Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips
Cooling and air conditioning are among the most significant inventions of the past century. They made summer blockbusters possible and helped boost production for wartime supplies and aircrafts.
Cooling, however puts enormous strain on the electricity system and produces huge amounts of pollution. This particular IEA Report aims to raise awareness of the impact and offers solutions.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a new cooling system. Upgrade to an energy-efficient air conditioner and save money on energy bills and reduce the environmental impact. Air conditioners are rated according to a variety of energy efficiency ratings, such as SEER, EER, and HSPF. These ratings tell you how much a unit is able to cool in a given amount of energy consumed. The higher the rating the more efficient the unit. You can locate a SEER rating of a system on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.
When you are looking for a new air conditioning unit, look for one with a high SEER rating. This rating indicates how well the unit performs under normal conditions in a given season. If you’re replacing a model that’s older with a higher SEER rating will greatly reduce your energy consumption and costs.
Other factors can affect the efficiency of energy in air conditioning systems, too. For instance high levels of indoor humidity as well as a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can all make your system work harder and use more energy. Making sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance and sealing duct leaks are easy steps to improve your system’s energy efficiency.
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 pipeline networks to supply cooling throughout the building. They could also include steam systems, which require specialized maintenance in order to ensure that the pipes do not become blocked.
Many of these large systems can also be controlled by an Building Automation System, which integrates the cooling and heating systems into a single central system. Verde has helped optimize the efficiency of systems by providing retrocommissioning strategies that offer quick paybacks.
Energy efficiency in air conditioning and cooling is a key component of global efforts to mitigate climate change. We need to ensure that cooling appliances are extremely efficient and that consumers want these appliances. In the meantime, there are other ways we can help cut our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a major health risk for many people who spend a large part of their lives in buildings. There are numerous ways to improve IAQ and prevent common problems like asthma, allergies, fatigue, etc.
Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide are three of the most prevalent pollutants in modern office and home buildings. These pollutants are released into the air through various activities, like cooking, cleaning, or smoking, and they could cause respiratory problems as well as allergic reactions.
High levels of moisture can have a negative impact on the quality of air. Mold and mildew can grow in humid air, and can lead to respiratory problems. To prevent these issues it is essential to keep an eye on humidity levels and keep the moisture at a minimum. The best way to accomplish this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and soft furnishings and using the dehumidifier or humidifier when required based on readings from hygrometers.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of improving IAQ in your home, it can improve the comfort of your home. A home that has high levels of air pollution, for example, can smell musty. It can also trigger irritated or itchy eyes as well as a stuffy sensation. These issues can be prevented by installing an air purifier, keeping the HVAC system, and making sure that windows and doors are open for ventilation as required.
Poor air quality can cause headaches, concentration problems and general unwellness. The symptoms can resolve after leaving the area however, prolonged exposure to poor air quality could exacerbate existing health issues or even trigger serious illnesses.
The most important factor that influences IAQ is the rate of fresh air replacing the old air, a process that is known as ventilation. This is influenced by the weather, room occupancy rates, as well as the design of the building. However, simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ by introduction of plants into the house and opening doors and windows as much as is possible and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning properly. If you want to go one step further, we suggest you consult a Comfort Specialist for an assessment of indoor air quality.
Smoke Pollution
While heat pumps and central air conditioners do a fantastic job of filtering out most biological pollutants, such as molds, bacteria, pet dander, and pollen, they’re not designed to eliminate smoke particles. The tiny particles of smoke from wildfires are extremely dangerous and can easily enter your nose, eyes and throat, and cause symptoms such as burning eyes or itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, and coughing. They can also cause irritation to your lungs and cause worsening of chronic lung and heart problems. The fine particles that are invisible in smoke can get stuck in your lungs, triggering a variety of health issues, including an increase in asthma, bronchitis, and damage to your heart and lungs.
The smoke that has blanketed New York City this week has been caused by forest fires in Canada, and it is causing dangerous air quality conditions across much of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and creates breathing problems for those who has to be outdoors.
Unfortunately there is no way to completely stop smoke from getting into your business or home through doors and windows, especially older homes with a lot of cracks and drafts. You can take steps to lessen the amount of smoke entering your building.
Keep all doors and windows closed when it’s smoky outside. This will reduce the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. Place damp towels in the cracks around door frames and in the corners to slow down the flow of smoke.
If your HVAC system is in a recirculation mode, be sure to turn off when you are in a smokey environment. This allows your HVAC system to exhaust the smoky indoor air outside, rather than the air being recirculated. If you have ducts in your building connected to areas that could produce high concentrations of pollutants, like attached parking garages and loading docks, be sure that those ducts are independently isolated from the rest of the duct system.
The EPA recommends changing your HVAC filters more frequently when you are in a smokey environment to ensure that they are removing contaminants from indoor air. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) that is 13 or more. These filters are designed to eliminate gaseous air pollution and smoke.
Supercooling
Supercooling is an energy-saving trend that’s become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s based on the idea that electricity costs don’t vary by amount at any time of the day. Most energy companies offer “time of use” plans with different rates for off-peak and peak times. Supercooling allows homeowners cool their homes ahead of off-peak times, so they don’t have to run air conditioners during those costly summer peak hours.
This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. However, even with this, homeowners should be aware of and study their electric consumption patterns and decide when it’s most cost-effective to run their air cooling system. A lot of people save 25% or more on their energy bills through this method.
To supercool the home, the homeowner set their AC to a lower temperature in the morning and maintains it at the same setting for a few hours. This cools down the floors, walls furniture, fixtures and furniture of the home as well as the air inside. Then, when the peak energy-cost hours arrive, the homeowner turns the air conditioning on and then leaves it running until it’s off for several hours again.
This strategy is successful since cooling doesn’t just refer to making the air inside the home cooler. It is essential to stop heat from getting into your home through doors, windows, and other leaky points. It’s important that homeowners double-check their homes’ insulation and seal any drafty or leaky areas. It is also recommended to use window shades to block sun light particularly in areas that get direct sunlight that is bright during the hottest parts of the daytime. Also they should ensure that all windows and doors are sealed to prevent air from escape during cooling cycles. They should also think about using smart thermostats to help them remember when to start and stop cooling. This makes it easier for homeowners to keep their energy costs low without worrying about forgetting to turn off the system or on.
