Archive for May, 2011

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Passive Ground Source-Based Cooling

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Although there are plenty of active ways to cool your home, sometimes a passive system makes the most sense. If you think about it, you know that the ground in the summer is cooler than the air. And the deeper you go, the cooler it gets. So wouldn’t it be great if you could harness that coolness in some way and use it to cool the air in your home?

How Passive Ground Source-Based Cooling Works

Well, the truth is that you can. That’s exactly what ground source-based cooling systems do. While similar to geothermal heat pumps in some basic ways, ground-source based cooling systems use much less energy to achieve their results. Instead of using coolant and a compressor to transfer heat from your home to the ground, passive ground-source based systems simply carry cold water from the ground to your home where it can then cool the air.

Traditional systems are more complicated in many ways. Air conditioners use coolant and electricity and even geothermal heat pumps use a condenser to transfer air into and out of your home. With a passive ground source cooling system, the amount of energy put into the cooling of your home is reduced to practically nothing – there are few systems that offer these results without costing you a lot in monthly bills.

System Requirements

Of course, if you want to put a system like this in place in your home, you need access to a naturally cooled supply of water. Unless you live near a large pond, lake or other ground level water source, this involves digging down to access the groundwater below your home. Depending on how far down you have to go to reach an acceptable water supply, installing this type of system can cost you quite a bit.

But if you do have easy access to naturally cold water, a ground source-based passive cooling system is an excellent option. And even if you have to spend a bit more on installation by drilling or digging, you’ll more than make up for that cost through what you’ll save in monthly energy bills. Air conditioners are great but they suck power, and if you can find a way to cool your home without one, you’ll be much better off in the long run.

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DOAS – Dedicated Outdoor Air System

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Achieving proper ventilation is a major concern in a building of any size. Because of this, most commercial HVAC systems incorporate a component that mixes fresh, outdoor air with recycled air returned from circulation in the building and mixes these together to prepare them for recirculation. In this mixing chamber, the air is also reconditioned and filtered to make it acceptable for use throughout the building.

However, recently a new method for introducing fresh, outdoor air into a building has been gaining in popularity. This is the dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) and it involves the use of a separate compartment for conditioning outdoor air and recycled indoor air. Rather than mixing the air from these two different sources together, the DOAS keeps them separate so the amount of fresh air that reaches each part of the building can be more carefully regulated.

Advantages of the DOAS Setup

This is, in fact, the main reason that a DOAS setup is so desirable. There are specific regulations concerning how much fresh air must reach each area of a building on a regular basis. With more conventional models that mix outdoor and indoor air together prior to circulation, meeting these standards becomes a matter of guesswork, estimation and percentages.

However, with a DOAS in place, it’s possible to monitor exactly how much outdoor air each section of the building receives. These systems are also quite adept at regulating humidity, a major concern when it comes to any type of HVAC system.

Cost and Integration

While a DOAS is certainly different in many ways from a conventional system setup, it still makes use of the same parts and attachments. That means it’s quite easy to integrate into an existing system and because it can use existing parts, you won’t pay extra for repairs or installation over a traditional system.

While this technology is still considered experimental, the benefits are clear and it has been used effectively in many different types of buildings over the last few years. No matter how large or small your space is, providing adequate ventilation is a significant concern, so it’s definitely worth taking a closer look at these DOAS to see what they may be able to offer your company.

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Radiant vs. Air Based Parallel Cooling System

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

When you incorporate a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) into the cooling system for your building, you’ll need to supplement it with another parallel cooling system. DOAS systems are important because they ensure a proper and consistent influx of fresh air, but they can’t typically handle the entire cooling load of a building on their own. Luckily, there are a number of options for a supplemental system. Specifically, when you want the right system to supplement a DOAS, you have two choices – air based or radiant cooling.

Air Based Parallel Cooling

In an air based parallel cooling system, reconditioned air from the building is used to compliment the fresh air supplied by the DOAS. This reconditioned air can be mixed with the DOAS and then circulated throughout the building, or the two types of air can be circulated separately through their own ductwork systems.

It’s easy to see how putting in two systems of ducts could increase your initial installation costs if you go that route. But by keeping the two types of air separate, you’ll always have the right combination of fresh and recirculated air in each area of your building.

Combining these two air sources prior to building-wide circulation, on the other hand, can both save you on initial installation costs and on operating costs, as the fan power needed to circulate air from a single supply is much less than what you would need for two separate supplies.

Radiant Parallel Cooling

However, there is another option entirely when you’re trying to supplement your DOAS – radiant parallel cooling. This involves installing a system of radiant cooling panels throughout the building. These panels are cooled continuously so they absorb heat from people and objects in each room.

As the panels absorb heat and carry it away, the change in air temperature near the panels leads to the development of natural convection currents that gradually spread the cool air throughout the room. Radiant cooling is ideal for use with a DOAS because it requires very little additional energy usage and no fan or ductwork.

Particularly if you are installing a system in a building for the first time and have no ducts or other features in place yet, radiant ceiling panels can be the ideal choice from both a functional and budgetary standpoint.

The system that works best for you will depend largely on the current layout of your building, the specific cooling needs of tenants or employees, and your target installation costs. Make sure to do your research well in advance before choosing your cooling method and you’ll be set for years to come.

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How to Add Freon to a Central Air Conditioning Unit

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

An air conditioner cannot cool your home without an adequate amount of Freon. So if you’ve noticed a drop off in the cooling power of your central air conditioning system, inadequate Freon levels may be the culprit. But before you try to add more Freon to your unit, there are several things you need to know.

Low Freon Means a Leak

The truth is that your central air conditioning system should never need to be “topped off” with Freon. The coolant in your unit is part of a closed loop system and doesn’t get used up like fuel. Instead it continues to circulate through your compressor, absorbing and releasing heat to keep the air passing through it cool and comfortable.

If the level of Freon inside your air conditioner drops below the proper level, it generally means there’s a leak somewhere in your system and you’ll need a qualified professional to find that leak and make the necessary repairs.

Professional Access and Expertise

Even if you’re inclined to add Freon to your unit, you’ll probably have a hard time getting your hands on it. As an EPA regulated substance, Freon can only be purchased by EPA certified technicians. If you’re able to purchase this type of coolant for your air conditioner, you’ll need to make sure you know what type your unit uses. Most air conditioners these days use either R22 or R-134a. It’s important that you only use the type of Freon that your air conditioner is built for.

Potential for Harm

Freon is regulated so strictly because it is an extremely hazardous substance. It can harm you or your family and it can do a lot of damage if accidentally released into the atmosphere. To top everything off, if you do accidentally release it, you could be subject to some hefty EPA fines.

In extreme cases, you can do irreparable damage to your air conditioning system by trying to add Freon inappropriately or without proper training. For all of these reasons, it’s best to let a certified professional check and, if necessary, top off the Freon levels in your AC system. For the minimal cost of this service, you can avoid risking the health and safety of your family as well as that of your AC system.

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Is it Possible to Vent Hot Air from a Garage?

Friday, May 20th, 2011

If you have a garage, you know how hot it can get in there on a warm summer day. In fact, the air in your garage is likely hotter and more humid than the air right outside. Of course, you may not spend a lot of time in your garage, so reducing the temperature in there might not be an immediate concern for you.

But just like heat buildup in your attic, higher temperatures in your garage can have negative effects on the temperature in the rest of your home. Heat seeping into the house from the garage will cause your air conditioning system to work harder to keep it comfortable indoors. And that’s going to cost you money.

Getting the Heat Out

For all of these reasons, it’s a good idea to reduce the temperature in your garage as soon as possible. Of course, if you’re actively working in the garage or right outside, you can always leave the door open. This allows an influx of fresh, cooler air to clear it out.

But that’s not really a practical solution when you’re not immediately on hand. After all, you can’t leave your garage door open indefinitely and as soon as you close it, the heat will start to build right back up again.

Vents and Fans

One thing we don’t want to forget is that heat rises. That means installing a vent and fan in the roof where the hottest air will be can help remove the majority of the excess heat building up in your garage. Just like an attic fan, this fan can be triggered to come on when the temperature inside the garage reaches a certain point. Usually, the fan comes on when the indoor temperature reaches a point that is likely higher than outside – 90 degrees F or higher.

The fan then draws hot air out through your vent, reducing the temperature inside the garage to equalize the outdoor temperature. This will be effective in and of itself, but if you want even better results, you can also install another vent towards the bottom of your garage door. That way, as the hot air is pulled out of the top of the garage, fresh air will be drawn in through the vent, providing a constant stream of cooler, fresh air and promoting healthy circulation within your garage.

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Inverter vs. Conventional Models

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

When trying to pick out the right air conditioner for your home, you’ll probably stumble across mention of inverter technology. Air conditioners using inverter technology are quite similar to conventional air conditioners in many respects, but they have some distinct advantages under certain circumstances.

What’s the Difference?

A conventional air conditioner is set up to switch on when the indoor temperature reaches a particular level. When it comes on, it introduces cool air at a constant speed until the desired temperature is reached and then it shuts off completely. Your indoor environment remains more or less the same temperature, but you will be blasted periodically with a lot of cold air. While the air conditioner is off, the air in the room gradually warms up until the temperature gets high enough to trigger the air conditioning system to come on again.

An inverter, on the other hand, comes on powerfully at first to achieve the desired temperature, and then reduces its fan speed gradually to maintain that temperature without shutting off completely. This method of cooling maintains the desired temperature more consistently than a conventional system can. It also requires a lot of careful measurements, not only for how much cooling power is needed in your room, but for the speed at which the cool air will dissipate from that room.

Initial Installation

One big reason that more people didn’t opt for an inverter air conditioning system in the past was that the initial installation cost was often considerably higher than that of a conventional system. However, advances in the technology have made inverter air conditioners much more affordable in recent years. Digital programming, more accurate measurements and efficiency in every aspect of the field are responsible for the drop in price.

Savings over Time

While inverter air conditioning systems are still typically more expensive than their conventional counterparts when it comes to initial cost, they provide excellent savings over time that can more than make up for the difference in purchase price. This is particularly true in areas where air conditioners are not running at full blast constantly.

When they are both maxed out, a conventional air conditioner is more efficient than an inverter. But when the temperature is such that a conventional model would switch on and off all of the time, an inverter will easily outstrip it in terms of energy efficiency.

To ensure you get the right model for your home, carefully calculate the difference in installation costs, the amount of cooling your home needs and the current efficiency of your cooling system. If everything lines up perfectly, an inverter system may be right for you.

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Do I Need Surge Protection for My HVAC?

Monday, May 16th, 2011

You probably know that to keep your HVAC system in good working order you need to keep up with regular maintenance. This includes things like changing air filters, cleaning out air ducts and clearing debris from both inside and outside the system. Surge protection for your system may not be something you think of immediately, but like those maintenance tasks, it’s an important part of keeping your equipment functioning properly over time.

How Surge Protection Works

Surge protection essentially shuts off your system in the event that power levels in the system rise suddenly and unacceptably. When a sudden increase in electricity occurs, any electronic device is at risk. But, unlike your stereo, your HVAC system costs thousands of dollars – no one wants to lose something so valuable to a surge that could have been prevented. That’s why a surge protector is so vital for your system.

The surge protector monitors the levels of electricity coming into your HVAC system. In the event that a surge occurs for any reason (faulty wiring, a lightning strike, etc.), the surge protector will immediately cut off power to the HVAC unit and shut all of the equipment down.

A Sizeable Investment

Your HVAC system was not an impulse buy. This is a collection of equipment that you probably spent a good deal of money on and that you rely on to keep your family comfortable throughout the year. When you look at it that way, it’s easy to see why it’s worth doing anything you can to protect your investment. Installing a surge protector is a relatively minor expense compared to the money and inconvenience it could save you by preventing serious damage to your HVAC equipment.

Proper Restart

Once a surge protector shuts off your HVAC system, you’ll need to restart it properly. The best thing to do is talk to the contractor who installs your system. They can walk you through the restart process step by step to ensure you know exactly what to do. After going through all that trouble installing a surge protector, the last thing you want is to make a mistake when turning it back on.

If you don’t already have a surge protector in place, call an HVAC professional today and learn what your system needs to be fully protected. It’s a small expense and a quick installation, so there’s no reason to put it off any longer.

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Cooling Your House Naturally

Friday, May 13th, 2011

In this day and age, it seems like no matter what type of problem you have, there’s a technological solution for it. But is that solution always the best? For instance, just because you can get a high-tech air conditioning system to keep your home at the same temperature regardless of the weather outside, does that mean that you should rely solely on that system?

Of course, the choice is yours, but before you decide how best to keep your house comfortable during the warm summer months, it’s a good idea to learn a little bit more about what your other options might be.

  • Cross-Ventilation – One of the easiest ways to take the edge off when the temperature starts to rise inside is to open windows on both sides of the house. This allows the breeze to come in one side and pass out the other, taking the stale, warm indoor air with it in the process and cooling off your house naturally.
  • Stack-Ventilation – If you have a two-story home, you may want to try stack-ventilation. This variation on cross-ventilation involves opening the windows on the bottom floor on one side of your home and on the top floor on the other. The differences in pressure from one area to the next cause fresh outdoor air to be sucked in on the ground floor and pushed out on the top floor, thereby creating a strong air current throughout your home.
  • Blocking Out the Sun – The number one reason that the interior of your house gets hot in the summer is exposure to direct sunlight, so anything you can do to diminish the amount of sun that actually makes it into your home, the better off you’ll be. All you really have to do is close the blinds on those windows where sun can come in to keep the majority of that heat from impacting your indoor environment.
  • Stay Away from Dark Colors – The color of the outside of your home can also have an impact on how hot it gets indoors. Dark colors absorb the heat, while light colors reflect it. So if you want to keep the temperature down inside, stick to light colors on the exterior of your home.
  • The Importance of Shade – Any type of shade will also keep the sun’s heat out of your home. Trees are a great source of natural shade. Awnings can provide great cooling power too without blocking out your view.

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Saving Energy with Air Conditioners

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Air conditioners can definitely make it easier to get through a particularly hot and sticky summer. But they are also pretty expensive to run, especially if you live in an area with long, hot summers. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can do to help your air conditioner keep your home cool without running up those astronomical energy bills.

  • Think about Your Thermostat – Most people set their thermostat at one temperature and leave it there. But does it really make sense to pay to keep your home cool all day long when no one’s home? Instead, try turning up the temperature when you leave the house and then again at night before you go to bed. It’s likely you won’t notice the difference and even an adjustment of a couple of degrees can make a big difference.
  • Multiple Climate Zones – When you are home, of course, you want to set your thermostat to a temperature you’ll be comfortable with. But that probably still means you’ll be cooling a lot of empty space. Installing a multi-zone system allows you to set different temperatures for different parts of your home. You can keep the spaces you use regularly cool and comfortable without wasting money paying to cool the unoccupied parts of your home.
  • Ceiling Fans – It might seem silly at first glance to use a ceiling fan at the same time as an air conditioner. But the truth is that using a ceiling fan to compliment your air conditioning system can actually save you a lot of money. Ceiling fans use next to no electricity to operate and they can make the house feel a few degrees cooler. With that added help, you can turn your thermostat up a few degrees without sacrificing indoor comfort and save yourself quite a bit of money – more than enough to cover the cost of running the ceiling fan.
  • Keep Things Sealed – Making sure your house is well sealed and insulated is another important way to keep your energy usage down during the summer. The more cool air that escapes, the harder your system has to work and the more energy it will use.
  • Proper Maintenance – Keeping up with the recommended maintenance for your air conditioning system is the best way to make sure it maintains the highest possible level of energy efficiency. Over time, it will ensure your system stays efficient longer as well – well beyond the initial lifespan estimates.

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How to Use AC Most Efficiently

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Air conditioning is definitely something most of us wouldn’t want to try and get through the summer without. And for a lot of people, because of medical or other conditions, it’s an absolute necessity. But just because you need to run your AC unit all summer doesn’t mean you need to suffer under the weight of astronomical cooling costs.

So if you’re interested in ways to save on cooling without sacrificing comfort, here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Get a Programmable Thermostat – When you come home at the end of a long day, you want your home to be cool and comfortable. But if you only have a basic thermostat, you would have to leave your air conditioning on all day in order to make this possible. Paying to cool an empty house is probably the last thing you want to do. But what is the alternative?

    Programmable thermostats offer the best solution in a case like this. These devices can be easily integrated into just about any home air conditioning system and they allow you to set different temperatures for different times of the day. That means you can have your air conditioning off while you’re not home and set it to come on a half hour or so before you get there. This way, you get the pleasure of walking into a cool, comfortable house without paying extra to keep it that way when you’re not home.

  • Incorporate Passive Cooling – The design of your home and how you use it can also have an effect on how hard your air conditioning system needs to work. Taking steps as simple as closing the blinds to block out the afternoon sun, putting up awnings and making sure that the exterior of your home is painted a lighter color to reflect sunlight rather than a darker one that will absorb it are all excellent ways to reduce the load on your air conditioner.
  • Supplement Your System – You can also take a good chunk out of your cooling bills by using things like ceiling fans in conjunction with your air conditioner. A ceiling fan can effectively lower the indoor temperature several degrees on its own, allowing you to set your thermostat a little higher.

Air conditioning is a major expense that most of us are resigned to paying, but there’s no reason to pay more than necessary with so many strategies available to save money.

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