Some Tips To Reduce The Energy Cost Of Your Home A/C Plant During Summer.
A few simple steps as follows will save lot of energy:
Set your thermostat at 78°F or higher. Each degree setting below 78°F will increase your energy consumption by approximately 8%.
Use bath and kitchen fans sparingly when the air conditioner is operating.
Inspect [...]
Where the air is dry, evaporative coolers can provide cooling less expensively than operating an air conditioner. They are most common in desert areas with arid climates like in the Southwest where many homes use them. And they are seen occassionally in other parts of the country where the situation calls for some [...]
Double-hung windows are probably the most common type of window. They open by sliding the bottom half of the window up or sliding the top half down. Because only half of the window area can be open at one time, they provide less ventilation than casement style windows. An advantage of double-hung windows is they [...]
Cooling Fans work in basically two ways. One, they are often used to move air around within the house making occupants feel cooler. In this mode of operation, they do not actually cool the air. In fact, a fan operating in a “closed” room will increase air temperature, because of electrical losses from the [...]
Do not assume that all duct cleaning service providers are equally knowledgeable and responsible. Talk to at least three different service providers and get written estimates before deciding whether to have your ducts cleaned. When the service providers come to your home, ask them to show you the contamination that would justify having your ducts [...]
Learn as much as possible about air duct cleaning before you decide to have your ducts cleaned by reading this guidance and contacting the sources of information provided.
Consider other possible sources of indoor air pollution first if you suspect an indoor air quality problem exists in your home.
Have your air ducts cleaned [...]
Whether or not you decide to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, committing to a good preventive maintenance program is essential to minimize duct contamination.
To prevent dirt from entering the system the following should be strictly followed:
1.Use the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer of your heating and cooling [...]
If you choose to have your ducts cleaned by a service provider, he or she provider should undertake the following jobs:
1.Open access ports or doors to allow the entire system to be cleaned and inspected.
2.Inspect the system before cleaning to be sure that there are no asbestos-containing materials (e.g., insulation, register boots, etc.) [...]
Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern and increased visibility.
Many companies are marketing products and services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached directly by a company offering to [...]
The future of energy supply is still being debated. Estimates of how much oil and natural gas is still in the ground, how much of it can be economically recovered, and what it will cost by the time we purchase it are highly variable. Our priority is to use it as wisely as possible to [...]
The best way to reduce the need for cooling during the hot summer months is by keeping the sun out of the home. Begin as far away from the house as possible with shade trees, trellises covered with vines, or awnings. Pay particular attention to east and west facing windows. The sun is low in [...]
Use outside air to cool the house when the temperature is below 77° F. That means opening windows and letting air flow naturally or giving it an assist with fans. Draw air into the home, particularly during the night when it is cool. During the day, as the temperature rises, close it up [...]
Which piece of cooking equipment you use and how you use it makes a big impact on how much energy you use preparing meals. Here are some tips that should help you decide where and when savings are possible in the kitchen.
Select the right pan or appliance. Oversized pans waste energy. The [...]
Infiltration is a special case of convection between the inside and outside of, a home. The majority of energy is lost by infiltration when outside air leaks into a home, is conditioned, and then leaks out again. Air enters a home through openings in walls, cracks around doors and windows and a variety of other [...]
Because conduction is one of the three significant mechanisms by which homes lose energy, you may be interested to know how to calculate the amount of energy a home loses during a year. Such calculations allow you to estimate the amount of energy saved by reducing heat flow by adding insulation. To understand where those [...]
Energy from the sun travels to the earth by electromagnetic waves which range from infrared (longer and slower than visible light) to ultraviolet (shorter and faster than visible light). What happens when these waves strike a surface depends on the properties of that surface.
If the surface is reflective, (i.e. polished metal), most of the sunlight [...]
Heat is in constant motion. It flows from warmer areas to colder areas until an overall equal temperature is established. Heat moves from one place to another in three ways: Conductions, Convection and Radiation.
Conduction is the movement of heat through a substance (or between substances) in contact with each other. In such cases, heat moves [...]
To understand condensation, one must first understand a couple of other concepts. Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount possible at a given temperature. Air with a relative humidity of 50% is [...]
People are generally comfortable in homes when relative humidity ranges between 30 and 60 percent. Below 30 percent, some people experience dryness in their nose and throat; over 60 percent, the air begins to feel uncomfortably sticky. Human comfort is one consideration for indoor humidity levels, the other major consideration is keeping condensation from occurring [...]
Wet-bulb temperature is measured using a standard mercury-in-glass thermometer, with the thermometer bulb wrapped in muslin, which is kept wet. The evaporation of water from the thermometer has a cooling effect, so the temperature indicated by the wet bulb thermometer is less than the temperature indicated by a dry-bulb (normal, unmodified) [...]
Mechanical ventilation is typically accomplished with a small fan located on a dormer vent. These fans are usually hardwired into a house’s electrical system and are controlled by a thermostat. They usually draw electricity in the range of 2 to 70 kWh per year, depending on local weather conditions and your attic temperatures. The cost [...]
For a typical house, windows can account for 10% to 30% of the heating and cooling bill. Upgrading from single-pane windows to energy-efficient windows can cut this in half or better, so savings of up to 15% of your current bill are reasonable. Depending on where you live, this can amount to $50 to $100 [...]
If you turn your hot water heater off during the day, won’t it cost more because you then have to heat up the whole tank and wait minutes before taking a shower? Also, isn’t it kind of an inconvenience?
No, water heater energy consumption increases with higher water temperatures, and water heaters use more energy to [...]
If you are putting in a home office. Do your computers and fax machines really use too much energy?
If you use a PC built before 1994, it can use around 200 W, and a laser printer can use around 100 W; if you leave this on 24 hours per day this can add up to [...]
Your utility company tried telling you to use more fluorescent lights to save energy, but you hate how fluorescent lights flicker when you turn them on and then make that annoying hum. And they make everything look sort of blue and cold. Isn’t there anything better?
Yes, fluorescent lighting technology has significantly improved in recent [...]
Remember, the “V” in HVAC stands for ventilation.
Ventilation refers to the movement and exchange of air in the home, as performed by your air conditioning system. Proper ventilation is important because it will keep fresh air moving inside your house while removing bad or stale air to the outside.
“If you have a tighter house, a [...]
The “Manual J” calculation is vital for your builder and HVAC contractor to determine the proper size of your home’s HVAC system.
Since you now know that size affects your air conditioning system, it’s time to understand how to determine the right size equipment for your home. To do that your builder and HVAC contractor [...]
Air conditioning is one of those amenities that’s easy to take for granted if you have it, and-on a hot, humid summer afternoon-easy to covet if you don’t. In fact, in relatively warm climates, central air conditioners have become more the norm than the exception. In addition to cooling, they dehumidify and filter air, making [...]
Air conditioning systems can provide welcomed relief in the heat of the summer. An air conditioning system serves to cool the air inside a building. The system may serve to cool the air in either a small room or throughout the entire house. The system that you choose will depend largely on the size of [...]