumption and costs.
Other things can influence the efficiency of air conditioning systems, too. For example high levels of humidity in the indoor, lack of maintenance, and duct leaks could all make your system work harder and consume more energy. Keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing leaks in ducts are simple steps to increase your system’s energy efficiency.
Large commercial cooling systems have particular energy efficiency considerations as well. These systems often use an array of split or packaged compressors and massive pipe networks to distribute cooling throughout the building. They could also include steam systems, that require special maintenance to prevent the pipes from becoming blocked.
Additionally to that, many of these huge systems are controlled by what’s called a Building Automation System (BAS), which integrates all cooling and heating systems of the building into one central system. Verde has been able to improve the efficiency of systems by providing retrocommissioning suggestions that have quick paybacks.
The global effort to reduce the effects of climate change is heavily dependent on the efficiency of energy used in cooling and air-conditioning. We need to ensure that cooling appliances are super-efficient and that consumers demand them. In the meantime, we can take other measures to cut down on our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a major health risk for those who spend a significant portion of their time 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 and volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide are three of the most prevalent pollutants in modern homes and office buildings. These pollutants can be released into the atmosphere through a variety of actions like cooking, cleaning, and smoking. They can cause respiratory issues and allergies.
A high level of moisture may also have a negative effect on the quality of air. Moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew that can trigger respiratory problems. Monitoring humidity and keeping the humidity at a minimum is crucial to avoid these issues. This can be achieved by regularly cleaning and vacuuming, washing bedding, furniture 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. A home with high levels of air pollution, for example, can smell musty. It can also cause irritated or itchy eyes, and a swollen sensation. Installing an air purifier as well as maintaining the HVAC system can help prevent these issues. Also, ensure that you open doors and windows to let air flow in when needed.
Poor air quality can lead to headaches, problems with concentration and a general feeling of malaise. While these symptoms will resolve themselves after leaving a space, prolonged exposure can worsen existing health issues and can even result in serious health issues.
The primary factor that affects IAQ is the speed that fresh air replaces old air, a process referred to as ventilation. This is affected by the weather, the occupancy rate of the room and the design. There are simple methods to improve IAQ. This includes introducing plants in the home, opening the doors and windows whenever possible, and ensuring that the HVAC system works properly. If you’d like to take an even more comprehensive approach, it is recommended to consult a Comfort Specialist regarding an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
Central air conditioning systems are excellent at removing biological pollutants such as molds, bacteria pollen, pet dander and mold. However, they do not remove smoke particles. Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles that can trigger symptoms such as burning or itchy eye congested nasal, runny nose and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart conditions. Smoke particles can cause variety health effects like bronchitis, as well as aggravation of asthma.
The smoke blanketing New York City this week is the result of forest fires in Canada and is causing hazardous air quality conditions across much of the northern US and southern Canada. The dense smoky fog reduces visibility, and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely prevent smoke from entering your business or home through windows and doors particularly older homes with many drafts and cracks. However you can make steps to limit the amount of smoke entering your building.
Keep all windows and doors closed when it’s smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place wet towels in the cracks of door frames and around them to slow down the flow of smoky ai.
If your HVAC system has an recirculation feature, make sure you turn it off when the air is smoking. This allows the system to eliminate the smoke outside, rather than the air being recirculated inside. If your structure has ducts that connect to areas where contamination is likely to be high, for instance parking garages or loading docks, you should ensure that these ducts are isolated from the rest of.
The EPA suggests that you change your HVAC filters more frequently when you are in a smokey environment to ensure that they are removing toxins from indoor air. Select a filter that has a minimum efficiency report value (MERV) of 13 or more, since these filters are specially designed to eliminate the smoke and other gaseous air contaminants.
Supercooling
Supercooling is an energy-saving trend that has become more popular in recent years. It’s based on the idea that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. The majority of electricity companies offer “time of use” plans with different off-peak and peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes during off-peak hours, so they don’t have to run their air conditioners during those high-cost summer peak hours.
This method requires a thermostat that can be adjusted automatically. However, even with this, homeowners must take the time to look up their electric usage patterns and determine when it’s most cost-effective to run their air conditioning. This method can save you up to 25 percent on your energy bills.
To supercool the home homeowners should set their AC at a lower temperature the next morning and then keep it there for a few more hours. This cools the home’s walls furniture, floors, flooring and fixtures as well as the inside air. Then, when the peak energy-cost hours hit the homeowner cranks the air conditioning on and runs it until it is turned off for several hours.
This method works because cooling isn’t just about keeping the air inside the home cool. It’s also about stopping heat from getting into the house through doors, windows and other leak points. It is crucial that homeowners double-check their homes’ insulation and seal any leaky or drafty areas. It is also recommended to use window coverings to block out sun particularly in areas that get direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest times of the daytime. Also, they should make sure that all windows and doors are sealed tightly to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles. Also, they should consider using smart thermostats to aid them in remembering to start and stop cooling at the most optimal times of the day. This will allow homeowners to keep their energy costs low and not worry about forgetting to turn off the system or on.