Energy Efficient Cooling and Air Conditioning Tips

Air conditioning and cooling is one of the most significant inventions of our time. They made blockbuster summer movies possible and helped boost manufacturing for wartime supplies as well as airplanes.

Cooling, however, puts immense strain on the electricity system and creates huge quantities of pollution. This particular IEA Report raises awareness of the impact and offers solutions.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is one of the most important aspects when selecting a new cooling unit. Upgrade to a more efficient air conditioner and reduce your energy costs and also reduce the environmental impact. The energy efficiency of air conditioners is assessed in various ways such as SEER and EER. These ratings tell you how much an air conditioner can cool with a certain amount of electricity consumed. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit is. You can find the SEER rating of a system on its yellow Energy Guide label or by searching for “SEER ratings” online.

When shopping for a new air conditioning system, look for one that has a high SEER rating. This rating reveals how efficiently the unit can perform during the course of a season in normal conditions. If you’re replacing an older model, a higher SEER rating will drastically reduce your energy use and expenses.

Air conditioning systems can be affected by other factors too. For example high levels of indoor humidity as well as a lack of maintenance and duct leaks can all make your system more efficient and consume more energy. Maintaining your system with regular maintenance and sealing duct leaks are easy steps to improve the efficiency of your system.

Commercial cooling systems are also subject to energy efficiency concerns. They use a combination of split- or packaged compressors, as well as huge pipeline networks to supply cooling throughout the building. They could also have 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 centralized system. Verde has been able to improve the efficiency of these systems by providing retrocommissioning recommendations that provide rapid paybacks.

The global effort to reduce the effects of climate change is heavily dependent on energy efficiency in cooling and air conditioning. In the end, we must ensure that manufacturers bring highly efficient cooling appliances to market, and consumers are demanding these appliances. In the meantime we can also take other steps to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gases emissions.

Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality can be a serious health concern for those who spend a large part of their time in 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 and 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 due to many different activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and smoking, and they could cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions.

A high level of moisture may have a negative impact on air quality. Mold and mildew can grow in moist air, which can lead to respiratory issues. Monitoring humidity and keeping the moisture low is essential to avoid these problems. The best way to achieve this is by regularly dusting and vacuuming, cleaning bedding and furniture and utilizing the dehumidifier or humidifier when required based on readings from hygrometers.

In addition to the obvious health benefits as well as the obvious health benefits, improving IAQ can increase comfort in homes. For instance, a home that is contaminated by air pollutants could turn musty and odor unpleasant. It can also cause irritation or itchy eyes, and a swollen sensation. Installing an air purifier as well as maintaining the HVAC system can help prevent these issues. Also, make sure that you open your windows and doors to let air flow in when needed.

Poor air quality can lead to headaches, problems with concentration and general feeling of ill-health. These symptoms may resolve after leaving the space, but prolonged exposure to poor air quality could exacerbate existing health issues or even trigger serious illnesses.

Ventilation is the main factor that affects IAQ. This can be affected by the weather, room occupancy rates, and also the design of the building. But, a few simple steps can be taken to improve IAQ by introducing plants into the house opening up windows and doors whenever possible and ensuring that the HVAC system is functioning correctly. If you want to go a step further, we recommend that you consult a Comfort Specialist for an indoor air assessment.

Smoke Pollution

Central air conditioning systems are great at removing biological pollutants such as molds, bacteria pollen, pet dander and mold. However they are not able to remove smoke particles. Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles which can cause symptoms like burning or itchy eye, congestion, runny nasal and coughing. They can also irritate your lungs and cause worsening of chronic heart and lung conditions. The invisible fine particles in smoke can clog your lung, triggering a myriad of health effects, including worsened asthma, bronchitis and damage to your lung and heart.

The smoke blanketing New York City this week was caused by forest fires in Canada and has created hazardous air quality conditions across a large portion of the northern US and southern Canada. The thick smoke haze can reduce visibility and can cause respiratory stress for anyone who must be outdoors.

Unfortunately there is no way to completely stop smoky air from entering your home or business through windows and doors, especially older homes with lots of cracks and drafts. However, you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke that enters your home or business.

Keep all windows and doors closed when it’s smoky outside. This can cut the amount of smoky air by 30 percent. If possible, place wet towels around the door frames and cracks in order to slow the flow of smoke into your home or business.

If your HVAC system features the ability to recirculate air, be sure that you switch it off when the air is smokey. This allows the system to eliminate the smoke outside instead of returning it to inside. If you have ducts within your building connected to areas that may produce high concentrations of contaminants, such as parking garages that are attached to the building 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 in the event of smoke to ensure they are effectively taking out the toxins in the air inside. Choose a filter that has the minimum reporting value (MERV) which is 13 or higher. These filters are designed to remove the smoke and gaseous pollution from the air.

Supercooling

Supercooling is an energy-saving trend that has become more popular in recent years. It’s based on the notion that electricity prices vary at different times of the day. In fact, most energy companies offer “time-of-use” plans that provide different off-peak and peak rates. Supercooling allows homeowners to pre-cool their homes during off-peak hours, so they don’t have to use their air conditioners during high-cost summer peak hours.

This method requires an automated thermostat that can be programmed. Even so homeowners must examine their patterns of usage of electricity to determine the time when their air conditioner is the most efficient. Many homeowners save around 25% or more off their energy bills using this method.

To keep the home cool homeowners, they set their air conditioner to lower temperatures in the morning and keeps it at the same setting for a couple of hours. This cools the walls furniture, floors, flooring and fixtures as well as the interior air. When peak energy-cost times arrive the homeowner cranks the air conditioner up and then leaves it running until it’s off for several hours again.

This method works because cooling isn’t only about making the air inside the home cool. It’s crucial to prevent heat from entering your home through doors, windows, and other leaky points. This is why homeowners should ensure that their homes are properly constructed and insulated, and also make sure to insulate any drafty or leaky areas. Also, they should make use of window shades to block out sun, especially in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. Also, they should make sure that all doors and windows are tightly sealed to stop air from escaping during cooling cycles. They should also think about using smart thermostats to help them remember when to start and stop cooling. This will allow homeowners to keep their energy bills low without worrying about forgetting to turn off the system or on.